Bird Species Recorded at Cossington Meadows
Leicestershire and RutlandWildlife Trust
Bird species recorded at Cossington Meadows Nature Reserve
since 2002
The Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust is grateful to Steve Lister, the County Bird Recorder, and members of the Leicestershire and Rutland Ornithological Society, for assistance in drawing up this list. Comments on it and new records would be welcome. The list is presented in the order of birds given in The Birds of Leicestershire and Rutland (Fray et al 2009).
Note that the first part of the nature reserve was purchased in 2004, but that there have been several additional purchases of land since then and the area now stands at 88.9 hectares (219.58 acres). Barber’s Rough, Rectory Marsh and Rectory Moat are all adjacent areas of interest that are not part of the reserve.
Mute SwanCygnus olor
Resident, regularly breeding.
Bewick’s Swan Cygnus columbianus
Rare winter visitor.
Whooper SwanCygnus cygnus
Rare winter visitor, at least flying over.
Pink-footed GooseAnser brachyrhynchus
Rare winter visitor, at least flying over, probably feral or escaped birds.Rare winter visitor, at least flying over.
White-fronted GooseAnser albifrons
Rare winter visitor.
Greylag GooseAnser anser
Regular visitor.
GreaterCanada GooseBranta canadensis
Resident, regularly breeding and sizeable flocks sometimes present.
Barnacle GooseBranta leucopsis
Rare winter visitor, probably feral or escaped birds.
Egyptian GooseAlopochen aegytiaca
Rare visitor, probably feral or escaped birds.
ShelduckTadorna tadorna
Uncommon visitor.
Mandarin Duck Aix galericulata
Rare visitor, probably feral or escaped birds.
EurasianWigeonAnas penelope
Regular winter visitor.
GadwallAnas strepera
Resident, regularly breeding.
EurasianTealAnas crecca
Regular winter visitor.
MallardAnas platyrhynchos
Resident, regularly breeding.
PintailAnas acuta
Rare winter visitor.
GarganeyAnas querquedula
Rare passage migrant.
ShovelerAnas clypeata
Regular visitor, occasionally breeding.
CommonPochardAythya ferina
Rare winter visitor.
Tufted DuckAythya fuligula
Resident, breeding regularly but, small flocks often present.
Greater ScaupAythya marila
Rare winter visitor.
Velvet ScoterMelanitta fusca
Rare winter visitor (single record).
GoldeneyeBucephala clangula
Rare winter visitor.
GoosanderMergus merganser
Regular winter visitor.
Ruddy DuckOxyura jamaicensis
Rare visitor.
Red-legged PartridgeAlectoris rufa
Uncommon visitor, probably from releases on adjacent land.
Grey PartridgePerdix perdix
Rare visitor, origin uncertain.
PheasantPhasianus colchicus
Uncommon visitor, probably from releases on adjacent land.
Little GrebeTachybaptus ruficollis
Resident, regularly breeding.
Great Crested GrebePodiceps cristatus
Resident, occasionally breeding.
CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo
Regularly seen throughout the year in small numbers.
BitternBotaurus stellaris
Rare visitor.
Little BitternIxobrychus minutus
Rare visitor (single record).
Little EgretEgretta garzetta
Regular visitor.
Great White EgretArdea alba
Rare visitor.
Grey HeronArdea cinerea
Resident, nested for the first time in 2010.
Red KiteMilvus milvus
Rare visitor.
Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus
Rare passage migrant.
Hen HarrierCircus cyaneus
Rare winter visitor.
SparrowhawkAccipiter nisus
Regular visitor.
Common BuzzardButeo buteo
Regular visitor.
OspreyPandion haliaetus
Rare passage migrant.
KestrelFalco tinnunculus
Resident, known to have bred.
MerlinFalco columbarius
Rare passage migrant.
HobbyFalco subbuteo
Summer visitor, probably breeding in area.
Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
Rare visitor.
