A day in Leicestershire & Rutland - July 15, 2013

I was out at Dave’s as he had put the moth trap out last night, which took juts over three hours to empty and record the moths.  160 moths were trapped comprising of forty-nine species, two of which were new, Beautiful China Mark and Flame Carpet.

The following were trapped: Carcina quercana [1]; Dark Fruit-tree Tortrix [1]; Clepsis consimilana [1]; Lozotaenia forsterana [1]; Celypha lacunana [2]; Bramble Shoot Moth [1]; Bud Moth [1]; Chrysoteuchia culmella [5]; Crambus pascuella [1]; Beautiful China Mark [1]; Small Magpie [1]; Udea lutealis [1]; Udea olivalis [6]; Dioryctria abietella [1]; Chinese Character [1]; Figure of Eighty [1]; Riband Wave [11]; Flame Carpet [1]; Common Carpet [2]; Barred Straw [3]; Green Pug [1]; Brimstone Moth [4]; Swallow-tailed Moth [2]; Peppered Moth [1]; Willow Beauty [3]; Light Emerald [3]; Buff-tip [1]; Common Footman [22]; Heart and Dart [9]; Flame [4]; Flame Shoulder [1]; Large Yellow Underwing [1]; Double Square-spot [6]; Dot Moth [1]; Common Wainscot [1]; Dagger Sp. [3]; Coronet [1]; Marbled Beauty [1]; Dun-bar [1]; Dark Arches [28]; Light Arches [1]; Large Nutmeg [3]; Rustic Shoulder-knot [1]; Marbled Minor sp. [3]; Small Dotted Buff [1]; Uncertain [6]; Rustic [5]; Snout [2] and The Fan-foot [1].

Carcina quercana

Clepsis consimilana

Bud Moth

Flame Carpet

Barred Straw

Light Emerald

Coronet

Small Dotted Buff

I had not been back at home too long when a tweet arrived announcing that there was a Pacific Golden Plover at Rutland Water, which was a counties first.  I was unable to leave immediately as I was looking after my two granddaughters.  Dave and I did get away by 13:00 and were fortunate in that on arrival Matthew gave us a lift down to the hide.  The bird was on show although rather distant but over a period of time we did get some reasonable views of a superb summer adult.  Whilst there was a good turnout for the bird the hide as never too full as people were coming and going all the time.

It became very hot in the hide and we decided to go to Lax Hill to see if we could find any White-letter Hairstreaks but were unsuccessful.  Whilst we were searching for the hairstreaks a Sparrowhawk flew over and we had a Large Red Damselfly from robin hide.  On the way back to the centre we called at both fieldfare and harrier hides seeing an Oystercatcher, two Green Sandpipers and a Greenshank from fieldfare hide.  An Osprey flew over lagoon one whilst we were in harrier hide and a distant Hobby was also observed and Grasshopper Warbler was heard on several occasions.  Whilst in heron hide observing the plover we also saw two Osprey in Manton Bay and seven Little Egrets with another six from Fieldfare hide.

It had been a successful trip with a terrific and totally unexpected new bird added to my County List.