Leicestershire and Rutland Birding/Local Patches (1 Viewer)

Adey Baker · Dec 20, 2008

Steve Lister said:
...maybe I should go for a walk.

Steve

Yes, it's just about stopped raining here - I'm thinking of lobbying the government to add two days to just one week so that from now on the weekend starts on what would have been a Monday as it always seems to miraculously brighten up then!

Steve Lister · Dec 22, 2008

Steve Lister said:
The Leics Waxwing total is up to around 46 birds now.

None in Loughborough yet though - maybe I should go for a walk.

Steve

An hour and a half wandering around the spots where Waxwings turned up last time produced nothing - and hardly any berries anywhere so I don't think Lufbra is going to be blessed this time.

2 adult Caspian Gulls at Albert Village Lake this afternoon.

Steve

Adey Baker · Dec 22, 2008

Birdguides reported one Waxwing at Staveley Court, Belton Road, Loughborough at 13:00 today

Adey Baker · Dec 24, 2008

Two Waxwings reported today in the Co-op carpark in Earl Shilton

Adey Baker · Dec 25, 2008

Adey Baker said:
Two Waxwings reported today in the Co-op carpark in Earl Shilton

Seen again today.

Adey Baker · Dec 26, 2008

The two Waxwings seen on and off throughout the day again today at the Co-op store in Earl Shilton. They fly off for twenty minutes or more at a time before returning to their favourite trees which still have a lot of berries on them.

Steve Lister · Dec 26, 2008

The LROS website is not being updated for a day or two due to holidays so....

19 Whooper Swans at Swithland Res this afternoon

Red-throated Diver and Little Stint at Eyebrook Res, plus a rare winter Oystercatcher.

Cheers
steve

Steve Lister · Dec 26, 2008

And a flock of 48 Waxwings, the biggest so far, in Coalville - Romans Crescent area, which is where people park for Bardon Hill.

Steve

Adey Baker · Jan 9, 2009

The Hawfinch reported from the Lyndon Reserve at Rutland Water is present again today for its 6th day.

Interesting to see a Waxwing reported again today from the Co-op car park in Earl Shilton - the last time that any reports came from here was on Boxing Day. One of the same birds or another coincidentally finding the same trees?

Steve Lister · Jan 9, 2009

The feral geese flock in the Wanlip area is worth a look.
Yesterday there was a Pink-foot and 5 White-fronts amongst them, and today the White-fronts numbered 15 and there was a juv d-b Brent and an Egyptian.
Also a juv Whooper Swan both days.
On 'Wanlip North Lakes' whch is strictly private but viewable from footpaths west and north of the adjacent rivers.

Steve

Adey Baker · Jan 17, 2009

A Bittern has been showing well on and off near to the inflow end of Eyebrook reservoir for much of the week but it didn't appear for the gathered birders this morning!

A rather distant wing-tagged Red Kite was about the best bird seen there plus a few Tree Sparrows and a couple of Buzzards

kevside · Jan 19, 2009

Great White Egret today (and yesterday) at sheepy magna fishing lake, saw it for about 5 minutes when i got there but flew off before i could walk around to get a better look. Seems to spend its time between the lake and the flooded fields behind it.

Kevin Groocock · Jan 22, 2009

Popped over the border to see the Great White Egret at Sheepy Parva Mill Pool. Arrived at 0740 in pouring rain and alas no sign. However 5 minutes later this graceful bird flew in from the west and landed with the Mute Swans opposite the ?fishing shack. The bird seemed flighty and was constantly harrassed by the swans and herons. The bird then flew north and landed in the fields behind the pool and was lost to sight.

A really nice bird (a lifer for me) so half an hour in pouring rain was worthwhile.

Also while watching, a Sparrowhawk visited,

Steve Lister · Feb 3, 2009

Recent highlights......
Big flock of Waxwings in Braunstone, up to 70
Flyover Lapland Bunting in the snow at Groby Pool, 2/2
Bittern at Dishley Pool in the snow 2/2
2 Bitterns on Lagoon III at Rutland Water 1/2, and one regular there
Green-winged Teal at Eyebrook from 31/1
Probably 13 Smew at RW, nearly as many at Eyebrook Res, and 2 at Swithland Res 31/1
Still the geese in the Soar valley, until the snow anyway.

Steve

Adey Baker · Feb 3, 2009

Thanks for updating this thread, Steve.

