Rod's Birding: A day in Leicestershire & Lincolnshire

Dave had put his moth trap out last night and the plan was empty it before we set off for Freiston Shore in Lincolnshire.

There were 112 moths identified from the trap with two new species, Small Square-spot and Gold Spot.

The following were recorded: Apple Ermine [1]; Plutella porecctella [1]; Barred Fruit Tree Tortrix [1]; Light Brown Apple Moth [1]; Garden Rose Tortrix [1]; Agriphila geniculea [1]; Catoptria falsella [1]; Eudonia angustea [1]; Mother of Pearl [5]; Beautiful Plume [1]; Flame Carpet [1]; Garden Carpet [4]; Common Marbled Carpet [1]; Green Carpet [1]; Lime-speck Pug [2]; Brimstone Moth [12]; Dusky Thorn [1]; Willow Beauty [1]; Shuttle=shaped Dart [1]; Flame Shoulder [1]; Large Yellow Underwing [19]; Lesser Yellow Underwing [10]; Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing [1]; Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing [2]; Small Square Spot [1]; Setaceous Hebrew Character [14]; Square-spot Rustic [6]; Common Wainscot [3]; Centre Barred Sallow [8]; Copper Underwing [1]; Mouse Moth [3]; Vine’s Rustic [1]; Burnished Brass [3] and Gold Spot [1].

Light Brown Apple Moth

Beautiful Plume

Common Marbled Carpet

Gold Spot

It was just after 09:00 when we set of for Freiston and we arrived 11:20. We walked around the perimeter of what we thought was the reservoir, which had very few birds on it and certainly not the Pectoral Sandpiper. On completing the circuit we had seen a single Oystercatcher, several Black-tailed Godwits, a Curlew, a Redshank and at least two Marsh Harriers. There were Tree Sparrows near the car park and numerous Swallows and a few House Martin and a couple of Yellow Wagtails were flying over the area and two Yellow Wagtails flew over.

We discussed going to Frampton before we took lunch and fortunately another birder appeared just before we left and informed us that the Pectoral Sandpiper was still on the reservoir. We established were the reservoir was and walked the short distance to the viewing screen where we were able to get good views of the Pectoral Sandpiper and other waders. The other waders included a single Avocet, a Little Ringed Plover, fourteen Curlew Sandpipers, three Dunlin, twenty-six Ruff, thirteen Black-tailed Godwits and three Greenshanks.

Juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper

Juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper and Ruff

Juvenile Curlew Sandpipers

What a good job the other birder appeared when he did as we wouldn’t have been too pleased if we had found the bird was still there later.

We still had time to go to Frampton and walked to the 360° hide and then drove to the sea wall for the least ten minutes. As always there was a good selection of waders from the 360° hide with most being Black-tailed Godwits, with well 1000 present. However patience produced a two Avocets’ a Little Ringed Plover, a Ringed Plover, four juvenile Little Stints, six Dunlin, twenty-four Ruff, ten Snipe, an adult winter and juvenile Spotted Redshank and a Greenshank. We also had a single Green Sandpiper close to the sea wall and at least one Marsh Harrier. Amongst the more common wildfowl we did locate ten Pintail but finally we had to make our way home.