A day in Leicestershire & Rutland and Lincolnshire - July 26, 2016

I had spoken to Steve and Erik last night to see if they were interested in going to Frampton if a Broad-billed Sandpiper was still present tomorrow.  Steve had already thought about it and thought Terry would be happy to go, particularly as I agreed to drive.  I agreed with Erik that we would meet in the Egleton car park at Rutland Water and then go if the bird was there.

I arrived at Rutland Water at around 07:30 and informed Steve that I was on site but that there was no news as yet and agreed we would meet in the car park at 09:00.

I decided to walk down the service road to Sandpiper Hide on Lagoon Four and saw a couple of Chiffchaffs and a Treecreeper before I reached the hide.  There was an Oystercatcher, six Little Ringed Plovers and two Ringed Plovers on the exposed mud in front of the hide and also found a Common Sandpiper, a Green Sandpiper and a Redshank on the lagoon.  There were also twenty-eight Little Egrets and twelve Yellow-legged Gulls on the lagoon but finding nothing else I just had time to visit Lagoon Three before having to head back to the car park.

The female Gadwall was still escorting the six young ducklings and the four juvenile Shelduck were all still present.  There was another Little Egret on the lagoon and a couple Reed Warblers just in front of the hide.  The bright sunlight made it difficult to view most of the lagoon and so I headed back to the car park.

I went along the summer trail where I had a brief view of a male Blackcap but had seen nothing else when I reached the car park.  The Broad-billed Sandpiper and Pectoral Sandpiper had now both been reported and Steve and Terry were already in the car park and keen to go.  However there was no sign of Erik and after a few minutes I gave him a call but didn’t get a response and thought he was probably on his way.  He called a few minutes later and he hadn't even left home but did want to come and so we drove into Oakham and picked him up before we headed off to Frampton.

Other than a Red Kite as we approached Tallington we had seen nothing of note before we reached Frampton Marsh.  We were surprised to find the car park pretty full despite the good birds as it was a week day.

We were soon ready and headed off to the 360 Hide, which is where both birds were being seen.  When we arrived in the hide it was pretty full, particularly down the east side and there was a guy who was partially blocking the door.  I opened the door slowly and then realised it was Gerry, who then told me that the Broad-billed had flown off about thirty minutes ago and hadn’t been seen since.  Two of the regulars at Eyebrook Reservoir were also present and I looked through one of their scopes for a brief view of the Pectoral Sandpiper.

As the hide was so congested I moved to the other side to see if I could see a Curlew Sandpiper and as I was beginning to check out a probable bird Steve announced that the Broad-billed Sandpiper was showing just to the right of where most people were viewing.  I moved and managed to get my tripod and scope in a position where I could see the area and almost immediately found the bird amongst a few Dunlin.  It was just too far away to photograph but was providing excellent views through the scope and I was able to watch it for a while but eventually got frustrated with people bobbing back and forwards blocking my view.  The worst offenders seemed to be the two guys that were sitting and viewing through the window I was trying to look through but they seemed oblivious of people behind them trying to see the bird.

I moved back to the windows on the other side to refocus on finding a Curlew Sandpiper of which I eventually saw three.  The number of Dunlin in the area was incredible and I suspected that there was probably several hundred.  There were also good numbers of Black-tailed Godwits and a few Avocets and several Little Ringed Plovers, Ringed Plovers and Ruff and a single Common Sandpiper.  Erik then found a adult Mediterranean Gull between the hide and the East Hide.

The crowd eventually began to thin and we were able to gain access to the other side of the hide and found a couple more Curlew Sandpipers.  There was also at least 100 Knot on this side and I then realised the number of Dunlin present was almost certainly in excess of 1000.  I re-found the Pectoral Sandpiper close to where I had initially seen it but was now able to get a better view without jostling for position.  I moved slightly and soon relocated the Broad-billed Sandpiper again and this time I was able to watch it without heads moving back and forward across the scope.  As I scanning further a field there were Dunlin everywhere but I couldn’t find the two reported Little Stints, although I did pick up a Greenshank.

Steve had, had brief views of a Barn Owl but it dropped out of sight before any of us got on it and unfortunately didn’t reappear but we did all managed to see a Yellow Wagtail he found.

