A day in Leicestershire & Rutland & Lincolnshire - June 28, 2016

I called at Eyebrook Reservoir first this morning seeing the Little Owl as I approached the reservoir.  A brief stop at the bridge resulted in just hearing a singing Blackcap and other than Lapwings there were no other waders visible on the small area of mud.  There was a Buzzard feeding on the ground in a field on the Leicestershire side and two Red Kites were observed over Stoke Dry Wood.  I counted sixteen Common Terns around the reservoir and there was a Sedge Warbler seen in display flight close to the water.

As the water levels are so high at Rutland Water I decided that I would have a change today and go a little further afield to Frampton Marsh in Lincolnshire.  As I left the reservoir I had another Red Kite over the barns in Stoke Dry but had seen little else by the time I reached Frampton village.

As I approached the reserve another car had stopped in front and I assumed they were birders looking for Turtle Dove.  As I got closer they drove off and as I followed I saw nothing with a quick glance but as I moved a little further I thought I saw a dove and therefore reversed back.  Initially I couldn’t see anything until a bird moved and on looking through the bins I was able to confirm that it was a Turtle Dove and I was off to a good start.

The other birders were in the car park when I arrived but hadn’t seen the Turtle Dove but were hoping to catch up with one later.  After getting the gear out I set off to Reedbed Hide hoping that a Curlew Sandpiper present over the last few days would still be present.  As I walked down the path alongside the first lagoon I could see a group of waders roosting alongside one of the islands.  There were plenty of Knot and Bar-tailed Godwits and so I scoped them hoping to find the sandpiper.  However as the Knot were tightly packed it wasn’t easy trying to find a single winter Curlew Sandpiper.  I did find eight Dunlin but after about twenty minutes gave up and continued onto Reedbed Hide seeing three Sedge Warblers before I reached the hide.

From the hide it was possible to get a different view of the roosting birds but again the tightly packed Knot were causing some frustration.  The Dunlin did eventually start feeding but most of the Knot were either roosting or preening making it still difficult to know whether the Curlew Sandpiper was still here or not.  There were plenty of Avocets on the lagoon and a single male summer Ruff was observed feeding alongside a couple of Redshanks.  A first-summer Little Gull then dropped in and not long afterwards twelve Redshanks arrived but after preening flew off.  With still no sign of the Curlew Sandpiper I decided to go towards the reservoir to view the wet meadow area and comeback later for another view of the Knot later.

As I walked back along the path one of the Sedge Warbler was singing from a bush and I managed to get a few shots off before continuing.

Sedge Warbler

As I walked back along the path one of the Sedge Warbler was singing from a bush and I managed to get a few shots off before continuing.

I stopped and viewed the roosting Knot from the path before continuing on to the footpath leading to the reservoir.  As I approached the path to the reservoir three juvenile Reed Warblers flew over the road and landed briefly in the roadside vegetation before continuing further.  On reaching the bench overlooking the wet meadow I sat down and set the scope up to view the area.  There were a couple of adult Avocets and three immature birds and I eventually found a Greenshank but there was no sign of yesterdays Wood Sandpiper.  A Green Sandpiper then flew in and dropped down briefly before flying again and disappearing and the Greenshank was disturbed by some cows and came a lot closer.  Six Curlew then flew over and after making a few more scans I was collapsing the tripod when four more Greenshanks arrived.  I checked to see that the original Greenshank was still present and found it roosting in some shallow water confirming that there were now five present.

I made my way back and went again to check the flock of Knot, which were now packed less densely but there was still no sign of the Curlew Sandpiper.

As it was now lunchtime I went back to the car and drove to the old car park near the sea wall and after a bite to eat went onto the sea wall to view the reserve.  I found eleven more Dunlin but other than a couple of Wigeon, a few Little Egrets and more Avocets and Redshanks there was little else on the land side.  The salt marsh was also quiet although I did see a male Marsh Harrier as it quartered the marsh some distance away.

I returned to the main car park and went to the 360 Hide hoping to find a Mediterranean Gull.  As I passed the area where the Knot were gathered there were clearly more godwits and there were now seventy Icelandic summer plumaged Black-tailed Godwits amongst the Knot and Bar-tailed Godwits.  There were plenty of Black-headed Gulls from the hide and I also found two Shoveler and five more Dunlin.  I moved many position to view the area to the south where there were more gulls, where I found two adult Mediterranean Gulls.

