Sunday 29 July 2012

A day in Leicetershire & Rutland - July 28, 2012


I was out with Dave today and our first task was to empty his moth trap.  We caught and identified 158 moths representing thirty-five species.  There were a further seven that at present are unidentified.
The following were recorded: Lozotaeniodes formosanus [1]; Marble Orchard Tortrix [1]; Chrysoteuchia culmella [3]; Crambus perlella [1]; Agriphila straminella [1]; Agriphila geniculea [1]; Eudonia pallid [2]; Eudonia mercurella [3]; Eudonia lacustrata [1]; Riband Wave [14]; Garden Carpet [1]; July Highflier [1]; Brimstone Moth [1]; Scalloped Oak [1]; Privet Hawkmoth [1]; Pine Hawkmoth [1]; White Satin Moth [2]; Dingy Footman [2]; Scarce Footman [1]; Common Footman [15]; Heart and Dart [11]; Flame [1]; Large Yellow Underwing [3]; Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing [3]; Double Square-spot [1]; Bright-line Brown-eye [2]; Clay [1]; Marbled Beauty [3]; Dun-bar [1]; Dark Arches [29]; Common Rustic sp. [14]; Uncertain [19]; Rustic [12]; Golden Plusia [1] and Silver Y [2].

Marbled Orchard Tortrix


Agriphila straminella


Agriphila geniculea


Garden Carpet


July Highflier


Pine Hawkmoth


Bright-line Brown-eye


Golden Plusia


Marbled Beauty

After emptying the trap we set off to Rutland Water and initially went to the Lyndon Reserve where we were hoping to catch up with a Lesser Emperor.
We arrived at the Lyndon Centre and after signing began to walk to shallow water hide where the Lesser Emperor had been seen.  We called at deep water hide and tufted duck hide on route and saw two Ruddy Shelduck near goldeneye hide and also located two Greenshanks and three Dunlin amongst the grasses on the point.
Shallow water hide was packed with photographers but we did managed to get a seat fairly quickly but there was no sign of the Lesser Emperor but the two young Osprey were present and a Kingfisher flashed by the hide.  There was also a few warblers, which included a Willow Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Whitethroat and a Sedge Warbler and it had also been a good morning for insects.  We walked back to the centre and had lunch in the car park before going to Egleton.
After signing in we walked to lagoon four and sandpiper hide.  There was a singe Little Egret on the lagoon and three Red Kites were hunting over the fields to the west of Burley Wood and three Buzzards were over the wood.
There was a single Little Ringed Plover, four Ringed Plovers, eight Dunlin, six Black-tailed Godwits, two Common Sandpipers, a Green Sandpiper, a Greenshank and a Redshank on the lagoon.  There were also six Yellow-legged Gulls and forty Common Terns.
We saw little as we walked back to the centre but did manage views of the juvenile Marsh Harrier from the centre but there was little else of note.
A Red Kites were seen near Uppingham and Manton and two Buzzards near Uppingham and another near Preston.
It had been quite a good day with a good moth catch and a good selection of birds and nice to see so many butterflies in what has been a dreadful year for them.
The marquees were also going up for the Birdfair, which a few weeks ago was in doubt due to the dreadful weather, let’s hope there is not too much more between now and the middle of August.

Great Crested Grebe on nest in Manton Bay


Great Crested Grebe on nest in Manton Bay


Great Crested Grebe on nest in Manton Bay


Grey Heron over Manton Bay


Grey Heron over Manton Bay


Common Sandpiper over lagoon four


Common Sandpiper over lagoon four


Juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker at the Lyndon feeding station


Saturday 28 July 2012

A morning at Rutland Water, Rutland - July 27, 2012


I spent most of my time in sandpiper hide overlooking lagoon four.  There were four Little Egrets feeding on the lagoon and I saw two Red Kites, a Buzzard and an Osprey over Burley Wood.  I found two Little Ringed Plovers, eight Ringed Plovers, a single Golden Plover, five Dunlin, a Common Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper and a Greenshank on the lagoon.  There were also six Yellow-legged Gulls and twenty-five Common Terns.