Water RailRallus aquaticus
Regular visitor.
Spotted Crake Porzana porzana
Rare visitor (one record).
MoorhenGallinula chloropus
Resident, breeding regularly.
CootFulica atra
Resident, breeding regularly.
OystercatcherHaematopus ostralegus
Regular visitor and rare breeder.
AvocetRecurvirostraavosetta
Rare visitor.
Little Ringed PloverCharadrius dubius
Summer visitor, occasionally breeding.
Ringed PloverCharadrius hiaticula
Regular passage migrant, has bred.
Golden PloverPluvialis apricaria
Occasional winter visitor.
Grey PloverPluvialis squatarola
Rare visitor.
LapwingVanellus vanellus
Regular visitor, breeding in small numbers.
Knot Calidris canutus
Rare passage migrant.
Sanderling Calidris alba
Rare passage migrant.
Temminck’s StintCalidris temminckii
Rare passage migrant.
Pectoral SandpiperCalidris melanotos
Rare visitor (one record).
Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferruginea
Rare passage migrant.
Dunlin Calidris alpina
Rare visitor.
Ruff Philomachus pugnax
Passage migrant.
Jack SnipeLymnocryptes minimus
Rare winter visitor.
Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago
Regular winter visitor and passage migrant.
WoodcockScolopax rusticola
Rare winter visitor.
Black-tailed GodwitLimosa limosa
Rare visitor.
Bar-tailed GodwitLimosa lapponica
Rare visitor.
WhimbrelNumenius phaeopus
Rare visitor.
Curlew Numenius arquata
Rare visitor.
Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucos
Regular passage migrant.
Green SandpiperTringa ochropus
Winter visitor and passage migrant in small numbers.
Spotted RedshankTringa erythropus
Rare passage migrant.
GreenshankTringa nebularia
Regular passage migrant.
Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola
Rare passage migrant.
Common RedshankTringa totanus
Summer and passage visitor, occasionally breeds.
TurnstoneArenaria interpres
Rare visitor.
Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus
Regular visitor.
Mediterranean Gull Larus melanocephalus
Rare visitor.
Common GullLarus canus
Regular visitor.
Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus
Rare visitor.
Herring Gull Larus argentatus
Recorded at least flying over.
Great Black-backed GullLarus marinus
Recorded at least flying over.
Little Tern Sternula albifrons
Rare passage migrant.
Black TernChlidonias niger
Rare passage migrant.
Sandwich TernSterna sandvicensis
Rare passage migrant.
Common TernSterna hirundo
Summer visitor, breeding in small numbers.
Arctic TernSterna paradisaea
Rare passage migrant.
Feral PigeonColumba livia
Regular visitor.
Stock DoveColumba oenas
Uncommon visitor.
Wood PigeonColumba palumbus
Resident, regularly breeding.
Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto
Uncommon visitor.
Turtle DoveStrepropelia turtur
Rare passage migrant.
CuckooCuculus canorus
Summer visitor.
Barn OwlTyto alba
Uncommon visitor.
Little OwlAthene noctua
Uncommon resident.
Tawny OwlStrix aluco
Rare visitor.
Long-eared OwlAsio otus
Rare visitor.
Short-eared OwlAsio flammeus
Uncommon winter visitor.
Common SwiftApus apus
Uncommon summer visitor.
KingfisherAlcedo atthis
Regular visitor.
Green WoodpeckerPicus viridis
Uncommon visitor.
Great Spotted WoodpeckerDendrocopus major
Resident, breeding in peripheral woodland.
[Lesser Spotted Woodpecker]Dendrocopus minor
Rare visitor – record uncertain.
Sky LarkAlauda arvensis
Mainly summer visitor, probably breeding.
Sand MartinRiparia riparia
Regular summer visitor.
SwallowHirundo rusticola
Regular summer visitor.
House MartinDelichon urbicum
Regular summer visitor.
Tree PipitAnthus trivialis
Occasional passage migrant.