Adult Mediterranean Gulls

Another check from the Reedbed Hide for the Curlew Sandpiper still produced the sandpiper and as the weather was beginning to take a turn for the worse I called a dat and set off home.  As I moved back west I went through some fairly heavy rain but did see a Red Kite just after passing through Tallington.

An early morning in Wigston Magna, Leicestershire - June 28, 2016

I put the trap out last night and trapped and identified fifty-nine moths of thirty-two species six of which were new for the year.

The following were recorded: Diamond-back Moth [1]; Timothy Tortrix [1]; Light Brown Apple Moth [1]; Lozotaeniodes formosana [1]; Pseudargrotoza conwagana [1]; Marbled Orchard Tortrix [1]; Celypha striana [2]; Celypha lacunana [1]; Bee Moth [1]; Phycita roborella [1]; Euzophera pinguis [1]; Anania coronate [1]; Small Magpie [3]; Eudonia mercurella [1]; Chrysoteuchia culmella [8]; Crambus pascuella [1]; Elephant Hawkmoth [1]; Riband Wave [1]; Barred Yellow [1]; Foxglove Pug [1]; Mottled Pug [1]; Swallow-tailed Moth [1]; Willow Beauty [4]; Buff Ermine [2]; Common Footman [2]; Silver Y [1]; The Uncertain [4]; Rustic-shoulder Knot [1]; Heart and Dart [7]; Turnip Moth [2]; The Flame [2] and Large Yellow Underwing [2].

Anania coronate

Barred Yellow

A day in Leicestershire & Rutland - June 25, 2016

Roger and I were out today and initially paid a brief visit to Newton Harcourt.  We were hoping to see Spotted Flycatcher and went into the church yard, which is where I had seen two on Tuesday.  We spent some time in the church yard having nice views of a Goldcrest but there was no sign of the Spotted Flycatchers and so we walked down the lane.  We heard a Coal Tit and a Blackcap but saw little else but as I got back to the church there was a Spotted Flycatcher perched on a bare branch but it flew before Roger had seen it.  We went back into the church yard but again couldn’t find any and so returned to the road.  As we were walking back to the car I heard one calling but we still couldn’t find it, when it suddenly flew from the tress on the other side of the road and landed on the corner of church roof briefly.  We were quite close and had nice but brief views before it returned to the trees and disappeared again.

We had talked about trying to see the Flying Scotsman as it was passing through Rutland today and decided to head to the Harringworth Viaduct, which we considered would be a good place to see it.  When we arrived I was surprised to see how many people had the same idea and that a field had been opened as a car park, which was actually free.  The car park was on the east side of the viaduct and so we walked back down the road and into another field to view the west side as the train would almost certainly be running on the western track.  Whilst we were waiting we saw a Red Kite, a Buzzard, a Grey Heron and several Swallows and I the noticed that there were even more people viewing from a hillside nearer to Seaton.  A small group were seen being raised on a platform, which reached the same height of the top of the viaduct providing a very different view.  I then saw the top of the train just before it appeared and then watched as it came across the bridge and disappeared to the north.  It was a magnificent sight and took me back to my boyhood when I was an avid train spotter in the fifty’s and sixty’s when the majority of trains were steam.

The crowds towards Seaton

The Flying Scotsman coming over the viaduct

The Flying Scotsman on the viaduct

The Flying Scotsman on the viaduct

The Flying Scotsman on the viaduct

The Flying Scotsman on the viaduct

We were expecting it would take some time to get away but it was actually only took about five minutes to get out of the car park and we were soon on our way to Eyebrook Reservoir.

On reaching Eyebrook Reservoir we parked overlooking the inlet to view the now exposed mud.  We found Mike had been there a while and had seen a Little Ringed Plover and two Common Sandpipers but he hadn’t found a reported Green Sandpiper.  We soon found the Little Ringed Plover and two Common Sandpipers but there was still no sign of the Green Sandpiper.  As I scanned the Leicestershire side I found two Red Kites and a Buzzard before we headed off to Rutland Water.

We checked the old oak as we were departing and found the Little Owl sitting at the edge of the nest hole and we had a Buzzard as we climbed the hill towards Uppingham.

