Avez-Vous un Cuppa?

Following on from the Wood Warbler sighting recently at Watermead CP North, I remembered the record shots of the female/juvenile Pied Flycatcher I had taken last year near the kingfisher hide, Watermead CP North ( August 2012). I had totally forgotten about them, so here is a few record shots of the said bird!!            

Once again here is some rubbish shots of the Pied Flycatcher @  Watermead CP North  and some video footage of the female/Juv Redstart  at Cossington Meadows LRWT last week.   Female Pied Flycatcher@ WCPN  and again... and again...       

Here is a few photos of one of the Bitterns at Watermead CP North reedbed view from Crake hide yesterday.

Another sighting I had yesterday included up to three Woodcocks around the country park, with two showing well from the Kingfisher hide and another flew over me on the water ski pit. Two shots of one of the Woodcocks at Kingfisher hide, Watermead CP North.

Ok so it's been a bit of cold of late and yesterday's monthly duck count at Watermead CP was not too hard due to very little unfrozen water! The highlights during the count included the long staying female Red Crested Pochard on the water ski pit, 2 Ruddy Ducks at a site nearby, a male Brambling and Water Rail at the feeding station at Kingfisher hide and up to four Cetti's Warblers in the park! After finishing the count I nipped down to Watermead CP South to meet Mark Rossell and Conor Thornton who were watching a Ruff walking round the car park and feeding area and showing down to five feet away! I got the feeling that the bird was a bit knackered and was feeding like mad and didn't care to much about the passing public or the bare footed jogger!!   Ruff in the car park at Watermead CP South Talking to Mark he told me that he was selling his Canon D30 and before you could say Santa Claus a deal was struck and I said I would buy it off him!? With the deal stru...

Common Scoter Watermead CP North (Water-ski Pit) taken by John Hague. Although it felt cold in the morning with maybe something to do with the recent volcanic ash cloud? I noticed at Watermead CP South that more spring migrants had arrived over the last few days. I noted that at least ten Blackcaps were singing around the southern section of the park, but the highlight here was three Arctic Terns seen briefly over the pits before flying north up the valley. Moving on to Watermead CP North and Birstall section, sightings seen included a nice looking drake Common Scoter on the waterski pit, a large female Peregrine being mobbed by a couple of LBB Gulls and a newly arrived Sedge Warbler singing by the key lakes. After getting a text from Andy Mackay about a Whitethroat at Cossington Meadows and a quick lunch break I checked out Cossington Meadows. After about an hour on being on the reserve and not much to report except for the singing Reed Warbler on Moor Pool, it was back to W...

It's my birthday today and for some reason I seem to see or find a good bird on this day? So getting out of my car at Watermead CP North this morning, I noticed a raptor being mobbed by crows and a single Buzzard. I thought is it the Red Kite again?,but getting my bins on the bird I realised that in fact it was an Osprey migrating slowly north!! Get fuc*ing In!! I watched the bird for the next couple of minutes as it slowly flew over me and then towards Wanlip North before losing it behind some trees as it flew north. I was straight on to the phone and let people know of the sighting and then I jumped into my car and drove it to the entrance of the park to see if I could the Osprey again? My luck was out but I decided that Cossington Meadows might be a good idea? So I drove over to the reserve. With no more sign of the Osprey I spent the next hour or so checking out the reserve. Sightings on the reserve I saw included a ringed Little Egret (Probably the returning Groby bird?!) and...

Here is a list of sightings I counted yesterday at Watermead CP North: Great Crested Grebe:39, Cormorant:13, Grey Heron:14, Mute Swan:39, Canada Goose:72, Wigeon: 21, Gadwall:18, Teal:62, Mallard:85, Shoveler:36, Pochard:23, Tufted Duck:133, Little Grebe:7, Goosander:7, Smew:1,Moorhen: 27,Coot: 119, Water Rail:1, Kingfisher:1, Lapwing:2, Buzzard:3, RED KITE:1, Kestrel:1, Sparrowhawk:2, and one Weasel! I also checked out Watermead South and Birstall meadows later in the day and had another year tick in the form of a Redshank feeding on the Birstall Meadows (No.98).

With the day off from work it was down to the Soar Valley again. Starting off at the Pec Pit next to Watermead CP North, I noted that at least one Redhead Smew was still around and then I spotted a Jack Snipe feeding on the back shoreline of the pit as it bobbed up and down slowly,Yes!! Year tick no.96! Moving on to the country park it was pretty quiet on the bird front possibly due to the increase of the mad dog-walkers, model boat enthusiasts and the odd mountain biker. However checking out the water-ski pit which held the same assortment of Ducks, Geese and Swans as usual but scanning the skyline I suddenly noted two large raptors flying over the nearby shopping centre and knew straight away I was watching two Red Kites ! Get In!! Year Tick no.97!!! The Kites slowly circled over the shopping centre and then flew off in the direction of Syston and Beeby. The Kites were not wing-tagged so possibly there were migrants but I know that a Red Kite has been recorded sporadically in the a...

Yesterday was the monthly Wildfowl Count down at Watermead CP and the highlights included the two long-staying Red-head Smews on the Pec Pit opposite the Hope and Anchor Pub, Five Pintails (3 Males and 2 Females) flying over the King Lear's Lake, a female Cetti's Warbler in the complex and another year tick in the form of three Egyptian Geese (No.94) on Wanlip North Lakes! Watermead North CP Wildfowl count (including the Birstall and Wanlip Meadows section!): Great Crested Grebe:11,Cormorant:40,Grey Heron:5,Mute Swan:74,Canada Goose:22,Wigeon:519,Gadwall:67,Teal:62,Mallard:169,Shoveler:83,Pochard:22, Tufted Duck:132,Little Grebe:7,Goosander:34,Smew:2, Pintail:5,Gadwall x Hybrid:1,Moorhen:25,Coot: 144,Water Rail:1,Snipe:5, and Lapwing:27.

