ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES FROM LEICESTERSHIRE. 
85 
ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES FROM LEICESTERSHIRE 
FOR 1882. 
The winter of ] 881-2 was one of the mildest on record. An almost 
entire absence of snow and frost resulted, as a matter of course, in a 
corresponding absence of winter visitors. No Fieldfares and very few 
Redwings were seen. Wild violets were found on 3rd January. On the 
5th.—Thrush in full song. 11th.—Tufted Duck killed on Saddington 
Reservoir. 17th.—Tomtit singing. 
February 2nd.—A Merlin was shot at Bardon. 3rd. — Hedge 
Accentor singing. 10th.—Lark soaring and singing. 11th.—Tufted 
Duck seen. 19th.—Wren singing, Missel Thrush singing. 21st.—A 
Chiffchaff was seen at Langton by Mr. Logan. 
In reference to this last note, I should say that in the Field of 
March 4th it was recorded that the Chiffchaff was seen and shot in 
Nottinghamshire on February 8th, and seen and heard in Devonshire 
on February 22nd. A correspondent of the “ Zoologist ” for March 1st 
also states that he saw and heard the bird in December and January 
in Oxfordshire. It appears, therefore, that owing to the exceptional 
mildness of the winter, some few specimens of this little warbler 
wintered in England; probably some always remain behind, but do not 
survive. 
March 13th.—Bullfinch singing. 17th.—Coletit singing. On the 
same date Mr. Davenport reports the Willow Wren seen in Skeffington 
Wood. 26th.—I saw the Willow Wren in Gumley Wood, and on the 
same day heard the Blackcap. The above dates are unusually early 
for these migrants, and may be due to the mildness of the season or 
possibly, like the Chiffchaff, they may have wintered in this country. 
April 4th.— Cuckoo heard. 6th.— First Swallow. 7th.—Lesser 
Whitethroat seen. 16th.—House Martin and Sand Martin observed. 
18th.—Nightingale heard. 19th.—Yellow Wagtail. 21st.—Wryneck 
and Common Sandpiper. 24th.—Sedgewarbler. 
May 5th.—Landrail heard. 10th.—Mr. Davenport sent me word 
that he had found the nest of the Long-eared Owl in Skeffington 
Wood. This is, I believe, the first record of this bird nesting in this 
part of Leicestershire. As the keeper was murderously inclined we 
decided to take the young, and on the 14th May I heard from my friend 
that he had secured the four young birds. I saw them a few days after 
their capture, when they were apparently about three weeks old ; there 
was no doubt about their being Long-eared Owls. One unfortunately 
died young, but the other three are alive and well at the time I write. 
The parent birds had appropriated an old Carrion Crow’s nest for 
domestic purposes. 18th. — Turtle Dove seen. 28th. — Common 
Flycatcher arrived. 
June 23rd.—Two Common Gulls on Saddington Reservoir. 
July 7th.—Two Great Crested Grebes on Saddington Reservoir. 