Female Pheasant in the Egleton Meadows


Little Ringed PLover and Dunlin on lagoon four


Gatekeeper along the summer trail


Ruddy Darter near the summer trail

Friday 27 July 2012

An early morning at Newton Harcourt, Leicestershire - July 26, 2012


Dave had arrange to place the moth trap close to the Grand Union Canal and it turned out to be a bumper catch with 353 moths caught and identified which included forty-three species with a few still to be identified.
The following were recorded: Bryotropha terrella [2]; Agapeta hamana 3; Celypha striana [2]; Pammene fasciana [2]; Chrysoteuchia culmella [85]; Crambus perlella [2]; Agriphila straminella; Agriphila tristella [2]; Donacaula forficella [1]; Eudonia lacustrata [1]; Small Magpie [1]; Bee Moth [1]; Thistle Ermine [1]; Euzophera pinguis; Blood-vein [1]; Riband Wave [11]; Brimstone Moth [3]; Scalloped Oak [2]; Peppered Moth [1]; Common White Wave [1]; Popular Hawkmoth [2]; Swallow Prominent [2]; White Satin Moth [2]; Dingy Footman [3]; Scarce Footman [2]; Common Footman [95]; Heart and Dart [11]; Flame Shoulder [1]; Large Yellow Underwing [6]; Lesser Yellow Underwing [5]; Broad-bodied Yellow Underwing [1]; Lesser Broad-bodied Yellow Underwing [3]; Setaceous Hebrew Character [1]; Double Square-spot [3]; Smoky Wainscot [3]; Common Wainscot [1]; Dun-bar [6]; Dark Arches [32]; Light Arches [2]; Common Rustic sp. [17]; Uncertain [18]; Rustic [17] and Herald [1].

Agapeta hamana


Celypha striana



Pammene fasciana


Crumbus perella


Agriphila tristella


Agriphila tristella


Donacaula forficella


Eudonia lacustrata


Eudonia lacustrata


Small Magpie


Thistle Ermine


Riband Wave


Common White Wave


Swallow Prominet


Dingy Footman


Flame Shoulder


Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing


Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing


Smoky Wainscot


Dun-bar


The Herald

Thursday 26 July 2012

A morning at Rutland Water, Rutland - July 25, 2012


I went to Rutland Water and arrived before the centre was open and therefore walked straight to lagoon four and dunlin hide.  There were eight Ringed Plovers and five Dunlin on the first spit and two Green Sandpipers flew in but there appeared to be little else until a Greenshank appeared.  There was an Osprey sitting on the man-made nest and it caused some disturbance as it flew off towards the north arm.  There were quite a few gulls present, mainly Black-headed but there were also several Common, Lesser Black-backed and Great Black-backed and three Yellow-legged Gulls.  A Common Sandpiper and two Yellow Wagtails were found on the far side of the lagoon but as there appeared to be little else I moved to shoveler hide on lagoon three.  Very little here except for a concentration of both Gadwall and Tufted Duck.  I went back to plover hide on lagoon four where I found a single Black-tailed Godwit and a Turtle Dove flew over.
I called at the centre before walking onto snipe hide overlooking the wet meadow where there were at least three Green Sandpipers and two Snipe, my first here since early April.  The family party of seven young and two adult Shelduck were still present on the lagoon, nice as they appear to be the only ones successful this year.  The juvenile Marsh Harrier was then observed as it quartered the wet meadow but it was eventually harassed by a number of Common Terns and headed off over lagoon one.
It was now turning very hot so I decided to call it a day.

Juvenile Marsh Harrier over the wet meadow


Female Kestrel over lagoon four


Lapwing over the wet meadow


Juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker at the Egleton feeding station

Tuesday 24 July 2012

A walk along the Grand Union Canal at Newton Harcourt, Leicestershire - July 24, 2012


I went for a walk along the Grand Union Canal towards Kibworth for about a mile and then back.  There is vegetation between the canal and the towpath that can be quite good for insects and I was hoping that the change in weather might have resulted in more butterflies being on the wing.  Initially it was quite encouraging as I had both Comma and Holly Blue within the first 100 meters but butterflies were still not much in evidence although there was clearly more Large Whites on the wing.  There were plenty of White-legged Damselflies and there was as many of sixty mating and laying close to one of the bridges.  I also had a number of both male and female Banded Demoiselle, two Blue-tailed Damselfly, at least five Brown Hawkers and single Emperor Dragonfly and Broad-bodied Chaser.
I located two Spotted Flycatchers in woods on the opposite bank of the canal and had my first Kingfisher since one at Rutland Water on May 24th.

Ferdinandea cuprea


Blue-tailed Damselfly


White-legged Damselflies


White-legged Damselflies