Avocet

Juvenile Ringed Plover

Juvenile Little Ringed Plover

Juvenile Little Ringed Plover

Dunlin

Dunlin

Dunlin

Dunlin

Dunlin

Dunlin

We eventually returned to the car for lunch and saw several more Yellow Wagtails and a few Tree Sparrows whilst having lunch but unfortunately no Turtle Doves.  Our plan after lunch was to drive to the old car park near the sea wall to hopefully find a Spotted Redshank and then go to the reservoir to look for Turtle Doves.

On reaching the old car park we walked up the bank to reach the top of the sea wall to view the marsh.  There were more Dunlin and a few Snipe feeding just north-west of the wall and then on a slightly bigger area of water we found two Spotted Redshanks along with another Ruff.  There was a single Brent Goose amongst a flock of Canada Geese and then Steve found a Spoonbill, doing what they do best, sleeping but it did eventually begin feeding.  The salt marsh was fairly quiet but we did see three Marsh Harriers and I heard a Whimbrel, which Steve and Erik managed to see before it dropped into a dyke and I then picked up two Greenshanks, which also dropped out of sight.  Dunlin started to leave the reserve and head out into The Wash in quite sizable flocks, with some passing quite close.

Dunlin flying to The Wash to feed

With time pressing we left the sea wall and headed to the reservoir and we were in luck as there was a single Turtle Dove perched in one of the dead trees, which we heard singing on a couple of occasions despite it being some distance away.  Erik then came into his own and managed to locate another four, one of which proved difficult for all of us, especially me, to see.

There were quite a few hirundines flying over, mainly Sand Martins but there were also a few Swallows and I picked up a single House Martin and there were also a few Swifts and a Buzzard.  Three Green Sandpipers flew over which were our nineteenth wader of the day and we had seen then all at Frampton.

Satisfied and delighted with an excellent day’s birding we set off back to Rutland Water but had seen very little by the time we pulled into the car park at Egleton.  Terry left but Erik, Steve and I went to view Lagoon One from the centre.  After about ten minutes there appeared to be very little and I left with the intention of spending some time at Eyebrook Reservoir.

Just as I was entering Uppingham, Steve called to say that Erik had found a Wood Sandpiper on the long island and was checking to see if I was still there.  I wasn’t but as I was only five minutes away I went back and thankfully the adult Wood Sandpiper was still foraging at the edge of the island, although it often disappeared into the vegetation.

I then noticed what I thought would be a Tufted Duck with a brood just off the end of the long island but on getting the scope on it, it was a Little Grebe escorting three tiny young.  Steve then noticed a forth bird quite some distance behind, which appeared slightly smaller than the other three.  The Little Grebe continued to lead the young towards us and the forth bird had clearly made some ground up but when I looked a few minutes later we could see the Little Grebe and three young but there was no sign of the forth bird.

The journey back was worth it for a County year-tick and patch-tick and it being my twentieth wader of the day was a fitting end.  My patch list now stands at 149 with the points total at 182.

I did call very briefly at Eyebrook Reservoir on route home and saw a Common Sandpiper and Green Sandpiper along with three Little Egrets at the inlet and I had a Buzzard on the way home near Stonton Wyville.

An early morning in Wigston magna, Leicestershire - July 25, 2016

It was a little cooler last night, which resulted in a smaller catch with only 174 moths trapped and identified covering forty-eight species of which three were new for the year.

The following were recorded: Ermine species [1]; Bird-cherry Ermine [1]; Diamond-back Moth [12]; Blastobasis adustella [14]; Emmelina monodactyla [1]; Red-barred Tortrix [1]; Light Brown Apple Moth [4]; Celypha striana [1]; Acrobasis advenella [1]; Euzophera pinguis [1]; Endorticha flammealis [1]; Anania coronate [7]; Mother of Pearl [1]; Eudonia mercurella [1]; Chrysoteuchia culmella [26]; Crambus pascuella [3]; Crambus perlella [2]; Chinese Character [1]; Poplar Hawk-moth [2]; Small Fan-footed Wave [1]; Riband Wave [9]; Double-striped Pug [1]; Clouded Border [1]; Canary-shouldered Thorn [1]; Willow Beauty [4]; Ruby Tiger [1]; Buff Footman [1]; Dingy Footman [1]; Common Footman [18]; The Spectacle [1]; Burnished Bras [1]; Silver Y [1]; Dagger species [4]; The Shark [1]; Marble Beauty [4]; Mottled Rustic [3]; The Uncertain [5]; The Rustic [2]; Dark Arches [6]; Common Rustic species [9]; Marbled Minor species [2]; Bright-line Brown-eye [9]; Common Wainscot [1]; Smoky Wainscot [1]; The Clay [1]; Heart and Dart [1]; Shuttle-shaped Dart [1] and Large Yellow Underwing [2].

