27th April - Sunny, 20C, light SW

 Visited Lilbourne Meadows and Shawell sandpit/landfill this morning but nothing new at either site.

Eyebrook reservoir; afternoon.

A  good selection of birds including -A Greenshank at inlet end, a Sanderling and two Common Sandpipers.  Great White Egret and three Little Egrets, two Oystercatchers, two Egyptian Geese. Red Kite and Buzzards around.  A couple of Whitethroats and Sedge Warbler singing.  A Yellow Wagtail. 

Osprey fishing.

A cropped picture - 

26th April - mostly high blanket cloud, hazy sun a little, very light breeze, 15C

Welney WWT

A good selection of birds including-

Quite a few Whoopers around and a Berwick's Swan that has an injured wing.

Two Spoonbills, mostly asleep!  Little Egrets.

Black-tailed Godwits displaying and very active.  Avocets nesting. Redshank in territories.

c12 Wigeon still, plus Teal, Shoverlers, Gadwalls, Tufted Duck, Mallards a single male Pochard.

Quite a few Whitethroats.   Plenty House Sparrows and several Tree Sparrows at the feeders.

25th April - light E, sunny spells, 14C

Lilbourne Meadows - afternoon.

c15 Teal still, plus several Gadwall and Shoveler.  Otherwise, just the other regulars.

Stanford reservoir evening.

My firsts of the year for Cuckoo and Hobby. Both on the Leics side.

Three Common Terns.

Female Goldeneye still.

Distance record shot of Hobby

24th April - cloudy until late afternoon, then sunny. Light NE, 14C

Lilbourne Meadows, evening.

New bird in was a summer Dunlin, hopefully the beginning of the wader passage here, which is typical during the next 3-4 weeks for this site.

A Shelduck and Redshank.  Three Yellow Wagtails, Grey Heron and a Little Grebe.

Kestrel pair.

23rd April - some nice steady rain through the early hours, ceasing about 0700h. Sunny spells, light-mod NE, 14C

Lilbourne Meadows;

I looked both early and late but nothing new, just a good selection of the expected species.  A drake Shelduck, two Little Egrets, a couple Yellow Wagtails etc

Stanford reservoir; late morning.

A couple of Black terns were reported, so I popped to have a look.  One had departed the other was still one was showing well.  Along with four Common terns, whilst watching these I noticed that, in fact one was different and was indeed an Arctic Tern, quickly followed bu another.  This was a bonus.  However a short while after I left more Arctics arrived, up to 28, and a little later 44 were reported.

A Common Sandpiper on the dam.

22nd April - sunny periods, light SW, 15C

Soar Brook Lake; morning

Very little activity here, a couple of Cormorants and Red Kite over.  Seems to have lost some of its attraction currently.

Bittesby Country Park; morning

A good Skylark population over the meadows area, un fortunately no Whinchats today.

Lilbourne Meadows; evening

A Curlew was present for a while, calling quite a bit before flying off westward.

Two Yellow Wagtails, c10 Pied.  A Green Woodpecker calling.and a Shelduck again. Plus the recent regulars.

21st April - light rain until late afternoon. light SE, 14C

Bittesby Country Park; morning

A Whitethroat sang a little in the east side hedgerow - the only new sighting.

Lilbourne Meadows; morning

A Shelduck again, a Little Egret. three Yellow Wagtails.

A Linnet and fed-up  looking male Reed Bunting on the south side.

Stanford reservoir; afternoon.

Many Arctic Terns reported moving through the Midland, alas not one found here.

Warbler numbers are good now., Garden Warbler c6, Willow Warbler 3+, Whitethroat 3. Lesser Whitethroat 1.

Swallow, House martin and Sand Martin came in for a while.

A Redshank, a Common Sandpiper and single Meadow Pipit on the dam.