Leicestershire and Rutland Birding/Local Patches (1 Viewer)

[davidearlgray]

Hi all,

I'll soon be moving to Mountsorrel, just north of Leicester. Just wondering if there are any decent sites near by that I could turn into a local patch. Preferably within a 15 minute drive. I've already got Watermead pegged as a possibility, but anywhere else?

Thanks

Adam

Hi Adam, you could try Cossington Meadows LRWT as well, which is just down the road from Mountsorrel. The local birders call this whole area the Soar Valley. It has some decent habitat from Cossington Meadows right down to Birstall Meadows which is on the outskirts of Leicester. Have you checked the LROS website for more details?
Also if you want more help let us know as the Soar Valley is my local patch.
Hope this helps?
Cheers,
Dave.

 

[Steve Lister]

Further to what Dave has said, the flat hill immediately west of Mountsorrel, known as Broad Hill and actually a capped off landfill site, has the potential to turn up migrants in the same way as Bardon Hill and Beacon Hill. It could also be a useful vismig site if you are that way inclined. As yet it has received very little attention and might be a good patch for some 'new blood'.

Please do join LROS and send in your records each month.

Steve

 

[LeicesterLad]

Has anybody got any experience with Bagworth Heath Woods? I ask because in recent days there have been numerous reportings of Raven on BirdTrack. It's not a spot I've ever visited (or even heard of until now). I understand it's relatively new woodland but there are a number of lakes and pools too?

Thanks,

Gav

 

[Gronk08]

Hi

Quite tempted to try for the Night Heron this Saturday if its is still around could anyone give us some directions of where is best to head for in terms of where to park and then which way around the reservoir. I will have a buggy in tow so ideally I don't want to have to walk too far.

Cheers

Tim.

 

[Steve Lister]

Hi

Quite tempted to try for the Night Heron this Saturday if its is still around could anyone give us some directions of where is best to head for in terms of where to park and then which way around the reservoir. I will have a buggy in tow so ideally I don't want to have to walk too far.

Cheers

Tim.

Easy access. Park in the carpark at the village end of the dam and just head along the main footpath which hugs the side of the arm where the heron is.

Steve

 

[Gronk08]

Easy access. Park in the carpark at the village end of the dam and just head along the main footpath which hugs the side of the arm where the heron is.

Steve

Cheers Steve just got to hope it sticks around.

Tim.

 

[Steve Lister]

Red-backed Shrike at Rutland Water August 10th

If anyone knows the observer/photographer, a P J Flatton, perhaps you could ask him to contact either me (as county recorder) or the Rutland Water reserve.

Steve

 

[Neil Hagley]

Red-backed Shrike at Rutland Water August 10th

observer/photographer

Is the photo posted anywhere?

 

[Steve Lister]

Is the photo posted anywhere?

No - he just showed it to one other visitor. I need to firm up the record so hopefully we will be able to make contact.

Steve

 

[Adam M]

Been spending a bit of time at Watermead Country Park over the last couple of weeks. Highlights have been a ruff that was present for a couple of days (I think 20th and 21st...should really write things down), and 8 black-wits from the Plover hide on 26th. Spotted fly was reported from Kingfisher Hide on 27th, but I failed to latch on to it. A redshank was present from the Plover hide on the same day.

Loads of butterflies and dragonflies knocking about. Including 100+ peacocks on the buddlieas at the top of the Reedbed Reserve area, a couple of painted ladies, a few common blue butterflies, breeding migrant hawkers, black-tailed skimmers and the odd brown hawker still on the wing. I also found a female southern hawker down the Birstall side of the site. Some nice photos to be had with insects at the mo, well, if you can use a camera better than me there is.

Looking forward to visiting the site more in the future, especially as Autumn migration truly kicks in.

Adam

 

[Adam M]

A hobby was present from the Crake Hide at Watermead Country Park today as well as on Wednesday.

Adam

 

[astley]

Hi Adam

Me and the boy like watermead too.

Next time try and take a look at Cossington Meadows, no hides to my knowledge, but some nice walks with good veiws over the pools etc, odd bits of interesting stuff turn up as well,, thing this spring saw ring ouzel and garganey

Paul

 

[Abbeybirder]

RUTLAND WATER VISIT 12/10/2013

What a day arrived at Birmingham New Street Station at 6.05am train was due to leave 6.22am and then just before it was ready to load all the lights went off and that was it delayed for 25 mins while they got another train, any way arrived at Oakham (£17.00 return) around 8.15am in miserable drizzle so got a taxi to Rutland Water (£7.50) arrived at reserve around 8.25am still in miserable drizzle.

