Another Temminck's in the valley and a Red Foot under 5 miles from Leicestershire! 24th May 2008.

-} Leicestershire this way please!


peek a boo!

nice shots bob!

Following a text message from Andy Mackay, that someone had reported a Temminck's Stint at Cossington Meadows, I drove down to the reserve to check it out.

Walking round to the Plover Meadow, I met up with Roger Brett and his wife, who was watching the Temminck's Stint on the muddy pools.
This bird was much more striking in plumage that the previous bird at Wanlip Meadows, but two records in the Soar Valley in the year, just shows what potential this area can produce when it is watched regularly.
I took a number of record shots of the bird, and noted that over the last day or so at least five "Tundra-type" Ringed Plovers had also joined the Stint in this section of the reserve.
Checking out the rest of the reserve, two Greenshanks were on the Upper Marsh section, and a Grasshopper Warbler was still reeling on and off by the Lower Marsh section.

While talking to other birders at Cossington, there let me known that the female Red footed Falcon at Ingleby, just over the county boundary in Derbyshire was showing and performing very well in fields not far from the village. So I decided to do a slighty detour into Derbyshire, to have a look at the Falcon.

Parking my car not to far past Ingleby village, I walked down the public footpath towards the River Trent.
Viewing the ploughed field on the opposite side to the main group of birders, I could not see the bird, as it was hidden behind a small metal shed.
So I slowly walked along the footpath, until I reached the line of birders, were there told me that the bird was sitting on post by the shed, but you could only see the head of the bird!
Moving back along the footpath, I could see the bird clearly sitting on a post, although it was too distant to digiscope due to the heat haze, I made a mental note of the shape and size of the falcon and hopefully over the next few weeks one is find in Leicestershire. After watching the falcon for twenty minutes and happy with the views I saw, I decided to drive back home to Leicestershire and pleased on good day's birding.

Thanks is due to Bob Duckhouse for supplying the Red Footed Falcon photos.