An hour spare this afternoon had me checking the sheep field again. About 20 yellow wagtails, a female wheatear, 4 red-legged partridges, 2 little-ringed plovers, lots of linnets and a couple of displaying lapwings provided the entertainment. I didn’t check the reserve area but on the way home two more yellow wags fed amongst sheep in a field near the entrance to Belton house.

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Yesterday. 17th April.

I visited at dusk in the hope of an owl. No owls but I was surprised to see the over-wintering hen harrier drop in to roost. Presumably the same bird that has been around since Dec 11th. I thought it had moved on.

Earlier, there were well over 150 hirundines at the works, a mix of swallows and house martins with a couple of sand martins.

Blackcap, chiffchaff, willow, sedge, and common whitethroat all in now, and at least 4 singing cetti’s.

M.S.T.W. = marston sewage treatment works. Or ?.  more spare time wasted. Or ?. mega scarce twitchable wanted.