Our group started in early Spring 2019 and we visited the following sites through 2019:
Prior’s Coppice just south of Braunston
Hambleton peninsular
Eyebroook Resevoir
Fort Henry
Chapel Lane, Lyddington
Ketton Quarry Wildlife Reserve
Wymondham Rough
Manton to view ospreys
Greetham Valley
Rutland Water, near Hambleton
Eyebrook Resevoir
Egleton bird reserve
Lyndon bird reserve
Rutland Water, adjacent and to the west of Barnsdale Hall Hotel
Upper Hambleton peninsular, north side
Eyebrook Resevoir
Details of bird sightings at each site on each date are shown below:
18th March, Prior’s Coppice
5 members led by Peter Hammond
Sightings:
1. Robin
2. Blue tit
3. Crow
4. Great tit
5. Red kite
6. Magpie
7. Buzzard
8. Great spotted woodpecker (heard only)
9. Pheasant (heard only)
10. Chiffchaff (heard only)
15th April, Hambleton Peninsular
7 members led by Peter Hammond
Sightings:
1. Greylag geese
2. Egyptian geese
3. Mute swan
4. Pheasant (m)
5. Cormorants (adult and immature)
6. Shelduck
7. Wigeon
8. Mallard
9. Tufted
10. Great crested grebe
11. Blackbird
12. Robin
13. Blue tit
14. Chaffinch
15. House sparrow
16. Black headed gulls
17. Long-tailed tit
18. Brambling
20th May, Eyebrook Resevoir
6 members led by Peter Hammond
Sightings:
1. Greylag goose
2. Crow
3. Mute swan
4. Mallard duck
5. Coot
6. Great crested grebe
7. Cormorant, including adolescents
8. Red kite
9. Black headed gull
10. Gadwall
11. Woodpigeon
12. Whitethroat
13. Yellowhammer
14. Song thrush
15. Wren
5th June, Fort Henry
3 members led by Peter Hammond
Sightings:
1. Red Kites
2. Mute Swans with 4 cygnets
3. Coots with Cootlings
4. Shelducks
5. Tufted Ducks
6. Mallards with ducklings
7. Cormorant, juvenile
8. Yellowhammer, seen and heard
9. Reed Buntings, a pair carrying material and nest building
10. Swallows
17th June, Lyddington
5 members led by Malcolm Boyd
Sightings:
1. Red kites
2. Woodpigeon
3. Chiffchaff
4. Bullfinch, male
5. Blue tit
6. Greenn woodpecker
7. Blackbird
8. Swallows
3rd July, Ketton Quarry Wildlife Reserve
3 members led by Peter Hammond
Sightings:
1. Chiff-chaff
2. Buzzard
3. Long tailed tits
4. Blue tit
5. Magpie
6. Woodpigeons(of course
7. Jackdaw - posing for us nicely
Butterflies were also spootted including Marbled White,Frittillery,Meadow Brown, and (we think) an Orange tip.
The flowers were also much in evidence including:- an orchid thatwas thought to be a Fragrant Orchid,Vipers Bugloss, Agrimoney,Yellow Wort, Pink Vetch, Meadow Sweet, and a few more that were not identified.
A very pleasant wander through the wildlife.
15th July, Wymondham Rough
4 members led by Peter Hammond
Sightings:
1. Crow
2. Woodpigeon
3. Housemartins
4. Goldfinch
5. Robin
6. Mallard
7. Long tailed tit
8. Blue tit
9. Great tit
10. Nuthatch
11. Bullfinch
A large number of butterflies, including the Meadow Brown were seen, wildflowers across the meadows were spectacular.
7th August, Manton
5 members led by Peter Hammond
Sightings:
1. Ospreys - three seen (with good views) on the nest over a 90 minute period.
2. Cormorants
3. Little Grebes
4. Coots with chicks (Cooties)
5. Mallards
6. Female Gadwall
7. Crows
8. Woodpigeons
9. Blue Tit
10. Moorhens
11+. Further water birds that stayed out of identification range.
