Sunny Days....

The really nice weather has brought out an array of wonderful songsters and the Meadows has literally been buzzing with activity. There are now at least 10 Whitethroats scattered throughout the North Section with the birds along the boardwalk, certainly the easiest to see with two great performers near the main scrape. There is a Garden Warbler singing near the main car park but is typically difficult to dig out. Blackcaps seem to be everywhere, especially on the North Section and along the Great Central between the sites. A couple of Lesser Whitethroat have been singing, as usual from inside cover but the bird south of Kings Lock close to the ring road is the easiest to see. Two Sedge Warblers have so far taken up territory but are currently spending a lot of time singing from within the brambles, hopefully the next few days will see them getting a little bolder. Still no Yellow Wagtails, could be the first year in a long time of a no sign in Spring.
Sat and watched one of the smaller ponds and had an astonishing 10 male Smooth Newts visible at the same time in the late afternoon, very nice!

Sylvia City!

Seemed to be stacks of Sylvia warblers moving slowly up the watercourse today. I saw lots more Blackcap than usual, many of them just feeding away indicating they'd perhaps just arrived. The now familiar territorial singers were all blasting out their pretty amazing repertoire. Whitethroats were also very evident today and again migrant birds moving through, every now and again you would hear a burst of that lovely scratchy call. A very smart looking Lesser Whitethroat was new today on the North Section in an area that held one last year and on the Southern Section just north of Bluebank a couple of Tree Pipit which are always good to see. Same thing with Hirundines particularly Swallows, small groups in waves often accompanied by the odd martin. I think the breeding pair are back at Kings Lock as there was a frenzy of arial activity with excited chattering as a/the pair chased each other around - bearing in mind their arduous journey all the way to and then back from Africa I'm surprised they weren't doing loop de loops!

Funniest thing today was a rival, note rival Great-spotted Woodpecker that has taken it upon himself to drum on one of the metal pylons. This isn't actually as daft as it sounds as the drum roll resonates off the metal and seems to be greatly and oddly amplified. It's driving the breeding pair nuts and there is such a response I'm surprised half the trees are still standing - Territorial Evolution in the making?

And still they come.....

Another Redstart today, this time a female very briefly along the hedgerows that line the Biam on the Southern Section was a rather lucky find as I was trying to dig out the first singing Sedge Warbler of the Spring at the time. Three now, just like the good old days! A couple more singing Whitethroat had joined the others on the North Section and it probably won't be long before there's half a dozen singing away at each other. LRP's still around, anyone checked the Grove birds recently?

When the East Wind Blows......All hell breaks loose!

I thought I was having an amazing few days, loads of birds moving through as you would expect with easterlies and a little light rain. Having looked at the various Soar Valley birders blogs I actually feel pretty gripped, the Meadows didn't quite hit the mark the other sites reached. I envy the Bittern, no chance here, we ain't got a reedbed, Adult Little Gulls, Arctic Terns bloody hell!
Have a look at John's Drunkbirders blog for some stunning Little Gulls, Russ's Thortonmothman finally lots of migrant activity and the SoarValley birders and the Bittern....

On Friday I was quite surprised to see a Swift cleaving around over the North section as it still seems bloody early. This was followed by a rather superb Hobby straight down the line of the boardwalk and over the gas towers and presumably Leicester City Center. A Reed Warbler made a brief appearance on Saturday near the end of the boardwalk and I'm hoping it's one of our only breeding pair. This was followed by stacks of phylloscopus warblers moving through, presumably destined for breeding areas much further north. Today a couple of Whitethroats holding territory in their favoured haunts on the North Section, a reeling Grasshopper Warbler near Bluebank on the South Section, an overflying Redshank in the same area, a new? pair of Little Ringed Plover, a trio of Common Sandpiper, loads of Hirundines including a lingering group of Sand martin (I wonder if they've located a potential breeding site?) but still no Yellow Wagtails !

It's all happening.... Better get back out there!

Sorry Folks....