We went straight to the Egleton car park and after a bite to eat checked the feeding station before heading off to Snipe Hide on the Wet Meadow.  The feeders had been freshly stocked but there weren’t too many birds in attendance although a juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker paid a visit and I picked up a Chiffchaff feeding in the bushes.

When we reached Snipe Hide we found an Avocet, a Green Sandpiper and a Redshank quite quickly and eventually found the second adult Avocet and also two more Green Sandpipers.  Surprisingly the five young Shelduck that had been present on the flash recently were nowhere to be seen and neither were the adults but I could see two adults with eleven young on Lagoon One.  It took quite some time before we actually managed to see any Avocet young and then only two.  A second adult Redshank appeared and shortly afterwards we saw two young and presumably these were the brood Erik and I had seen on Tuesday, when there were three.

A visit to the 360 Hide on Lagoon Five produced four Oystercatchers and a couple of Little Grebes and we also saw a Hobby flying over carrying food, which headed off to the north.  On leaving the hide two more Oystercatchers flew over but we saw very little else before we reached Sandpiper Hide on Lagoon Four.

On Lagoon four we found a single Shelduck, ten Little Egrets, four Oystercatchers, two Little Ringed Plovers, a Ringed Plover, a Curlew, a Yellow-legged Gull and a few Common Terns.

We moved onto Shoveler Hide on Lagoon Three where we found a rather nice male Wigeon that appeared to still be in virtually full summer plumage and clearly different to the bird we had seen yesterday on Lagoon One.  A single drake Pochard was still present and we had several sightings of Reed Warblers in the reeds to the right of the hide.

A visit to the centre produced a Buzzard on Brown’s Island and a distant Red Kite over Hambleton but there was nothing else of note and we called it a day.

We called at Newton Harcourt again on the way home as David had seen and heard a Lesser Whitethroat but there was no sign when we arrived and presumably a heavy shower had induced the bird to sing and move around or perhaps it had dropped in with the rain and moved on.

An afternoon in Leicestershire & Rutland - June 24, 2016

David, Roger and I went to Eyebrook Reservoir this afternoon but saw very little on route with the best being a Kestrel at David’s.

When we arrived at Eyebrook Reservoir we had a brief chat with Phil at the bridge and then moved round to view the inlet and the small area of mud, which was starting to produce results.  There was a Little Ringed Plover, Ringed Plover, five Black-tailed Godwits, a Common Sandpiper and a Green Sandpiper, which had all arrived since Tuesday.  As we were scanning the area Tim called to say that the two Little Terns seen at Rutland Water this morning were still present and could be seen from Sandpiper Hide on Lagoon Four.

As this would be a patch tick we set off and after parking in the Egleton car park headed off to the hide.  We saw three Chimney Sweeper moths in the meadows, a Black-tailed Skimmer on the path and a Hairy Dragonfly over the big meadow before reaching the hide and there was an Oystercatcher on the path towards Lagoon Three as we came through the gate.

The two Little Terns were both resting on the spit off island ten but after a short time they flew off and began feeding along the western edge of the lagoon for quite a while before returning to the spit.  There were six Oystercatchers, a Little Ringed Plover and two Ringed Plovers on the lagoon and also three Little Egrets and an adult Yellow-legged Gull.  Common Terns are clearly nesting on the lagoon but to get a precise count was difficult as some birds are clearly hidden but twelve at least were observed.

Two Red Kites and a Buzzard were observed over Burley Wood, a second Buzzard was over the woodland near the reedbed on Lagoon Three and a Hobby was observed feeding high over the North Arm.

A visit to Shoveler Hide on Lagoon Three wasn’t very productive with the water level being so high but we did see a Little Grebe.

We returned to the Bird Watching Centre and found pairs of Shelducks escorting broods of eleven and three and there was also a fifth adult.  David found a single Wigeon in eclipse plumage amongst the more numerous Gadwall and Mallard.  A Buzzard was observed over Brown’s Island and there another distant bird over Hambleton.  Scanning towards the south arm we found three Ospreys, one heading west along the arm and the other two may well have been one of the Manton Bay breeding birds and an intruder.  With little else of interest we called it a day and headed off home, seeing a Buzzard along the A47 near Allexton.

An early morning in Wigston Magna, Leicestershire - June 24, 2016

I collected and identified sixty-nine moths covering thirty-six species, which included four new for the year.