Double-striped Pug

Yellow-shouldered Thorn

Buff Footman

An early morning in Wigston magna, Leicestershire - July 24, 2016

I trapped and identified 244 moths last night that covered sixty-two species, six of which were new for the year.

The following were recorded: Ermine species [5]; Bird-cherry Ermine [2]; Diamond-back Moth [2]; Argyresthia bonnetella [1]; Hofmannophila pseudospretella [1]; Crassa unitella [1]; Blastobasis adustella [21]; Amblyptilia acanthadactyla [1]; Red-barred Tortrix [2]; Dark Fruit-tree Tortrix [2]; Light Brwon Apple Moth [7]; Acleris forsskaleana [2]; Agapeta hamana [1]; Celypha striana [3]; Acrobasis advenella [2]; Euzophera pinguis [3]; Hypsopygia glaucinalis [1]; Endorticha flammealis [1]; Pyrausta aurata [1]; Anania coronate [1]; Small Magpie [3]; Mother of Pearl [4]; Eudonia mercurella [2]; Chrysoteuchia culmella [55]; Crambus pascuella [6]; Crambus perlella [3]; Agriphila tristella [2];  Donacaula forficella [1]; Elephant Hawk-moth [1]; Small Fan-footed Wave [1]; Riband Wave [22]; Wormwood Pug [1]; Yellow-barred Brindle [1]; Brimstone Moth [1]; Swallow-tailed Moth [2]; Willow Beauty [6]; Clouded Silver [3]; Buff-tip [1]; White Satin Moth [1]; Yellow-tail [1]; Ruby Tiger [2]; Dingy Footman [1]; Common Footman [17]; The Fan-foot [1]; Burnished Brass [2]; Silver Y [1]; Coronet [1]; Marbled Beauty [5]; Mottled Rustic [2]; The Uncertain [3]; The Rustic [1]; Dark Arches [5]; Common Rustic species [5]; Cloaked Minor [2]; Bright-line Brown-eye [7]; Dot Moth [2]; Smoky Wainscot [3]; The Clay [2]; Shuttle-shaped Dart [1]; The Flame [1]; Lesser Yellow Underwing [1] and Short-cloaked Moth [2].

Donacaula forficella

Pyrausta aurata

Womwood Pug

Yellow-barred Brindle

Yellow-tail

A day in Leicestershire & Rutland - July 23, 2016

After Roger and I had examined some of last night’s moth catch we set off for Eyebrook Reservoir hoping that a Little Stint present yesterday would still be there.

When we arrived at the reservoir Mike was on the bridge and so we stopped and had a word.  He wasn’t aware of the stint and after a few minutes, just seeing a Chiffchaff, we all moved further round to few the small area of exposed mud.  There were several birders viewing the area on arrival and they informed us that the Little Stint was still present.  It didn’t take too long to locate the bird and we were then able to watch it as it fed along the shoreline.  It could have been quite easy to overlook as it blended in quite well on the mud and also went into the vegetation on several occasions.  There were also three Little Egrets, two Snipe and a Green Sandpiper in the same area and an Osprey was observed towards the dam.  I noticed a small skipper resting on some fairly close vegetation and was able to get the scope on it and identify it as an Essex Skipper.  However other than eighteen Common Terns, which included several juveniles, there was little else and we moved onto the North Arm at Rutland Water.

We drove to the end of the unnamed road and initially viewed the fishpond area where we found a couple of Common Sandpipers.  We then walked towards the spit and viewed the area finding a pair of Egyptian Geese escorting five small young, four juvenile Shelducks, two Little Egrets and four Common Terns and we also saw a Painted Lady.