No one in the visitors centre so off I went looking for the Pectoral only problem was the rain was getting worse and it was now absolutely throwing it down so I decided to pop in the Redshank hide on the way round (sorry no photographs today as I decided to leave the camera at home due to the weather) had some great views of Wigeon and a juvenile Grey wagtail came very close to the hide.

When the rain had slowed a little I went on my merry way round to the Grebe Hide with some great views of Gadwall, Teal & a Grey Heron very close by until some person slammed the door on their way in, by now the rain had virtually stopped so off to the Crake hide I went.

There it was right in front of the hide around 30ft away just sitting their got great views through the scope it was around for about half an hour before moving right away and must admit it’s foliage did it justice as a kestrel flew over and sent the other birds up.
Now we come to one of my favourite hides the Shoveler Hide, this gives you great views of not just the birds but also the reserve as well. Today it gave me the chance to see a Redshank & a Greenshank standing next to each other side by side I never realised there was so much difference in height and foliage, when you see them out on their own you just don’t realise how different they are yet both are beautiful in their own rights.

A Green Sandpiper was feeding with the Redshank until a Buzzard flew over the lagoon very low in flight and sent everything up didn’t see the Green Sandpiper after but did get some great views of Common Snipe.

Now onto Lagoon 4 this area can be hit or miss but I still love going up to the hides just in case and today was no different from the Sandpiper hide very little to report other than Pintail (x13) giving a great display of feeding right in front of the hide, also Egyptian geese were here in many numbers in fact they were all over lagoon 4 including sitting/standing in the Osprey nest on top of the telegraph pole.

Between the two hides there is a nice little walk that as occasionally thrown up a surprise or two and today I saw 2 Redpoll sitting in the dead tree branches behind the straw rolls up the corner by the gate.

Now for the Dunlin hide this was completely different with a scope you were easily able to see a very good mixture of gulls all the usual suspects and 2 Yellow Legged Gulls there was also a Barnacle Goose in with a large flock of Greylag Geese. Then to the right of these were a large flock of Lapwings with amongst them were 3 Ruff, 2 Spotted Redshank, 6 Dunlin and a small Sandpiper (ID not sure so won’t try and guess but if someone else has been today and seen it would they please let me know which one it was).

On my walk about I got a great surprise a WILLOW TIT was feeding on the feeders round the back by the Badger Hide, this with 100’s of Redwing flying over made for a great day at the reserve.

LIFER for today was PECTORAL SANDPIPER

RESERVE LIFERS were –

WILLOW TIT, PECTORAL SANDPIPER, YELLOW LEGGED GULL, BARNACLE GOOSE, BLACKCAP, GREY WAGTAIL, REDPOLL, REDSHANK & SPOTTED REDSHANK,


TODAYS SIGHTINGS –

WALK ABOUT –

Jackdaw, Blackbird, Wood pigeon, Long tailed tit, Robin, Blue tit, Great tit, Dunnock, Stock dove, Goldfinch, Linnet, Carrion crow, Redpoll, WILLOW TIT, Redwing (fly over’s), Reed bunting, Blackcap, Song thrush, Tree sparrow, Collared dove, Starling, Chaffinch, Mistle thrush, Greenfinch, Pheasant, Pied wagtail, House sparrow & Wren.

REDSHANK HIDE –

Moorhen, Wigeon, Mallard, Mute swan, Shoveler, Little egret, Common snipe, Teal, Cormorant, Great black backed gull & Grey wagtail.

GREBE HIDE –

Grey heron, Jackdaw, Gadwall, Wigeon, Teal, Black headed gull &Tufted duck

CRAKE HIDE –

Teal, Mute swan, Moorhen, Mallard, Reed warbler, Grey wagtail, Black headed gull, PECTORAL SANDPIPER & Wren

SHOVELER HIDE –

Little egret, Teal, Gadwall, Greenshank, Mute swan, Cormorant, Black headed gull, Redshank, Lapwing, Carrion crow, Buzzard, Magpie, Common snipe, Pochard & Great crested grebe.

DUNLIN HIDE –

Carrion crow, Greylag goose, Barnacle goose, Black headed gull, Egyptian goose, Lapwing, Lesser black backed gull, Common gull, Herring gull, Yellow legged gull (x2), Ruff (x3), Spotted redshank (x2), Dunlin (x6), Teal, Great black backed gull, Mute swan, Tufted duck & Canada goose

SANDPIPER HIDE –

Mute swan, Teal, Mallard, Pintail (x13), Egyptian goose, Black headed gull, Little egret & Redwing (fly over)

VISITOR CENTER –

Little egret, Jackdaw, Black headed gull, Cormorant, Teal, Mallard, Common snipe, Wigeon, Shoveler, Gadwall, Great crested grebe, Black tailed godwit, Pochard, Moorhen, coot, Stock dove, Lapwing, Magpie, Curlew, Lesser black backed gull & Goldeneye

 

[davidearlgray]

With this Big Storm from the Atlantic coming in overnight, it might be worth checking a few local reservoirs for wreck seabirds on Monday and Tuesday?!