The following were recorded: Diamond-back Moth [1]; Timothy Tortrix [1]; Light Brown Apple Moth [6]; Agapeta hamana [1]; Marbled Orchard Tortrix [1]; Celypha striana [1]; Phycitodes binaevella [1]; Small Magpie [2]; Udea olivalis [1]; Eudonia mercurella [1]; Chrysoteuchia culmella [2]; Crambus pascuella [4]; Agriphila straminella [1]; Riband Wave [1]; Silver-ground Carpet [1]; Common Marbled Carpet [1]; Green Pug [2]; Lime-speck Pug [1]; Mottled Pug [1]; Willow Beauty [1]; The Snout [1]; Buff Ermine [6]; The Spectacle [1]; Silver Y [3]; Dagger species [1]; Brown Rustic [1]; Rustics-shoulder Knot [1]; Dark Arches [2]; Marbled Minor species [2]; Middle-barred Minor [2]; Bright-line Brown-eye [2]; Heart and Dart [12]; The Flame [1]; Flame Shoulder [1]; Large Yellow Underwing [1] and Setaceous Hebrew Character [1].

An early morning in Wigston Magna, Leicestershire - June 23, 2016

The trap was out again last night and there were 108 moths covering fifty-one species with one new, Small Fan-foot, and another fifteen new for the year.

The following were recorded: Bird-cherry Ermine [1]; Diamond-back Moth [2]; Argyresthia goedartella [1]; Brown House-moth [1]; Timothy Tortrix [1]; Light Brown Apple Moth [8]; Pseudargrotoza conwagana [3]; Aethes smeathmanniana [1]; Eucosma cana [1]; Codling Moth [1]; Bee Moth [2]; Small Magpie [4]; Udea olivalis [1]; Garden Pebble [1]; Scoparia pyralella [1]; Eudonia mercurella [1]; Chrysoteuchia culmella [1]; Crambus pascuella [1]; Crambus perlella [1]; Agriphila straminella [3]; Brown China-mark [1]; Elephant Hawkmoth [1]; Small Dusty Wave [2]; Riband Wave [1]; Common Marbled Carpet [1]; Green Pug [1]; Foxglove Pug [1]; Lime-speck Pug [1]; Common Pug [1]; Mottled Pug [1]; Scorched Wing [1]; Brimstone Moth [5]; Peppered Moth [1]; Willow Beauty [1]; Clouded Silver [1]; Straw Dot [3]; Buff Ermine [5]; Small Fan-foot [1]; Silver Y [1]; Marbled Beauty [1]; Uncertain [1]; Brown Rustic [1]; Large Nutmeg [1]; Rustic Shoulder Knot [5]; Dark Arches [1]; Marbled Minor species [1]; Middle-barred Minor [2]; Bright-line Brown-eye [2]; Heart and Dart [20]; The Flame [1] and Setaceous Hebrew Character [1].

Brown China Mark

Peppered Moth

Small Fan-foot

An early morning in Wigston Magna, Leicestershire - June 22, 2016

There were 101 moths covering forty-two species in the trap last night with ten new for the year.

The following were recorded: Argyresthia goedartella [2]; White-shouldered House-moth [1]; Brown House-moth [1]; Timothy Tortrix [2]; Clepsis consimilana [1]; Light Brown Apple Moth [8]; Pseudargrotoza conwagana [1]; Marbled Orchard Tortrix [3]; Celypha lacunana [4]; Notocelia cynosbatella [1]; Bee Moth [2]; Small Magpie [2]; Scoparia pyralella [1]; Chrysoteuchia culmella [8]; Crambus pascuella [2]; Eyed Hawkmoth [1]; Riband Wave [3]; Silver-ground Carpet [3]; Common Marbled Carpet [3]; Green Pug [1]; Mottled Pug [1]; Scorched Wing [1]; Brimstone Moth [3]; Willow Beauty [1]; Clouded Silver [2]; Coxcomb Prominent [1]; Buff Ermine [1]; White Ermine [1]; Common Footman [1]; The Fan-foot [1]; The Spectacle [1]; Silver Y [1]; Marbled Beauty [1]; Middle-barred Minor [2]; Nutmeg [1]; Bright-line Brown-eye [3]; Hear and Dart [16]; Turnip Moth [1]; The Flame [2]; Ingrailed Clay [1]; Large Yellow Underwing [1]; Setaceous Hebrew Character [1] and Green Silver-lines.

