Wood Sandpiper Cossington Meadows 2nd July 2009

Hi all, following a report via my pager of a Wood Sandpiper at Cossington Meadows, I checked the site out the next day after I had finished work.
Although the details of the Wood Sand was a bit brief, I knew that the Wood Sand would be on the pools between Tern Pool and Hobley's Lake if it was still there?
Reaching the Upper Marsh Pool the adult Wood Sandpiper was feeding quietly in the middle of the scrape, along with seven Green Sandpipers, a couple of Redshanks and good numbers of Lapwings.
On Hobley's Lake I noted that the Common Terns must have had a good breeding season as I counted at least 35 birds flying and resting around the lake.
So hopefully this is the start of a good autumn passage of waders down the Soar Valley, even if it's still only just started July!!

Black-tailed Skimmer - WCPB 16 June 2009

A female or teneral Black-tailed Skimmer at Watermead CP Birstall yesterday. If the weather improves I'll do a bit of dragonfly watching down the Soar Valley on Sunday.

30/05/2009

A Red Kite drifted over Mountsorrel in the direction of Cossington this afternoon. Lots of Banded Demoiselles and Painted Ladies around the meadows but little else of note.

Cossington Meadows 28/5/09

Very little of note - a Cuckoo singing near the Tern Pool was the highlight, and at least 22 Common Terns were on or around the raft on Hobley Lake. No migrant waders at all, and the Plover Meadow pool has almost dried out. Perhaps the easterly winds forecast for the next few days will bring something in...

Soar Valley sightings in the last few days......

Over the last few days it seemed to have gone quiet again down the Soar Valley.
The only major highlight I have seen was of a Turtle Dove flying over the scrape at Wanlip Meadows on the 16th. It or another was also reported via the LROS website at Watermead CP South on the 19th. So keep your eyes peeled it may be still in the area?!
On the breeding front Mute Swans have breed at Watermead CP North and a good number of Common Terns (14+) have been recorded on the Tern raft on Hobley Lake at Cossington Meadows.
So hopefully it will pick up on the birding front and maybe the two Common Cranes reported yesterday near Loughborough wouldn't go a miss down the Soar Valley?!

Cossington 15/05/09

The rain overnight seems to have produced some good birds. A Wood sand and Sanderling were on the tern pool and 3 Whimbrel were at the back of Hobley's lake. Also at least 2 Common Sands and an Egyptian Goose

Cossington Meadows 9/5/09

Inspired by various good birds reported at Rutland Water today (Little Terns, Avocets, Sanderlings etc), I decided to have a look at Cossington for the first time in several weeks and was pleasantly surprised to find a summer plumage Curlew Sandpiper on the Plover Meadow pool. Steve Lister joined me as I was watching it, and Dave also saw it later, but reported that it had flown off at about 16:25.

Amazingly, the appears to be only the third record ever for the Soar Valley (unless there was one last year?). The previous two records I can find were both at Wanlip South GP (now Watermead CP North of course) on 28th September 1997 and 6th & 7th September 2001.

Nothing else of any note around the reserve, although I did speak to a chap who had seen what he thought was probably a Wood Sandpiper on Upper Marsh (and from his description it sounded like it was one). Unfortunately it had flown off about ten minutes before I got there!