Managed to trash my car between finding these and going to get the bloody camera!
2 Male Redstart on the Meadows, 1 on the mound area on the North Section and a very showy bird on the first hedgerow south of Kings Lock cottage, both still present around midday before my little spot of bother!
Hopefully present tomorrow!

It's a bloody disgrace!

Nothing to report, bar this......

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/leicestershire/7348824.stm

Softly softly...

Actually it's really slow for some reason, especially as Leicestershire in general has been doing rather well with new birds arriving daily. Today new in as it were. a female Stonechat, a very elusive Common Whitethroat at the end of the boardwalk (they always seem to arrive here first, I wonder Why?), a sally of fly through Swallows and a heard only Cuckoo. The Willow Tits all still showing well on the north section as are the Kingfishers. A couple of Foxes, one on each section are entertaining the dog walkers as they hunt, seemingly oblivious, out in the open.

The Last couple of days.....

Have been bloody quiet! I've been hoping for a Yellow Wagtail, just one will do! but no, very very quiet on all the paddock flashes. Rain at this time of year often brings down migrant birds and for the last couple of days I've been out looking hard for any of the possibilities we occasionally get at this time of year, another Ring Ouzel, a Redstart maybe or even a Pied Flycatcher....Nowt, not a single Oooh what was that! Still, keep telling myself plenty of time, just got to keep going. I did have an impressive group of Sand Martin with a couple of House Martin come through ahead of a front and also had a fly through 1st summer Little Gull which was a major surprise, it's only (I think) the third one I've ever seen on the site. Other than that (which is good but I'd rather see a Male Redstart) the best sightings have been a very showy pair of Willow Tits that have been around all winter but are now nesting. This species is never very easy to see on Aylestone Meadows but the last few days they've been so showy I might have to drag the camera out...watch this space! The Kingfishers are still showing remarkably well at the rather public nest hole and fortunately our less desirable crowd haven't noticed them. There has been quite an explosion of our rather unusual melanistic (black) Rabbits, especially along the boardwalk and the edge of the Biam. If you see one, don't worry...they're not escapes.

No sign....

I took this photograph a couple of months ago, on a riverbank, in Brazil - these are Jaguar tracks, a large male (should have put a pen down for comparison) Pumas are wider but similar - take note, Big Cats rarely leave claw marks, there is a hint here but it's very soft sand!

No sign of the Ouzels today or yesterday for that matter - there seems to have been a fair bit of disturbance in the fields, the horses have been moved back and there are several people repairing the fences, so no surprise!
Little to report today. I thought I heard a snippet of a Whitethroat call but couldn't locate the bird in the North Section though I'm sure they're on the way. Still a good number of Willow Warbler, Blackcap and Chiffchaff singing despite the weekends whiteout!
Only new birds through today were a group of seven Swallow hawking over the fields around Bluebank lock. Got asked twice today "Are you looking for the Panther? - me mates seen it, seen the tracks" Really ? What can you say ? Look they're bloody Great Danes!

Black Panther - Aylestone Meadows

I must be blind! Not only have I worked alongside big cats for six years and now work regularly abroad tracking them for Wildlife Tours and I've been doing the area regularly for thirty years I've seen nowt - no shit, no tracks zilch!
Why are they always black, I've seen Jaguars, Leopards and Pumas in the wild, not one of them was even slightly dark. Their eyes are like fire when caught by light, I know I spotlight them. The last main sighting before this one involved an assumed Ostrich leg!
Made me laugh.... anyway, from www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk

Mr Cave's wife Kerry, 43, is a sceptic but said she saw a Labrador-sized black cat with blue eyes at the side of the dual carriageway from Fosse Park to Aylestone crossroads at about 11pm on March 8.

She said: "It was very late but I saw it sitting at the side of the road watching the traffic and as I looked back I saw its blue eyes.

"It was such a pretty blue it was hard to forget - I still wonder whether I imagined it or not."

Donna Brown, 37, of the Saffron Lane area of Leicester, said she recently saw a panther in Aylestone Meadows.

She said: "At 1.30pm on January 3, I finally got to see the cat that roams around Aylestone Meadows.