Feeling we had seen what was to be seen in the North Arm we drove to the Egleton car park and then decided to go to Snipe Hide on the Wet Meadow.  As we started off a Great Spotted Woodpecker flew over and we then saw it or another at the feeding station near the centre.  When we got into the hide I started to scan for Garganey that had been present and found it feeding on the flash.  It was a rather pale bird with strong facial markings, which made it difficult to overlook.  Later it had retreated to the bank and showed a creamy-white belly indicating it was an adult and presumably a male but the wing wasn’t observed.  Two Green Sandpipers were also on the flash but other than a few Teal and Moorhen there was little else.

The Great White Egret continues to be reported in Heron Bay and so we decided to continue on to Heron Hide hoping it would be there.  As we walked alongside Lagoon Eight there was a female Tufted Duck escorting a brood of eight but there was very little else.  On reaching Heron Hide there were a couple of Little Egrets in Heron Bay but there was no sign of the Great White Egret but we could see three of the Ospreys in Manton Bay.

Male Black-tailed Skimmer

We called at the 360 Hide on the way back to the car park but all we saw was a single Little Grebe.

After lunch we headed for the northern lagoons and went to Shoveler Hide first finding an adult Shelduck with the four juveniles and the female Gadwall was still escorting six young and we also found a second brood of five Gadwall, which were clearly much older and close to being three-quarters grown.  We then picked up a female Pochard escorting a single half-grown young, which was presumably the only survivor of the brood of four that I had seen from Bittern Hide on the 7^th.  There was also a female Tufted Duck escorting a brood of five and four Oystercatchers flew over.

We moved to Sandpiper Hide on Lagoon Four and found twelve Little Ringed Plovers on the first spit in front of the hide along with two Ringed Plovers of which there were two more near island six.  There was a Common Sandpiper to the right, a Green Sandpiper on island four and two Redshanks on the spit in front of the hide.  Further back on the lagoon there were twenty-four Yellow-legged Gulls amongst the rocks at the back.  Six Curlews had also been mentioned as being on the lagoon and when I mentioned these another birder said there were two to the right of the gulls.  I soon found the two birds and eventually we had all six but they weren’t easy to see as some were sitting down amongst the rocks and on the far side.  At one point I thought one of them looked rather small but then I couldn’t pick it out again.  A single bird then made its way towards the near shore, which I thought looked smaller and wondered if it could be a Whimbrel or perhaps it was just a juvenile Curlew.  However as it reached the shore it turned its head to face us and dipped to feed and there was a clear central crown-stripe.  I made Roger and Mike aware that I thought one of the six was actually a Whimbrel. We then all watched the bird as it gradually made its way back to the far side of the spit and all saw the central crown stripe, a conspicuous supercilium and structurally it was smaller headed and the bill much shorter with more of a kink rather than a gradual curve.  I informed Roger Brett of our findings and he, Brian and Rosie joined shortly afterwards.

When all the birds were on the far side of the spit it wasn’t easy finding it again and whilst some were clearly Curlews none were obviously a Whimbrel.  However we eventually agreed that it must be the individual that was partially hidden by a gull and with some patience we were able to confirm its identity the Whimbrel.

We returned to the centre but with little on Lagoon One and we called it a day.

An early morning in Wigston magna, Leicestershire - July 23, 2016

I trapped and identified 197 moths covering fifty-seven species last night, with eight of them being new for the year.

The following were recorded: Ermine species [5]; Bird Cherry Ermine [1]; Diamond-back Moth [5]; Brown House Moth [1]; Blastobasis adustella [10]; Emmelina monodactyla [1]; Red-barred Tortrix [3]; Timothy Tortrix [1]; Light Brown Apple Moth [3]; Acleris forsskaleana [1]; Agapeta hamana [1]; Celypha striana [4]; Acrobasis advenella [4]; Endorticha flammealis [1]; Anania coronate [2]; Mother of Pearl [5]; Eudonia mercurella [4]; Chrysoteuchia culmella [28]; Crambus pascuella [13]; Chinese Character [3]; Elephant Hawk-moth [1]; Small Fan-footed Wave [1]; Riband Wave [21]; Red Twin-spot Carpet [1]; The Phoenix [1]; Barred Straw [1]; V-Pug [1]; Foxglove Pug [2]; Brimstone Moth [3]; Scalloped Oak [1]; Swallow-tailed Moth [1]; Willow Beauty [1]; Common Emerald [1]; The Snout [1]; White Satin Moth [1]; Ruby Tiger [1]; The Cinnabar [1]; Dingy Footman [1]; Common Footman [6]; Silver Y [1]; Dagger species [3]; The Coronet [2]; Marbled Beauty [13]; The Uncertain [6]; The Rustic [3]; Dark Arches [2]; Light Arches [1]; Common Rustic species [6]; Marbled Minor species [2]; Bright-line Brown-eye [4]; Dot Moth [2]; Smoky Wainscot [2]; The Caly [1]; Heart and Dart [1]; The Flame [1]; Large Yellow Underwing [2] and Short-cloaked Moth [3].