Clepsis consimilana

Green Pug

Coxcomb Prominent

Turnip Moth

Ingrailed Clay

Nutmeg

Marbled Beauty

Middle-barred Minor

The Fan-foot

A day in Leicestershire & Rutland - June 21, 2016

After finishing identifying and recording the moths and some breakfast I set off heading for Eyebrook Reservoir but I called at David’s first with the Broad-barred White as he hadn’t seen one.  I then decided that I would check around the church to see if I could find any Spotted Flycatchers.  After parking near the church I walked down the lane towards the stream as the wood has been good for Spotted Flycatcher in the past.  As I progressed down the lane I heard a Coal Tit and a Blackcap but there was no sign of any flycatchers but as I approached the stream I heard a Kingfisher call.  I looked both up and down the stream from the bridge but there was no sign and began thinking perhaps it wasn’t a Kingfisher, when it called again and this time I saw it fly upstream and land briefly on a post along the stream before flying further and disappearing.  As I turned to walk back up the road a second bird called and also flew up stream and presumably they were a pair.  As I moved back up the road I had nice views of a female Blackcap and a Nuthatch was heard calling on several occasions.

I still hadn’t heard or seen any signs of a Spotted Flycatcher but decided to go into the church yard.  Iit all seemed very quiet but as I turned to leave two Spotted Flycatchers flew over me and landed on the roof of the church.  One of the birds soon disappeared but the second remained and wondered if they had a nest nearby and so as not to cause any further disturbance I left then in peace.

I had seen a Buzzard as I entered Newton Harcourt but saw nothing else of note between there and Eyebrook Reservoir and as there was no sign of the Little Owl along the approach road I continued around to the bridge where I saw a male Blackcap and heard a Garden Warbler.

I had noticed that there was a flow of water into the reservoir from the bridge but assumed that it was due to the recent rain fall but when I stopped to view the inlet I was surprised to see that there was some mud developing and clearly water was being drawn off.  The water had been kept high recently as a health and safety precautions but hopefully now the water will continue to drop to expose more mud that might result in a good autumn passage of waders.  There were a few Lapwings on the mud but other than a Little Egret nearby there was little else.  A Sedge Warbler was still singing and showing occasionally out towards the stream and there were two Red Kites on the Rutland side with a third over in Leicestershire along with four Buzzards.  As I headed off to Rutland Water I saw a Whitethroat briefly but saw very little else.

Red Kite

I made my way across country towards the Lyndon Reserve at Rutland Water seeing another Red Kite just as I was coming out of Stoke Dry but had a significant diversion to reach the reserve as the usual road was closed.  Other than a Kestrel as I approached the road down to the reserve I saw nothing else of note.

Once in the centre I spent some time observing the feeders where there were at least five Tree Sparrows.  I then walked down to Teal Hide where I could see both Ospreys in Manton Bay and also fifteen Common Terns of which there were three more in South Arm Three.  Other than a couple of Oystercatcher roosting at the base of Lax Hill there was little else, although I did have two distant Raven over Burley Wood before I headed for the Egleton car park seeing a Red Kite and a Buzzard close to Manton Bridge.

I had arrange to meet Erik at lunchtime but nipped into the centre to view Lagoon One first.  There was a female Tufted Duck escorting four small young just in front of the centre and the pair of Shelduck on the lagoon still had three young but with the water level so high there wasn’t a great deal else.

Erik arrived just after I had finished my lunch and after spending a few minutes sorting out some moths with him we set off for Snipe Hide on the Wet Meadow.  When we arrived there were five unescorted Shelduck young on the water and we found a Green Sandpiper and a Redshank at the far side of the flash.  Both adult Avocets were present and their behaviour suggested that there was still young and we did eventually see all three but they can be quite elusive despite them being almost able to fly.  We spent quite some time in the hide and were rewarded with finding a Redshank with three young, although I only saw two of them and a female Shoveler with three fairly well grown young as well as a Mallard with nine almost fully grown young.

We eventually called it a day and headed off back towards the centre and then onto Lagoon Four.  We met Steve and Terry coming in the opposite direction who had seen very little with just four Ringed Plovers on Lagoon Four.  As they had been in Sandpiper Hide Erik and I decided we could to Plover Hide, which was more productive as we found three Little Ringed Plovers and two Ringed Plovers on the island just in front of the hide.  There were four more distant Ringed Plovers and I found a Curlew on island one.  There was an adult Yellow-legged Gull and three Lesser Black-backed Gull amongst the more numerous Great Black-backed Gulls on the exposed rocks and a pair of Common Tern were clearly nesting on island three.  We had a brief view of a Hobby as it passed over the lagoon and headed off towards Lagoon Two.