Cheers,
Dave.

 

[Adam M]

Watermead CP (north) has had a few good surprises of late. Wildfowl numbers are building, with up to 38 shoveller on King Lear's Lake and wigeon numbers increasing at the Birstall end. The water rail has found its voice again in the reedbed, but still eludes being seen. A female blackcap was present on Wed 30th Oct. Several Cetti's still singing on site, but skulking well. The high water levels have sadly pushed any waders except lapwing off the LRWT scrape. But the starling murmuration is building nicely, with 2,000 birds present at the start of the week. They were seen over John Merrick's Lake, with a sparrowhawk showing them some interest.

I'll keep scanning those tit flocks too. Surely one must hold a YBW. I can but hope

Adam

 

[astley]

Watermead CP (north) has had a few good surprises of late. Wildfowl numbers are building, with up to 38 shoveller on King Lear's Lake and wigeon numbers increasing at the Birstall end. The water rail has found its voice again in the reedbed, but still eludes being seen. A female blackcap was present on Wed 30th Oct. Several Cetti's still singing on site, but skulking well. The high water levels have sadly pushed any waders except lapwing off the LRWT scrape. But the starling murmuration is building nicely, with 2,000 birds present at the start of the week. They were seen over John Merrick's Lake, with a sparrowhawk showing them some interest.

I'll keep scanning those tit flocks too. Surely one must hold a YBW. I can but hope

Adam

Went over yesterday with my Son Adam.

The North end was eerily quiet, kingfisher hide 2 great tits, crake hide 8 mallard, the scrape was totally empty apart from 8 teal right on the far side.
King Lears had male goosander, and a few mute swans although we had a real good learning moment, there were two buoys pretty close and on one was perched a common Gull on the other a black headed.

Got them both in the scope and noted the differences, legs beak, ear spots etc. a good learning curve for both of us.

Meadow pool was better plenty of gulls, wigeon, tufted, shoveler etc.

Never seen the scrape empty though, makes you wonder if dogs have been getting on to it

 

[Adam M]

Went over yesterday with my Son Adam.

The North end was eerily quiet, kingfisher hide 2 great tits, crake hide 8 mallard, the scrape was totally empty apart from 8 teal right on the far side.
King Lears had male goosander, and a few mute swans although we had a real good learning moment, there were two buoys pretty close and on one was perched a common Gull on the other a black headed.

Got them both in the scope and noted the differences, legs beak, ear spots etc. a good learning curve for both of us.

Meadow pool was better plenty of gulls, wigeon, tufted, shoveler etc.

Never seen the scrape empty though, makes you wonder if dogs have been getting on to it

When the water levels are high there just isn't the mud for the waders on the scrape. I've seen most of the lapwings by the Raynsway pool by the Hope and Anchor Pub, so maybe they just move over a bit when it's as wet as it has been. Usually a few more waterfowl though, so maybe something had flushed them. I see a fox on that side of the river every once in a while, so maybe that could have been through and flushed them?

The kingfisher is showing really well out of the Crake Hide at the moment. The Cetti's warbler showed really well in the rose by the wooden bridge (inbetween the Kingfisher and Sand Martin Hides) last week. I could even see it's breath as it sung in the sub-zero temperatures!! 4 redpolls were in the birch trees on the way to the Plover Hide, seen later in the week by the Lily Pond, with a few brambling reported as well. Other than that, not much new about.

Anyone know what time the bittern turned up there for the last couple of years??

Adam

 

[Adam M]

Stunning views of kingfisher yesterday morning from the Crake Hide. It caught a perch just around the corner from the hide and then sat on the new kingfisher post about 10-15 yards from the hide to knock it on the head and eat it! Will return with the camera at some point as it would be a stunning full-frame shot on offer.

Also from the Crake Hide yesterday were 2 water rail right in front of the hide along the edge of the pool. One still present this morning along the ditches on the left of the hide.

23 lapwing, 78 teal and 35 wigeon from the Plover Hide this morning as well.

Adam

 

[astley]

You mean this chap??

 

[Adam M]

Watermead Country Park (north)

250+ lapwing from the Plover Hide this morning.

14 goosander on John Merrick's Lake

Kingfisher briefly out of the Crake Hide.

Loads of large tit flocks on site still. I ended up walking into a flock of well over 50 birds, mainly long-tails, blue and great tits, as they crossed over the path by the bottom gate into the reserve.

Adam