Endotricha flammealis

Chinese Character

Red Twin-spot Carpet

Barred Straw

V Pug

Dingy Footman

Ruby Tiger

A day in Leicestershire & Rutland - July 21, 2016

David and I were out locally today and initially headed for Eyebrook Reservoir but saw very little on route.  There was no sign of the Little Owl as we approached the reservoir and a brief stop at the bridge produced very little but we did hear Chiffchaff, Blackcap and Garden Warbler.  We moved around to few the inlet where there were three Little Egrets and an adult Yellow-legged Gull amongst the more numerous Black-headed Gulls.  As we scanned the small area of mud we found a couple of Snipe and shortly afterwards we had three in flight.  I saw a Green Sandpiper fly in and we then found a second close to where the original bird had landed.  There were sixteen Common Terns including at least one juvenile and we had distant views of an Osprey that was fishing closer to the dam.  A female Tufted Duck with three young was also observed.

We eventually made our way to the Lyndon Reserve at Rutland Water hoping we might find a Great White Egret that has been here recently.  When we arrived the centre was still closed and so we went to Teal Hide to view the south arm.  We could see two Ospreys in Manton Bay and there were several Little Egrets scattered around the arm and also a single Common Sandpiper on the shore near Goldeneye Hide.  There was no sign of the Great White Egret and after signing in at the centre we started to make our way down to Wader Scrape Hide.

We stopped briefly in Deep Water Hide but there was still no sign of the Great White Egret and with the reeds restricting the view considerably we moved on towards Tufted Duck Hide.  There were plenty of Meadow Brown and Ringlet butterflies and we also saw several Gatekeepers as we continued and we had nice views of a Marsh Tit before we reached the hide.  From Tufted Duck Hide we had a good view of Heron Bay but all we could find were several Little Egrets and so we continued onto Wader Scrape Hide.  We saw a Great Spotted Woodpecker and a Red Admiral on the path just after turning towards the hide and one of the Ospreys flew over.

Red Admiral

There was just one Osprey visible from the hide and other than a few more Little Egrets and two female Tufted Ducks escorting broods of eleven and six there was little else.

My phone then rang and it was Tim checking to see if I was around as Nigel had called him saying he thought he might have a White-rumped Sandpiper on Lagoon Four and with little else David and I were soon making hasty retreat back to the centre.

Just after we reached the Egleton car park Tim drove through and continued down the service road towards Lagoon Four.  I gave him a call and he said he would come back and give us a lift to Plover Hide on Lagoon Four.  However by the time he got back to the car park Nigel had called him and said the bird had now flown and was just a Dunlin.

After a chat with Tim David and I decided we would go to Lax Hill to hopefully see a White-letter Hairstreak as they had been showing well this past week.  There was a Green Sandpiper on Lagoon Eight as we walked along the path before climbing the hill to reach Lax Hill.  We went around to the north side but after about twenty minutes with no sign I went to Goldeneye Hide to check out the southern arm or the reservoir for the Great White Egret.  Needless to say David called to say he had seen a hairstreak but I was almost at the hide and so I continued.  There wasn’t any sign of the egret but there was a nice adult Yellow-legged Gull out on the water and a Willow Warbler was observed just to the left of the hide.

First-summer Black-headed Gull

First-summer Black-headed Gull

When I got back to David he hadn’t see the hairstreak again but after another fifteen minutes one flew down and was observed and photographed on the edge of a tree.