19th August, Greetham Valley
6 members led by Malcolm Boyd
Sightings:
1. Blackbird
2. Woodpigeon
3. Crow
4. Mallard
5. Goldfinch, including adolescent
6. Moorhen, including adolescent
7. Blue tit
8. Great tit
9. Dunnock
10. Housesparrow
11. Blackcap, female
12. Robin
13. Magpie
14. Chaffinch
4th September, Rutland Water, near Hambleton
6 members led by Peter Hammond
Sightings:
1. Great crested grebe
2. Tufted ducks
3. Mallards
4. Cormorants
5. Heron
6. Martins
7. Common terns
8. Black headed gulls
9. Woodpigeons
10. Crows
11. Chaffinches
12. Canada Geese
13. Mute swans
Plus other water fowl too far away to identify
16th September, Eyebrook Resevoir, car park, the inlet and then a bird hide on the west side
4 members led by Peter Hammond
Sightings:
1. Mute swan & signets
2. Great crested grebe
3. Black headed gull
4. Moorhen
5. Coot
6. Mallard
7. Cormorant, inc juvenile
8. Little grebe
9. Woodpigeon
10. Herring gull, juvenile
11. Gadwall
12. Egyptian goose/duck
13. Greylag Goose
14. Martins
15. Great black backed gull
16. Canada Goose
17. Magpie
18. Grey Heron
19. Oystercatcher
20. Blue tit
21. Long tailed tit
22. Treecreeper
23. Robin
24. Red kite
25. Crows
2nd October 2019, Egleton Bird Reserve
9 members led by Peter Hammond
Sightings:
1. Woodpigeon
2. Collared dove
3. Dunnock
4. Robin
5. Mute swan
6. Coot
7. Great crested grebe
8. Mallard
9. Crows
10. Greylag
11. Great black backed gull
12. Egyptian goose
13. Ringed plover
14. Moorhen
15. Teal
16. Black headed gull
17. Little grebe
18. Kestrel
19. Shoveler
20. Little egret
21. Cormorant
22. Great white egret
23. Pochard
24. Lapwing
25. Sand martins
26. Grey heron
27. Canada geese
28. Curlew
29. Tufted ducks
30. Gadwall
31. Wigeon
21st October, Lyndon bird reserve
7 members led by Peter Hammond
Sightings:
1. Black headed gull
2. Tufted duck
3. Great crested grebe , including juveniles
4. Little grebe
5. Cormorant
6. Mute swan
7. Coot
8. Magpie
9. Crow
10. Blackbird
11. Woodpigeon
12. Gadwall
13. Shoveler
14. Great white egret
15. Egyptian goose
16. Wigeon
17. Pochard
18. Mallard
19. Teal
20. Great tit
6th November, Rutland Water at Barnsdale Hall
8 members led by Peter Hammond
1. Mute Swan
2. Great black backed gull
3. Little grebe
4. Great crested grebe
5. Tufted duck
6. Moorhen
7. Woodpigeon
8. Wigeon
9. Mallard
10. Crows
11. Black headed gull
12. Blue tit
13. Pochard
14. Teal
15. Greylag
16. Dunnock
17. Cormorant
18th November, Upper Hambleton, north side
5 members led by Peter Hammond
1. Goldfinch
2. Blackbird
3. Robin
4. Wigeon
5. Mute swan
6. Great crested grebe
7. Black headed gull
8. Tufted duck
9. Woodpigeon
10. Little grebe
11. Cormorant
12. Mallard
13. Crow
14. Magpie
15. Gadwall
16. Canada Goose
17. Egyptian goose
18. Greylag goose
19. Kestrel
20. Chaffinch
16th December, Eyebrook Resevoir
4 members led by Peter Hammond
1. Blue tit
2. Coal tit
3. Great tit
4. Willow tit (or Marsh tit)
5. Chaffinch
6. Goldfinch
7. Dunnock
8. Robin
9. Sparrow
10. Lapwing
11. Cormorant
12. Greylag geese
13. Mute swan
14. Little Grebe
15. Coot
16. Moorhen
17. Tufted duck
18. Teal
19. Widgeon
20. Mallard
21. Gadwall
22. Blackheaded Gull
And a number of other sightings that were too far to confirm species confidently.