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The rare form Var.Viridiflora No 1. Var.Viridiflora No.2 Another view of the Var.Viridiflora A normal Broad leaved Helleborine! Checking out Cloud Wood LRWT for most of the afternoon, I counted an excellent number of at least 160 Broad leaved Helleborines (Epipactis Helleborine) along the rides of the wood. As neared the end of my count, I noticed a different coloured Helleborine species with a small group of six Broad leaved Helleborines. Alarm bells started to ring straight away, as this plant looked totally different to the other nearby orchids. Although slightly smaller, and the flower heads green in colouration, I thought that this plant might be a new orchid species for Leicestershire, and was possibly Green leaved Helleborine? As I have never seen this species before I took a number of photos of the orchid, and then spoke to a couple of fellow Orchid hunters who had just arrived at the wood. There conclusion was the same as mine, and couldn't really tell what the orchid wa...

Pectoral Sandpiper Manton Bridge RW. Pec Sand again. Red Knot and a few Black tailed Godwits at Eyebrook Reservoir. On the Saturday, I drove over to Norfolk to look for Creeping Ladies Tresses ( Goodyera repens ) at Holkham/Wells woods, but after checking the woods for over four hours I admitted defeat as I couldn't find any orchids in the surrounding conifer plantations. The only notable bird sighting I had in the woods was of a couple of Crossbills . The Sunday I stayed local and did some birding in Leicestershire and Butterfly spotting at Fermyn Woods in Northamptonshire with John in the morning. Highlights we had at Fermyn included Purple Emperor , White Admiral, Purple Hairstreak and probably the best of the bunch a Silver-washed Fritillary flying along the rides. Bird sightings around the woods included a few Red Kites and three fly-over Crossbills. On returning to Leicester I received a text message from Andy Mackay that there was a Pectoral Sandpiper in Manton Bay, Rut...

Photos of the beautiful Krakow, Poland. Meeting up with my old Aston University friends (Kij, Geordie Ian, Joey and Marc) we spent three days in the beautiful city of Krakow. The occasion for being in the city was Marcus Jeffery (another old friend from my Aston days) stag do. We flew out of Gatwick on the Friday morning, and meet the rest of lads (21 of us!) in the old town late afternoon, although by that time we arrived at least five lads were comatose due to the excellent Polish beer and vodka! For the rest of the day and night was spent in the numerous bars and nightspots in Krakow old town, and can highly recommend the lovely Honey Vodka and the local Zywiec beer. As is usual for a stag do, we didn't get up until midday the next day as there was a few sore heads in the group. Drinking started again in the afternoon but at a more leisurely pace with most of the group joined up in the Old Town. By the early evening as you can imagine a few of the lads after a number of cheeky d...

Spent a couple of hours down at Watermead CP North and Wanlip Meadows LRWT on Sunday. Here is a list of birds I saw down the Soar Valley. Wanlip Meadows LRWT: 28 Black-tailed Godwits feeding on the scrape until 12.40pm, when the majority were flushed by a Peregrine . Other waders on the scrape included 7 Green Sandpipers , 7 Little Ringed Plovers, 2 Ringed Plovers, 1 Dunlin and 1 Redshank. Opposite the plover hide, a Grasshopper Warbler was still calling in nearby vegetation. Watermead CP North: I noted that at least 10 nest holes were occupied in the Sand Martin bank.