White-letter Hairstreak

We called at the 360 and Snipe Hides on our way back to the centre and saw five Little Grebes, a Little Egret and four Curlew on Lagoon Five and two Snipe, two more Curlew, two Green Sandpiper and a Redshank on the Wet Meadow.

Whilst we were having lunch in the car park a Hobby was observed right above us but there was nothing else of note.

After lunch we headed for Bloody Oaks Quarry which is only just to the east of Empingham and we were soon parked and entering the small reserve.  The area was awash with wild flowers and was excellent for butterflies and we saw nine species during our forty-five minute stay that included at least six Dark-green Fritillaries and numerous Marbled Whites but there was no sign of either a Silver-washed Fritillary or Chalk Hill Blue and so we returned to Rutland Water.

We initially went into the centre to view lagoon one but couldn’t find anything unusual among the numerous Gadwall and Tufted Duck but we did have a Sparrowhawk fly over.

We then walked to the northern lagoons and visited Shoveler Hide on Lagoon Three first.  The water level on the lagoon is still quite high and consequently unsuitable for waders but there were four juvenile Shelduck, a Gadwall with a brood six tiny young and several Reed Warblers were active just in front of the hide.

We walked down to Lapwing Hide and checked out the now completed Crake Hide in its new position, which should give good views when and if the water drops.  However it was a pity that the reeds in front of the hide hadn’t been removed or at least cut as they were partially blocking the view and will probably cause some frustration if waders do appear here later in the autumn.

Grey Heron from Crake Hide

A walk to Plover Hide didn’t prove to be very productive although there were forty-three Common Terns and five Curlews amongst the gulls on the stone island.  There were also twelve Yellow-legged Gulls and several Common Gulls amongst the more numerous Great Black-backed Gulls.

As we walked up the ramp to Sandpiper Hide we saw our only Buzzard of the day off to the west.  There were eight Little Ringed Plovers, four Ringed Plovers, and a Dunlin just in front of the hide and we also found a Common Sandpiper and three Redshanks on the lagoon and an Osprey was using the perch again.

With time now pressing we made our way back to the car park and headed off home.

An early morning in Wigston magna, Leicestershire - July 20, 2016

It was a good night last night with 239 moths trapped and identified covering sixty-seven species, nine of which were new for the year and one Limnaecia phragmitella new to the garden.

The following were recorded: Ermine Species [1]; Diamond-back Moth [16]; Argyresthia bonnetella [1]; Crassa unitella [1]; Limnaecia phragmitella [1]; Mompha ochraceella [1]; Blastobasis adustella [16]; Twenty-plume Moth [1]; Dark Fruit-tree Tortrix [1]; Timothy Tortrix [1]; Clepsis consimilana [1]; Light Brown Apple Moth [1]; Cnephasia sp. [2]; Agapeta hamana [2]; Celypha lacunana [2]; Eucosma cana [1]; Epiblema uddmanniana [1]; Cydia splendana [1]; Aphomia sociella [1]; Acrobasis advenella [1]; Myelois circumvoluta [1]; Pycitodes binaevella [1]; Anania coronata [1]; Udea prunalis [1]; Eudonia lacustrata [1]; Eudonia mercurella [1]; Chrysoteuchia culmella [22]; Crambus pascuella [12]; Crambus perlella [2]; Privet Hawk-moth [1]; Elephant Hawk-moth [1]; Single-dotted Wave [1]; Riband Wave [15]; Small Blood-vein [1]; Blood-vein [1]; Common Carpet [3]; The Spinach [1]; Green Pug [3]; Lime-peck Pug [1]; Brimstone Moth [2]; Early Thorn [1]; Scalloped Oak [2]; Peppered Moth [1]; Willow Beauty [5]; Common emerald [1]; Common Footman [9]; Burnish Brass [2]; Silver Y [3]; Dagger species [2]; The Sycamore [1]; Marbled beauty [19]; The Uncertain [13]; Dark Arches [16]; Common Rustic species [2]; Cloaked Minor [1]; Marbled Minor species [2]; Bright-line Brown-eye [3]; Dot Moth [2]; Common Wainscot [3]; Smoky Wainscot [3]; The Clay [2]; Heart and Dart [4]; The Flame [4]; Large Yellow Underwing [3] and Lesser Yellow Underwing.