Common Tern

Common Tern

Common Tern

Common Tern

A quick visit to Bittern Hide produced nothing of note and so we continued on to Shoveler Hide on Lagoon Three but the high water level is clearly impacting on birds and there was very little close to the hide and there were just a few Common Terns feeding over the water.  A couple of Pochards were the best of the wildfowl and a Reed Warbler performed nicely close to the hide and we had another view of a Hobby.

A Short-eared Owl had been seen last Saturday and several times since, in fact Erik has seen it on a number of occasions from Church Road behind Lagoon Four and Lloyd had seen early this morning and I was planning on staying a little later in the hope of seeing it.  Steve had also seen a Goldeneye in the fishponds this morning and so I went to the North Arm to look for it and check where Erik had been seeing the owl.  Despite scanning both the North Arm and fishponds I couldn’t locate the Goldeneye and saw little else and so returned to the Egleton car park.

I had decided that I would have a look at Lagoon One from Mallard Hide as the Short-eared Owl was on there yesterday and then go back along Church Road later if I hadn’t been successful there.  As I walked across the car park I met Steve again and we spent quite some time talking about his recent birding trip, which was apparently a disaster as anything that could go wrong had and he hadn’t seen any of the birds he hoped for.

It was now a cracking evening and after reaching Mallard Hide I settled down scanning the lagoon.  I hadn’t been in there too long when I picked up the Short-eared Owl that was flying just to the right of Harrier Hide.  However it just hopped over the edge towards Tern Hide on Lagoon Six and despite a forty-five minute wait it didn’t reappear and I called it a day and headed off home.

An early morning in Wigston Magna, Leicestershire - June 21, 2016

The trap was out again last night and there were seventy-four moths trapped and identified covering thirty species and just six were new for the year.

The following were recorded: Timothy Tortrix [1]; Light Brown Apple Moth [6]; Pseudargrotoza conwagana [1]; Marbled Orchard Tortrix [3]; Chrysoteuchia culmella [3]; Silver-ground Carpet [1]; Freyer’s Pug [2]; Common Pug [2]; Mottled Pug [1]; Scorched Wing [1]; Brimstone Moth [2]; Willow Beauty [4]; Clouded Silver [2]; Straw Dot [3]; Buff Ermine [2]; White Ermine [1]; Beautiful Hook-tip [1]; Silver Y [2]; Rustic Shoulder Knot [1]; Dark Arches [1]; Marbled Minor species [5]; Bright-line Brown-eye [5]; Broad-barred White [1]; Shoulder-striped Wainscot [1]; Heart and Dart [19]; Shuttle-shaped Dart [1]; Small Square-spot [1]; Large Yellow Underwing [1]; Setaceous Hebrew Character [1] and Green Silver-lines [1].

Pseudargrotoza conwagana

Freyer's Pug

Common Pug

Scorched Wing

Clouded Silver

White Ermine

Buff Ermine

Broad Barred White

Green Silver-lines

Beautiful Hook-tip

Straw Dot

Marbled Minor species

An early morning in Wigston Magna, Leicestershire - June 19, 2016

I put the trap out last night and was up quite early to collects any moths outside of the trap before emptying the trap.  I trapped and identified eight-one moths covering thirty-four species, sixteen of which were new for the year.

The following were recorded: Case-bearing Clothes Moth [1]; Diamond-back Moth  [4]; Brown House-moth [1]; Argyresthia goedartella [2]; Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix [1]; Timothy Tortrix [1]; Light Brown Apple Moth [11]; Celypha lacunana [1]; Epinotia bilunana [1]; Scoparia pyralella [1]; Chrysoteuchia culmella [2]; Agriphila straminella [2]; Garden Carpet [1]; Silver-ground Carpet [2]; Common Carpet [1]; Green Pug 1[]; Foxglove Pug [1]; Mottled Pug [2]; Scorched Wing [1]; Brimstone Moth [3]; Willow Beauty [4]; Clouded Silver [1]; Iron Prominent [1]; Snout [1]; Spectacle [1]; Silver Y [1]; Rustic Shoulder-knot [1]; Dark Arches [1]; Marbled Minor species [1]; Bright-line Brown-eye [5]; Shoulder-striped Wainscot [2]; Heart and Dart [20]; Small Square-spot [1] and Large Yellow Underwing [1].