I had a good day in the Soar Valley today with a new year tick in the form of the returning Oystercatcher at Watermead CP South. Other sightings I saw in the park included the long-staying Redhead Smew still on the "Pec Pit", a fly-over Pintail also at Watermead CP North (which I saw later at Cossington Meadows) "Jocky" the Scottish-ringed Cormorant at the Birstall section and "Harold" the Whooper Swan on the water ski pit with the other Mute Swans. Moving onto Cossington Meadows whilst looking for Jack Snipe I flushed a Bittern from the reedy pool next to the footpath which goes to Sileby, then I saw a nice female Stonechat and a couple of Little Egrets on the upper marsh section of the reserve. Finishing with the Owls, the small crowd enjoyed at least three Short-eared Owls and two Barn Owls hunting over the Swan Meadow and the Moor.

Female Red-head Smew at Watermead CP(Birstall). With the whole week off from work it was down the Soar Valley again and a few more species tick off on the year list. First stop was Cossington South GPs and the surrounding farmland and sightings I saw included a couple of flushed Grey Partridge , and then a mobile Grey Wagtail . Then the phone rang and John Hague let me know that Mick Braker had found a redhead Smew on the Key Lakes at Birstall (Watermead CP). So off I went to twitch the Smew. Reaching the Key Lakes I spotted the Redhead Smew on the only un-frozen part of the Lakes. Get In!! So another good bird for the Soar Valley list. Meeting up with John in the nearby car park we spoke about the long-staying Black Redstart in the new housing estate just off the A6 and decided to include on the Soar Valley challenge. So after John had taken a few shots of the Redhead Smew and the Goosanders on the Key Lakes we met up again on the housing estate and it wasn't long before the cork...

Here is the latest wildfowl count for Watermead CP North (which includes the Birstall section): Great Crested Grebe: 17, Cormorant: 19, Grey Heron: 7, Mute Swan: 97, Canada Goose: 63, Wigeon: 252, Gadwall: 146, Teal: 4, Mallard: 89, Shoveler: 39, Pochard: 36, Tufted Duck: 84, Moorhen: 20, Coot: 294, Greylag Goose: 1, Little Grebe: 6, Goldeneye: 17, Goosander: 11, Water Rail: 4, Red-crested Pochard: 1, Lapwing: 40, and Mandarin Duck: 1. Other sightings included: 2 Sparrowhawks, 1 Buzzard, and 1 Chiffchaff.

Although I have been at work all week I checked out the whole of Watermead Country Park today. For most of the day it was pretty quiet on the sightings front, but I did find a nice looking male Red-crested Pochard firstly as it flew over me by King Lear's Lake, then the Key Lakes at Birstall and then finally the waterski pit at Watermead CP North . I let John Hague know about it as it was a good bird for the Soar Valley recording area. The only other species I added to my Soar Valley year list today was a couple of Skylarks over the Watermead CP South. So including today's sightings my Soar Valley list is now on 73 species for the year.

On Saturday after working the early shift, I counted Ducks, Geese and Swans down at Watermead CP North(+ Birstall) for the start of the winter season wildfowl counts. Here is a list of the birds I recorded: Mute Swan: 33, Canada Goose: 110,Wigeon: 63,Gadwall: 56, Teal: 5, Mallard: 72, Shoveler: 4, Red-crested Pochard: 1 (Eclipse male:first record for the count!),Tufted Duck: 36, Little Grebe: 5, Great crested Grebe: 21, Cormorant: 31, Grey Heron: 5, Moorhen: 28, Coot: 112, Lapwing: 88, Kingfisher: 2, Greylag Goose(domestic):4, Sparrowhawk: 1, Kestrel: 2. Highlight of the count was of course the first record of an eclipse male Red-crested Pochard and good numbers of returning Wigeons.

Hi all, here is a list of sightings I saw yesterday down the Soar Valley. Wanlip Meadows LRWT: Most of the sightings were on the scrape (except for the Hobby!) 1 Juvenile Wood Sandpiper 1 Greenshank 4 Green Sandpipers 6+ Snipe 1 Hobby Watermead CP North: 1 Juvenile Sandwich Tern seen on King Lear's Lake between 16.10 and 17.45pm when it flew off low east. 8 Common Terns (including 3 juveniles) over King's Lear's Lake. So looking at the sightings I had a pretty good afternoon down the valley finding a Wood Sand on the scrape and then putting the icing on the cake by the sighting of the Juv Sandwich Tern flying around King Lear's Lake!! Some times local patch working does have it rewards.

Red-rumped Swallow twitch. Yesterday Morning at around 8.15am I got a phone call from Rob Gill who was at Watermead CP North and he had found a Red-rumped Swallow in the mobile hirundine flock. At this point, panic struck in as I knew that I couldn't get out of work until mid-afternoon at the earliest, so I thought, bugger, shite, stuck at work!! I phoned and sent text messages around to let my birding mates of the discovery of the Red-rumped and then got back to dealing with the day job. Checking my Birdnet pager and Birdguides on the ward computer at regular occasions, to make sure the bird was still there, it wasn't until after three pm, that I finally left the hospital. As Watermead CP is not that far from the General Hospital, I finally arrived at the "Pec Pit" opposite the Hope and Anchor pub just after 3.20pm. It took me a few minutes to locate the bird as it flew over the gravel pit feeding with the other hirundines, but was relieved that the bird was still ...