Argyresthia bonnetella

Mompha ochraceella

Limnaecia phragmitella

Cydia splendana

Udea prunalis

Small Blood-vein

Early Thorn

Scalloped Oak

Privet Hawk-moth

Claoked Minor

A day in Leicestershire & Rutland - May 19, 2016

With such a good night for moths I didn’t leave for Eyebrook Reservoir until 08:10 and didn’t see anything of note on route.  The Little Owl wasn’t showing this morning and the only birds of note I saw from the bridge was a Kestrel and a Treecreeper, although a Chiffchaff and Blackcap were singing intermittently.  I parked up so that I could observe the small area of mud, which had increased in size due to the recent good weather.  There were quite a few Lapwings and Black-headed Gulls either on the mud or in the shallow water next to it and there were a couple of Dunlin in the shallow water and an adult and a juvenile Common Tern resting on the mud.  There was a rather splendid looking adult Yellow-legged Gull perched on some dead wood nearby and there were two Little Egrets a little further into the stream.  The only other birds of note were six Common Terns and a Red Kite over the Leicestershire fields.

I made my way to the Egleton Reserve at Rutland Water I saw an Osprey near Manton Bridge and as I arrived I saw Tim who said that Steve and Terry had seen a Whimbrel and a Greenshank on Lagoon Four but that the Whimbrel had flown off.  Steve and Terry then returned to the car park just as I was setting off with the intention of going to Snipe Hide on the Wet Meadow.  As they came towards me I could hear a Greenshank calling, which was clearly in flight but we couldn’t locate it and after a brief chat and moving my car I set off for Snipe Hide.

A bird flew up off the ground as I reached the road down to the centre and perched on the edge of one of the trees and I was surprised to see that it was a Spotted Flycatcher as it is not a bird I see on the Egleton Reserve with any regularity.  I called Tim who thought that it was probably the first record this year but unfortunately it soon disappeared and couldn’t be relocated later.

I saw nothing of note as I made way to Snipe Hide and on reaching it found a Black-tailed Godwit on the flash and a Green Sandpiper working its way around the northern edge.  A Little Egret and three Oystercatchers flew over and there was a Red Kite quartering the fields to the west.

I continued on to Harrier Hide and found three more Green Sandpipers on the Wet Meadow flash but other than a few Common Terns there was little else and I continued on to Heron Hide, where I was hoping to find a Great White Egret that has been present for a few days.

When I arrived in the hide there were a few Little Egrets scattered around the bay but there was no sign of the Great White Egret but I could see an adult and a juvenile Osprey at the nest site in Manton Bay.

With little else I moved onto Kingfisher Hide on Lagoon Eight and found two Oystercatchers and two female Tufted Ducks with young.  One was escorting three half-grown young whilst the other just had one very small duckling.  Tim had said that a female Tufted Duck had been seen yesterday with a brood of fourteen but there was no sign today and hopefully the single young isn’t all that remains of the brood.

It was now pretty hot as I made my way back towards the centre and I was glad to get out of the sun for a while in the 360 Hide.  There was a single Oystercatcher and two more Black-tailed Godwits on the lagoon and a Sedge Warbler was observed close to the hide.

As I approached the centre I saw Terry go in and I followed him hoping that he and Steve might have seen the Great White Egret from Manton Bay but they hadn’t and so I left them searching through the Tufted Duck flock for a Scaup.

After some lunch I made my way towards the northern lagoons seeing very little in the now blistering heat and initially called at Shoveler Hide on Lagoon Three.  There were two adult Shelduck escorting a party of four well grown young and a Little Egret but very little else.  The water level does appear to falling slowly and hopefully we might have some exposed mud in the next couple of weeks.

Juvenile Shelduck

Whilst in the hide there was some disturbance on Lagoon Four and at least thirty Common Terns flew off the lagoon and passed over Lagoon Three and shortly afterwards all of the duck close to the hide appeared to panic and fly out onto the centre of the lagoon.  Suspecting that there was perhaps a bird of prey around I scanned the sky but didn’t find anything that might have caused the disturbance.

Steve had called to say he was calling it a day as it was too hot for him and I must admit I was of the same opinion but I decided to go to Sandpiper Hide before going back to the centre.

