Rod's Birding: A day in Leicestershire & Rutland

Roger and I went to Dave’s to start of the day to help empty and record the contents of his moth trap. There were 118 with thirty-six species and further six yet to be identified.

The following were recorded: Willow Beauty [3]; Ermine species [1]; Coleophora Species [1]; Carcina quercana [1]; Agapeta hamana [1]; Lozotaeniodes formosanus [1]; Crambus perlella [1]; Agriphila tristella [2]; Eudonia lacustrata [1]; Mother of Pearl [4]; Acrobasis advenella [1]; Euzophera pinguis [2]; Riband Wave [15]; Common Carpet [1]; Phoenix [1]; Purple Thorn [1]; Poplar Hawkmoth [1]; Swallow Prominent [1]; White Satin Moth [1]; Scarce Footman [1]; Common Footmen [2]; Heart and Dart [6]; Flame Shoulder [1]; Large Yellow Underwing [5]; Lesser Yellow Underwing [5]; Board-bodied Yellow Underwing [1]; Lesser Broad-bodied Yellow Underwing [8]; Nutmeg [1]; Cabbage Moth [1]; Bright-line Brown-eye [3]; Marbled Beauty [1]; Dark Arches [18]; Common Rustic species [12]; Uncertain [3]; Rustic [3] and Silver Y [1].

Coleophora Species

Agriphila tristella

Acrobasis advenella

Euzophera pinguis

Phoenix

Purple Thorn

Nutmeg

Cabbage Moth

Ermine species

Hairy-legged Flower Bee

Carcina quercana

After emptying the box we went to Broughton Astley as Nature Spot, a local group, had organised a moth morning. They had placed a trap at a local school and had emptied it earlier and put the more interesting moths in plastic containers.

The following were recorded: Ghost Moth [1]; Orange Swift [1]; Leopard Moth [1]; Caloptilia alchimiella [1]; Argyresthia goedartella [1]; Honeysuckle Moth [1]; Ypsolopha sequella [1]; Acleris forsskaleana [1]; Rhyacionia pinicolana [1]; Brown China Mark [1]; Garden Pebble [1]; Pyrausta aurata [1]; Small Magpie [1]; Golden Triangle [1]; Hypsopygia glaucinalis [1]; Chinese Character [1]; Single-dotted Wave [1]; Red Twin-spot Carpet [1]; Yellow Shell [1]; Foxglove Pug [1]; Magpie [1]; Poplar Hawkmoth [1]; Swallow Kitten [1]; Pebble Prominent [1]; Pale Prominent [1]; The Gothic [1]; Small Ranunculus [1]; The Miller [1]; Dagger species [1]; Copper Underwing [1]; Dun-bar [1]; and Cloaked Minor.

It was surprising to see how many different moths they had caught from what was in Dave’s trap, quite a few we had never caught, as they were probably on ten miles away.

From Broughton Astley Roger and I set off to Rutland Water calling at Eye Brook Reservoir on route. Eye Brook Reservoir was fairly quiet with twenty-seven Cormorants and a Buzzard being the highlights.

We went to the north arm at Rutland Water first an counted fourteen Little Egret feeding on the north side and we also located a single Little Ringed Plover, two Common Sandpipers, four Green Sandpipers and a Greenshank and six Common Terns were feeding near the rafts.

We went to the Egleton car park where we had lunch before signing in a setting off to lagoon four where two Little Stint had been reported from plover hide. When we arrived in plover hide we could only find two Dunlin but did eventually find five Curlew, two Green Sandpipers and six Greenshanks.

With no sign of the Little Stints we went to shoveler hide we found a single Pintail and Green Sandpiper but nothing else of note. We then walked the short distance to sandpiper hide for further views of lagoon four. There was a Little Ringed Plover, six Ringed Plovers and six Dunlin feeding on the first spit and seven Little Egrets were feeding just to the left of the hide. We also found two Snipe feeding on the edge and a single Black-tailed Godwit of the lagoon but there was still no sign of the Little Stints.

We moved back to the centre but there was little of note just a single Little Egret until the juvenile Marsh Harrier put in an appearance. We eventually called it a day and set off for home.