Cracked

The moth trap was a little more entertaining this morning, but only just. A couple of Twin-spotted Quakers were nice, along with a couple of Small Quakers, a Clouded Drab and a Common Quaker. Not a single Hebrew Character.

Small Quaker

Birdwise, yesterday morning a male Blackcap spent five minutes or so flitting around the lilac bush before heading into the embankment a singing on/off for the rest of the day. No sign of it this morning, but today I've had a brief fly-through Swallow in the afternoon.

This afternoon I cracked. I've been cooped up in the house and garden for the best part of a week and it finally got to me. So, I got me boots on and headed out for some restrorative exercise. I headed to a nearby railway embankment that I've not walked for years. It's here, immediately parallel to the M1 and a remnant of the old Great Central Railway.

My house is approximately the red dot, the start of the embankment walk is at the blue dot on Countesthorpe Road just after passing under the motorway, and I walked down as far as the next blue dot where the track turns a bit more boggy and overgrown. This embankment pathway is generally referred to as Bramble Walk. There are benches dotted along it, and dog shit bins, which kind of explains who normally uses it but today I saw no-one.

Despite the location, it has some potential for invert interest - particularly if using a sweep net. Not that I had a net, just a few pots and camera. It was surprisingly relaxing, despite the fact that you are always within about 30 meters of the relentless thundering M1 to the east. The sun came out occasionally, and it was warm enough, but there was a fairly constant breeze which made pointing the camera at anything a bit hit and miss.

Gymnocheta viridis

If you look again at the map, there is a cyan dot just a bit less than halfway down and apparently on the otherside of the M1. At that point, there is a pathway down from the embankment which heads both under the motorway and onto tracks into the fields. I went for a squint before carrying on along the top.

Looking back west(ish) through the motorway underpass to the old railway underpass.

Looking north-west towards Cosby

I saw a few bits that I'd not seen this year, including White-tailed Bumblebee agg., Common Carder Bumblebee, Orange-tip and Pied Shieldbug. But mostly I noticed a number of smaller hoverflies. I've managed to coax three into pots for closer scrutiny along with a couple of sawflies.

Eristalis pertinax (female)

It was well worth the effort. Walking back home, Skylarks were singing not far from the house and a Pheasant was calling loudly ... neither of which I could actually hear from the house, though the wind will work in my favour at some point I'm sure.