Argyresthia goedartella

Epinotia bilunana

Epinotia bilunana

Scoparia pyralella

Silver-ground Carpet

Foxglove Pug

Small Square Spot

Shoulder-striped Wainscot

The Snout

A day in Leicestershire & Rutland - June 18, 2016

I made a later start than usual having been out all day yesterday and headed off for Eyebrook Reservoir around about eight o-clock.

I had a Red Kite over Slawston and a Green Woodpecker flew off the road just after passing through Blaston.

I approached Eyebrook Reservoir at the northern end seeing a Red Kite as I turned onto the road leading to the reservoir.  I stopped at the bridge over the inlet but other than a single Chiffchaff I saw nothing else.  I moved along the Rutland bank to view the inlet where I found a Little Egret and there were at least eleven Common Terns feeding over the reservoir as were 50+ Swift, 30+ House Martin and two Swallows.  I stayed scanning the reservoir and Leicestershire fields but all managed to see was a single Buzzard briefly and when I final decided to leave I was feeling quite cold.

After parking in the Egleton car park I made my way to the centre to view Lagoon One but it was pretty quiet with a pair of Shelduck escorting three young, two Oystercatcher flying over and a single Common Tern over the water being the best.

Juvenile Black-headed Gull

Juvenile Black-headed Gull

Juvenile Black-headed Gull

I went through the woodland heading for Snipe Hide on the Wet Meadow, seeing a Chiffchaff just as I was leaving the wooded area but saw little else.  From the hide there was a pair of Shelduck escorting five young on the near flash and two more flew over.  A Green Sandpiper was feeding at the back of the flash along with a Redshank, which eventually departed being followed by a second.  I eventually saw a young Avocet that was joined by a second and then after some time the third appeared along the opposite shore.

Adult Avocet

Adult Avocet

Adult Avocet

Roger had called to say that he had arrived and was heading towards Snipe Hide and so I waited in the hide for him.  After he had seen the Avocets and the Green Sandpiper we moved on to Tern Hide on Lagoon Six.  There were four young Lapwing just in front of the hide and we could see two more on a more distant island and there was a young Redshank, which was about half-grown, in the company of an adult.  There was a Mallard escorting two young and three Oystercatchers were on the lagoon but we couldn’t find any young.  As we left the hide we could a Whitethroat singing and were able to locate in the group of bushes near the path.

A brief visit to Pintail Hide produced another Lapwing chick with the two we had seen from Tern Hide and another tiny young bird on island one.

From Pintail we moved around to the 360 Hide on Lagoon Five where we found five Little Egrets and three Redshanks but with very little else we went back to the car park for lunch.

After lunch we went to Shoveler Hide on Lagoon Three and weren’t surprised to find the water level very high with no sign of any of the island that had been present recently.  There were a couple of Pochard and plenty of Gadwall and we did eventually see a Teal but the wildfowl were well down on what had been present recently.  A Reed Warbler was observed to the left of the hide and a Hobby flew in front of the hide and then into the Silver Birches just beyond the reedbed.

Avocet on Lagoon Three

Avocet on Lagoon Three

After some debate we decided to go to Plover Hide on Lagoon Four seeing an Osprey over the lagoon as we did so.  There was a Little Ringed Plover on the island in front of the hide, which was joined briefly by a second bird along with a single Ringed Plover.  There were also two adult Oystercatchers escorting three young birds, which were looked like the adults other than having noticeably shorter bills.  A Yellow-legged Gull and a Lesser Black-backed Gull were observed amongst the Great Black-backed Gull that were roosting on the exposed stones and there was also a single Common Gull towards Dunlin Hide, which was the first I had seen in a few weeks.

Little Ringed Plover

A visit to Bittern Hide didn’t produce very much other than a single Reed Warbler and from Sandpiper Hide on Lagoon Four all we added were eleven Common Terns.  We saw a Chiffchaff on the way back to the centre but saw nothing new from there and called it a day.

On the way home I saw a Red Kite and a Buzzard near Uppingham and another Red Kite near Billesdon and Buzzards near Gaulby and Newton Harcourt.