"There have been sightings in that area for about 10 years now and I wanted to investigate them.

"It was lying down in overgrown shrubs surrounding the bottom of pylons.

"I saw something in a half lying, half sitting position.

"I looked straight into the cat's eyes and it was absolutely beautiful, its coat was a glossy black colour, its eyes were a yellowish greenish colour.

"I am 100 per cent sure of what I saw, it wasn't a panther-type it wasn't a puma-type, it was an actual panther.

"I am still excited about it now and will be for some time because I actually got the chance to look one in the eyes, which are absolutely beautiful."


I hope its true, I would love to see it and it would be a bloody good deterent for all our male 'bush-stalkers'!

Ring Ouzel

For those that know me and are quite keen on this one, here's a quick note. Ring Ouzel(s) still present (apparently Two again this morning) in the area behind Kings Lock Cottage. I checked the area twice to no avail but then found a very elusive Male feeding along the edge of the Biam in the rough grass on the west side of the river. Best viewed from the old Packhorse Bridge looking out towards ASDA as Its too obscured from the canal towpath, as of 13.30hrs today anyway. I know some of you would really like to see one so would suggest that you first check from Packhorse very carefully, the grass is longer than you think, and the bird often disappears from view before following the towpath past Kings Lock to the end of the hedgerow and looking back. In flight, look for the striking contrast between the silvery wings and deep black body as the bird(s) fly back to the blackthorn, the white crescent isn't always easy to see in flight - Good Luck! - with poor weather for the next couple of days, they should stay around.
Other than that, No sign of the Little Ringed Plovers at either site nor White Wagtails or Wheatear.

Added after I looked at John's Drunkbirders blog - Correction: LRP still at Grove Park, maybe I should have got out of the car!

Migration continues...

The last couple of days have seen an increase in common migrants and there are now good numbers of Willow Warbler with at least ten birds singing, Chiffchaff throughout both sections and quite a few Blackcap with at least two pairs at Bluebank Lock showing very well. Our birds of prey are very visible at the moment with at least two pairs of displaying Sparrowhawks, a trio of Buzzard and a Red Kite. Surely an Osprey through anytime soon and hopefully, a Hobby too!
Today I heard that there were a couple of Ring Ouzels in the usual rough paddocks near Kings Lock this morning. I haven't seen them, despite a good look, but these birds are traditionally quite shy and they could easily have been in the blackthorn or feeding out of view. Should anyone wish to have a look, I would suggest you spend some time at the end of the hedge by the canal looking toward the Biam but don't enter the field as you'll never see them. Hopefully they'll be around for a few days?
There were a couple of White Wagtail on the flash behind the cottage around midday.
Quite a few Butterflies on the wing today with the large lemon yellow Brimstones knocking about the North section along with a few Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock and Comma.

Willow Warblers

A little flurry of activity this morning brought in our first Willow Warblers, at least three birds singing along the Grand Union south of Kings Lock and another near the boardwalk. There are also a few Blackcaps now singing away, particularly around the main carpark. The Kingfishers have started digging a new nesting tunnel in the most ridiculous and very public place, I fear for this one! The Skylarks are still holding territory as are the Little Ringed Plovers which looks very promising. The only other bird of note today was a rather stunning adult summer Lesser Black-backed Gull in the paddocks.

Little Ringed Plovers - it's been a long time?

Male Little Ringed Plover


Female Little Ringed Plover


White Wagtail

I've been watching a pair of Little Ringed Plovers the last couple of days. It's been a while since this species has graced the meadows, in the early eighties they bred for a number of years on the southern section but since then they have been few and far between. I still haven't seen a Willow Warbler which is a bit of a surprise as they seem to be everywhere else? The Buzzards are frequently in the skies which is great to see but no sign of the Red Kites. A male Wheatear stopped off briefly on the Southern fields and there are still a couple of White Wagtails knocking about. Todays latest additions were a couple of Sand Martins which cruised through around midday. Waiting for the next wave, coming soon no doubt!