Those Waxwings seem to be hanging round and building up in number at Braunstone.

The best we could manage last weekend was a couple of Woodcock , one each at Croft and Huncote - I haven't seen one in my local woods for several years now so it was nice to find them away from woodland.

davidearlgray · Feb 5, 2009

Saw the Waxwings couple of days ago around Avery Hill, Braunstone.
I have also noted that there seems to be loads of Fieldfares and Redwings in the City. I counted 150+ in the trees next to my garden in the last day or so!

Steve Lister · Feb 7, 2009

Checked the Soar Valley yesterday and all the interesting geese seem to have moved on in the snow: the Brent was at Groby Pool briefly one day and the 17 White-fronts were at Swithland Res on Wednesday but not yesterday.

Whooper Swan still near Cossington Lock.
Little Egret on Cossington South Lake.
Male Peregrine flushed everythig off Wanlip North.
Two Stonechats with the ponies on Cossington Meadows.

Steve

Adey Baker · Mar 14, 2009

Not much activity on this thread recently despite a few interesting gulls being recorded around.

The Kumlien's Gull at Shawell was a draw this morning, though I'm not sure that the side of the A5 Watling Street is a very good alternative to the perimeter road at Eyebrook Reservoir for a social gathering of the county's birders

The bird showed at the tip near to the Redland/Lafarge works at about 9:00am before moving to the balancing pool alongside the A5 at about 10:15.

Definitely one for the big-lens boys (or digiscopers when it's on the water). Below, heavily-cropped shots still have the bird small in the frame though they do show how striking a bird it is and how bulky and Glaucous-like it appears in the second shot rather than the more sleek lines of an Iceland.

Neil Hagley · Mar 15, 2009

I stumbled across the re-opened Shawell tip just after the new year when I was on the A5 and saw a huge swirl of gulls circling to the north. I followed the trail and found the tip but I only managed my first birding visit early Feb in the snow. The first visits resulted in a near ad Caspain, a Y-L Gull, ad Med and 1st W Iceland so I needed little encouragement to keep going and obviously the star bird so far is the 2W Kumlien's. This is an interesting bird for several reasons amongst them the very point Adey makes is that in certain poses on jizz it looks more like a Glauc. Having never seen a Kum's before (and I guess few of us have) I was therefore pleased to hear from Tim Marlow (one of the Draycote gull chaps) who sent me this:-

Neil. Me again. I have just spoken to Martin Elliott about the Kumlien's and he agrees with me that the id is correct. Re structure he clarified/introduced me to several points:

1. The bill primary projection ratio is not 100% reliable, occasional
individuals don't fit the rule
2. All male large gulls have longer bills than females (the Shawell bird
would be a male on size alone)
3. Males also show a shorter primary projection caused by the fact that the
tertials and tail are both longer in males than females
4. Kumlien's tends to be slightly longer billed than Glaucoides

If you hear anyone questioning the structure of the bird on
primary/bill ratio you will now have an explanation. Hope this is of
interest.

Cheers,

Tim Marlow

It also seems this is the same bird which has been doing the rounds of various midlands sites as I also received this:- After noticing pictures of the second-winter Kumlien's Gull on the
LROS website, I contacted Andy Mackay to see if was possible to contact you about this bird.

I'm currently preparing an article about it's movements, as it has visited various Midlands counties over the past couple of months.
I would be grateful if you would allow me to use your pictures to
accompany the article which will appear on the Birding Today website
in due course.
Assuming the Shawell bird is the same bird involved in the other
Midlands sightings this bird falls well within the criteria for
Kumlien's and has been claimed as such, in the following order, at
Priorslee Lake (Shrops), Belvide Reservoir (Staffs), Wildmoor Tip
(Worcs), Bartley Reservoir (West Mids) and Throckmorton Tip (Worcs).

Some pics of it at Priorslee can be seen here:
http://www.shropshirebirds.com/gallery 2009.htm [1] and I've
attached some appalling record shots I took when it visited Wildmoor
a few weeks ago.
Kind Regards
Brian
Birding Today www.birdingtoday.co.uk

I will attach some images of the bird in my next post along with a few others from Shawell. This site has great potential and it's been great to to see other visiting birders.

Neil Hagley

Neil Hagley · Mar 15, 2009

Attached are some Kumlien's images, one of the Med's (which had a green darvic) and a very smart Iceland.

Leicestershire and Rutland Birding/Local Patches (1 Viewer)

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