Meadow PipitAnthus pratensis
Regular passage migrant and winter visitor.
Water Pipit Anthus spinoletta
Rare visitor.
Yellow WagtailMotacilla flava
Rare summer visitor, breeding around Tern Pool in 2004.
Grey WagtailMotacilla cinera
Regular visitor.
Pied WagtailMotacilla alba ssp yarrellii
Resident; the White Wagtail M. alba ssp alba has been recorded as a rare passage migrant.
WaxwingBombycilla garrulus
Rare visitor.
WrenTroglodytes troglodytes
Resident, probably breeding.
DunnockPrunella modularis
Resident, probably breeding.
RobinErithacus rubecula
Resident, probably breeding.
Common RedstartPhoenicurus phoenicurus
Rare visitor.
WhinchatSaxicola rubetra
Regular passage migrant.
StonechatSaxicola torquatus
Regular winter visitor.
Northern WheatearOenanthe oenanthe
Regular passage migrant.
BlackbirdTurdus merula
Resident, probably breeding.
FieldfareTurdus pilaris
Regular winter visitor.
Song ThrushTurdus philomelos
Resident, probably breeding.
RedwingTurdus iliacus
Regular winter visitor.
Mistle ThrushTurdus viscivorus
Resident, probably breeding.
Cetti’s WarblerCettia cetti
Rare visitor.
Grasshopper WarblerLocustella naevia
Uncommon summer visitor, probably breeding.
Sedge WarblerAcrocephalus schoenobaenus
Uncommon summer visitor, probably breeding.
Reed WarblerAcrocephalus scirpaceus
Uncommon summer visitor, known to have bred.
BlackcapSylvia atricapilla
Rare summer visitor.
Garden WarblerSylvia borin
Rare summer visitor.
Lesser WhitethroatSylvia curruca
Rare summer visitor.
Common WhitethroatSylvia communis
Common summer visitor, probably breeding.
ChiffchaffPhylloscopus colybita
Rare summer and winter visitor.
Willow WarblerPhylloscopus trochilus
Rare summer visitor.
GoldcrestRegulus regulus
Rare visitor, has probably bred on periphery of site.
Spotted FlycatcherMuscicapa striata
Rare visitor, occasionally breeding in adjacent churchyard.
Bearded TitPanurus biarmicus
Rare winter visitor.
Long-tailed TitAegithalos caudatus
Resident, known to have bred.
Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus
Resident, probably breeding.
Great TitParus major
Resident, probably breeding.
Willow Tit Poecile montana
Rare visitor.
Marsh TitPoecile palustris
Occasional visitor.
NuthatchSitta europaea
Occasional visitor.
TreecreeperCerthia familiaris
Resident, known to have bred.
JayGarrulus glandarius
Rare winter visitor.
MagpiePica pica
Resident, known to have bred.
JackdawCorvus monedula
Uncommon visitor.
RookCorvus frugilegus
Uncommon visitor.
Carrion CrowCorvus corone
Resident, known to have bred.
RavenCorvus corax
Rare visitor.
StarlingSturnus vulgaris
Regular visitor.
House SparrowPasser domesticus
Regular visitor.
Tree SparrowPasser montanus
Rare visitor.
ChaffinchFringilla coelebs
Resident, probably breeding.
BramblingFringilla montifringilla
Rare visitor.
GreenfinchCarduelis chloris
Resident, probably breeding.
GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis
Resident, probably breeding.
LinnetCarduelis cannabina
Regular visitor.
Lesser RedpollCarduelis cabaret
Rare visitor.
Common Crossbill Loxia curvirostra
Rare visitor.
Bullfinch Pyrrhula pyrrhula
Resident, probably breeding.
Reed Bunting Emberiza schoeniculus
Resident, probably breeding.
165 species
In addition, the following ‘Category E’ species have been recorded
Snow Goose Chen caerulescens
Rare visitor, feral or escaped birds.
February 2012
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