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Avocet at Wanlip Meadows!! Hi all, I checked a couple of sites this morning in the Soar Valley. At Cossington Meadows this morning sightings I saw included a Grasshopper Warbler "reeling" on the Lower marsh section, but there was no sign of the previous day's Avocets on Hobley Pool. Other spring migrants seen included Whitethroat , Sedge Warbler and good numbers of Swallows , House Martins , and Sand Martins . At Wanlip Meadows I re found one of the Avocets feeding on the scrape and other waders seen included 2 Green Sandpipers , a couple of Dunlins , an Oystercatcher and the other usual waders. Other spring migrants recorded on the scrape included 3 Yellow Wagtails and small numbers of Martins and Swallows.

Avocets at Eyebrook res Although it was my day off from work, I had to do a few things in town, so I couldn't get over to Eyebrook Reservoir until the afternoon, as a pair of Avocets had been reported at the inflow end. Getting to the reservoir early afternoon, I was soon ticking off Avocet for my slowly increasing year list. The two birds were were feeding on the shoreline and not too far from the viewing point, so I decided to take a few digishots of the birds. Whilst at this site other sightings I saw included the long staying Green-winged Teal , a female Pintail (which was a year tick!) and one of the local Red Kites . After leaving Eyebrook I checked out Cossington Meadows, one of my local patches in the Soar Valley before returning home. Birds I recorded included 3 Little Egrets , 3 Little Ringed Plovers , a couple of Oystercatchers and finally a couple of Swallows flying over the tern pool.