28th April - light rain/drizzle early, thn cloudy, but sunny pm, mod-fresh NE, 12C, cool

Husbands Bosworth Sand Pit; afternoon.

Little Grebe 2, Mallard 3, Gadwall 6, Tufted 13, Swallow 2.

Lilbourne Meadows; afternoon.

New bird was a Common Sandpiper.  Shelduck pair still present (female is lame). Single drake Wigeon still.

10 Swallows and 15 House Martins over island pool.

Two yellow Wagtails around.  Reed Warbler, Chiffchaff and Blackcap singing.  15 Starlings busy gathering food from the Sheep pastures.

27th April - Sunny, 20C, light NW

Lilbourne Meadows; afternoon.

Pair Shelduck, two Gadwall, pairs Redshank and Oystercatchers.

Single Wigeon drake still.

WhHitethroat singing.

Misterton; afternoon.

Two Nuthatches near the Church. Chiffchaff and Song Thrush singing.

Heron at the lake, Buzzard over.

26th April - Mostly sunny, light breeze, 21C

Lilbourne Meadows; morning.

On the flood pools area a Shelduck pair, single Wigeon and two Mute Swans.

At the Island pool a Wood Sandpiper was feeding (first of the year here), plus the other regulars, including two Gadwalls and Little Egret..  

A Whitethroat and Reed Warbler were singing in this area.

Tywell Hills and Dales; afternoon.

Met up with Mick and Sandra (the butterfly lady) to search the area for Dingy and Grizzled Skippers and Green Hairstreak, we did find all of these.   Other butterflies included Peacock, Red Admiral, Holly Blue, Speckled Wood Orange-tip and Brimstone.  

A moth, that can be confused with a Skipper, was seen which at first was thought to be a Old Mother Shipton, but didn't look quite right, and I believe it was a Latticed Heath moth.

A Hornet was spotted too

Latticed Heath.

We also noted ants carrying small green caterpillars in to their tunnels, I shall have to explore this further..

Birds included Whitethroat and Lesser Whitethroat, Blackcap, garden Warbler and Yellowhammer

25th April - Sunny, very light breeze, 21C

Welney WWT,

Some nice activity here to see including - the usual Ducks, including a pair of Pintails and two drake Wigeon and two Egyptian Geese.  A Barnacle Goose was with a few Canada Geese.  Little, Great Egret and Grey Heron.  A Common Sandpiper, Lapwings, Red shank, Avocet (many) and Black-tailed Godwits - displaying.  A Common Tern flew in.

Mute and Whooper Swans. 

A good population of House Sparrows (nesting in the centre's roof space too), Sedge and Redd, Whitethroat and Cetti's.

A male Marsh Harrier.

A good number of butterflies seen, including my first Small Copper for the year.

24th April - Sunny, light wind E, 18C

WIlley.

This morning I spotted the pair of Grey Partridge again, back in the usual area.  Then two Red-legged Partridge in the adjacent field.

Stanford Reservoir; afternoon.

Two Little Gulls had been seen by Chris, but when I arrived I found one over the water with 8 Common Terns.

A Little Egret and Grey Heron, a few Shoveler and Gadwall and a single drake Wigeon.

Five Yellow Wagtails on the dam, also the Redshank still.

Bittesby Country Park; evening.

A singing Whitethroat and Lesser Whitethroat.  Several Vlackcaps too.

Seven Tufted Duck and a Canada Goose pair on the lake.

23rd April - Sunny, mod NE, 16C. Feeling cool after another chilly start.

Willey:

This morning the Little Owl was seen flying into the Oak tree in the thick hedge and a  Wheatear was on the old muck heap.

A Mistle Thrush was singing frim the Long Spinney near Muswell leys entrance.

1430h, a Red Kite over, and several Holly Blue's seen in the church garden and church lane.

Lilbourne Meadows; mid-day.

A single Grey Plover was present today, the Greenshank was not seen today.

22nd April - Sunny, breeze increasing to fresh-blustery Easterly, 17C - feeling quite cool. Chilly early mornings still

Willey; 

Little Owl still present, but very wary.

Swallows, at last two are visiting our shed.

Stock Doves, four flew out of the field barns.

Lilbourne Meadows; afternoon.

A Greenshank today was new in.

Otherwise the current regulars, only a single Wigeon spotted though.

Orange-tip, Holly Blue, Green-veined White and Peacock were seen today.

Shawell Sandpit/landfill area; evening.

A quick visit, fairly quiet.  The Egyptian Goose family still, c10 each House and Sand Martins.

Little Grebe pair., Blackcap singing in the spinney.

Buzzard and Red Kite.