There was another adult Shelduck on the lagoon along with four Oystercatchers, two Little Ringed Plovers, three Ringed Plover, six Curlews and three Redshanks.  There were eight Yellow-legged Gulls amongst the more numerous Great Black-backed Gulls resting on the exposed rocky area.  Erik then entered the hide and almost immediately found two male Ruff that were feeding on island two just left of the Volunteer Training Centre and I then noticed an Osprey on the nest.

With little else we went back to the centre as a Marsh Harrier had been reported earlier but there was no sign, although he did find a male Scaup after I had departed.

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

An excellent night with 236 moths trapped and identified, covering sixty-six species, fifteen of which were new for the year.  I also had a couple of Lesser Black-backed Gulls and a Great Spotted Woodpecker fly over whilst emptying the trap.

The following were recorded: Ermine Species [1]; Diamond-back Moth [10]; Crassa unitella [1]; Carcina quercana [1]; Blastobasis adustella [7]; Clepsis consimilana [1]; Epiphyas postvittana [1]; Acleris forsskaleana [1]; Pseudargrotoza conwagana [1]; Celypha striana [3]; Celypha lacunana [1]; Ancylis achatana [2]; Bramble Shoot Moth [1]; Leopard Moth [1]; Acrobasis advenella [2]; Meal Moth [1]; Gold Triangle [1]; Hypsopygia glaucinalis [1]; Anania coronate [1]; Small Magpie [3]; Udea olivalis [1]; Mother of Pearl [1]; Eudonia lacustrata [1]; Eudonia mercurella [4]; Chrysoteuchia culmella [27]; Crambus pascuella [26]; Crambus perlella [2]; Agriphila straminella [1]; Chinese Character [1]; Buff Arches [2]; Elephant Hawk-moth [1]; Single-dotted Wave [1]; Riband Wave [26]; Garden Carpet [4]; Common Carpet [2]; July Highflier [1]; Small Rivulet [1]; Green Pug [1]; Foxglove Pug [1]; Brimstone Moth [5]; Swallow-tailed Moth [3]; Willow Beauty [6]; Light Emerald [2]; Common Footman [15]; The Fan-foot [3]; Beautiful Hook-tip [1]; The Sycamore [1]; The Miller [1]; Marbled Beauty [17]; The Uncertain [8]; The Rustic [1]; Dark Arches [4]; Light Arches [1]; Common Rustic species [5]; Marbled Minor species [2]; Bright-line Brown-eye [2]; Dot Moth [1]; Cabbage Moth [2]; Common Wainscot [1]; Smoky Wainscot [1]; The Clay [1]; Heart and Dart [1]; The Flame [2]; Large Yellow Underwing [2]; and Lesser Yellow Underwing [1].

Acleris forsskaleana

Mother of Pearl

Hypsopygia glaucinalis

Meal Moth

Single-dotted Wave

An early morning in Wigston Magna, Leicestershire - July 18, 2016

I caught and identified ninety-five moths covering thirty-nine species, seven of which were new for the year.

Brown House Moth [1]; Blastobasis adustella [2]; Twenty-plume Moth [1]; Amblyptilia acanthadactyla [1]; Light Brown Apple Moth [1]; Pseudargrotoza conwagana [2]; Celypha striana [2]; Ancylis achatana [4]; Eucosma cana [1]; Bramble Shoot Moth [1]; Phycitodes binaevella [1]; Eudonia lacustrata [1]; Eudonia mercurella [3]; Chrysoteuchia culmella [10]; Crambus pascuella [11]; Drinker [1]; Riband Wave [6]; The Spinach [1]; Lime-speck Pug [1]; Willow Beauty [2]; Mottled Beauty [2]; Common emerald [1]; Common Footman [12]; Burnsihed Brass [1]; Silver Y [1]; The Coronet [3]; Marbled Beauty [5]; Mottled Rustic [3]; The Uncertain [3]; The Rustic [1]; Dark Arches [1]; Double Lobed [1]; Common Rustic species [1]; Bright-line Brown-eye [3]; Dot Moth [1]; Smoky Wainscot [1]; Heart and Dart [1] and Short-cloaked Moth [1].

The Drinker

Short-cloaked Moth

Double Lobed