The County Avifaunas are a growing series of books, each of which gives detailsof the status and range of every species on the county list, with a detailed breakdown of rarityrecords. Each has introductory sections describing the county's ecology and habitats, climate, ornithological historyand conservation record.This new avifauna covers Leicestershire and neighbouring Rutland, anarea with a particularly strong birding tradition - the Leicestershire& Rutland Ornithological Society is one of the largest county birdclubs in Britain. The region holds some of England's most importantinland reservoirs, including the largest, Rutland Water. This massivelake holds some 10,000 wintering birds of a variety of species eachyear,and has an impressive rarity list as well as some of England's fewbreeding Ospreys. The county also has important woodlands, gullroosts and river habitats. Rutland Water is the home of theBritish Birdwatching Fair, the most important trade fair in the birdingcalendar.