Sea, Sand, Sun

With the promise of sun, I decided to head over to the coast after emptying the garden trap. Leicestershire couldn't be much more land-locked; anyone who does not believe or recognise the restorative pleasure of just a short time hearing the sea, breathing the sea breeze and walking on sand perhaps needs to live in Leics. for 52 years. Whilst we are the the middle of the Country, it's actually not too bad a run to get to the coast either side of the Wash. But, of course, the only drawback is that on a sunny day in the middle of summer everyone else wants to do the same thing. I decided that I'd head for Titchwell and combine a walk along the beach with some birding and rummaging around the dunes. The route was free of traffic until hitting a virtual brickwall immediately after the roundabout at Guyhirn. I managed to circumvent some of this with short detours through Wisbech and Kings Lynn, and then taking a rural route through Docking. All was great until the last 500m or so of roadway before re-joining the A149 at Brancaster where it was chaotic with beach-going families parking all over the place and blocking the roads. All time gained on the way was lost - and more. I arrived at Titchwell about an hour later than expected, but at least I was able to slide into a parking space easily and get out onto the reserve.

There were a few people around, though there were more carrying beach chairs etc than optics. I wandered around the boardwalks and had a look in Island Hide (Parrinder Hide still shut). Very few people actually birding or doing anything remotely in keeping with a RSPB Reserve. Social distancing was still very easy and people managed to observe etiquette and manners, so all good. Once I got to the end of the long walk to the beach, it was clear where everyone was. I've seen people using the beach whilst their other halves are birding etc, but I've never seen the beach here literally used as a beach! Beach tents, parasols, wind-breakers, chairs, pasty white bodies in the sea - the whole lot. It wasn't rammed in any way though, and groups of people were well spaced out which meant I walked another 1km or so to clear them all. But it's not like there is not much beach here ....

Inverts were few and far between in the dunes and on the beach. The only action really were a large number of presumably the same robberfly sp. that completely evaded scrutiny, plenty of Bee-wolfs carrying prey and a fair number of solitary bees nesting in the dunes. I turned a few logs but no interesting beetles. Just a couple of these ....

Dactylochelifer latreillii

It was blisteringly hot. I spent an hour or so on the beach before the sun burning my head and neck was no longer bearable. By then the sun was higher and photography from the hide and pathway was a bit more manageable though not everything was within range - a group of Spoonbills remained too far out. The camera seemed to struggle a bit with focussing through heat-haze, but I managed a few passable shots. More practice required.

Black-tailed Godwit

Avocet

Pied Wagtail

Lapwing

Little Ringed Plover

Most numerous of the waders was Ruff, with juvs and moulting adults present.

The best birding moment though was a group of juv Bearded Tits pinging their way along. One perched up long enough to get a shot.

Whilst around the reserve I manage to pot a handful of inverts to check out, including a sizeable horsefly from the inside window of the hide. I'd spent about three hours on the reserve and needed to head back to the car for coffee and a bite. I mulled over what would be the best option now, given that it was early afternoon and heading further along the coast was probably not a good idea for getting home in time to get the garden traps outs. I decided avoiding traffic delays on the reverse journey and having time to go to a couple of sites on the way home was a better move. An hour and a half later and I was parking up at Ketton Quarry. It was now very hot and humid, but some cloud cover had built up so at least I wasn't burning and sweating at the same time anymore. I spent an hour sweeping the ample flowering vegetation and easily managed to fill up more pots that I can quickly deal with. Very large numbers of Mirid bugs, including 100s of Phytocoris varipes, shieldbugs, other hemiptera and a few beetles too. There were hazards though: every sweep included a number of honeybees and bumblebees which needed to be let out of the bag before sticking me in it. I was also constantly harassed by Chrysops relictus.

Next I headed to Eyebrook Reservoir, where a Cattle Egret has been knocking about for a couple of days. I managed to find it milling about with cattle, before it flew up to perch in a tree. I managed to get a photo, sort of, whilst poking the camera through a gap in a bush.

Also good to see a fishing Osprey, Whinchat, Common Sandpipers, Ringed Plover and a Dunlin.

I got home a full 12hours after leaving, in time to eat and get the traps on. I should have been excited about that but, in truth, on the mothing front the garden has been poor this summer. But the previous night was good for other inverts and it looked to be another good night for that.

Catch up

Haven't been getting out too much, and when I have I've not had a chance to post anything so here's brief catch up ....

First, a couple of nice beetles, butterflies and a moth from Ketton Quarry on 23/05/2015.

Cryptocephalus bipunctatus - only the 4th VC55 record, first since 1987

Agrilus angustulus (per Graham Finch) - 11 previous records

Dingy Skipper - was lucky to find a pair in cop

Grizzled Skipper

Burnet Companion

The new car had it's debut mothing night out on Friday 05/06/2015 to a group session at Charnwood Lodge; nothing too arduous on the chassis, just some woodland rides. I was pleased to fit 6x traps, 2x gennies and 7x cable reels easily into the boot space with room to spare.

The mothing itself was a little poor, as has been the whole spring! My traps managed a total of 46sp.

Code	Taxon	Vernacular	Total
131	Incurvaria oehlmanniella		2
140	Nematopogon swammerdamella		2
227	Monopis laevigella	Skin Moth	1
485	Schreckensteinia festaliella		2
602	Elachista apicipunctella		1
636	Denisia similella		1
649	Esperia sulphurella		1
770	Carpatolechia proximella		2
797	Neofaculta ericetella		1
1174	Epiblema cynosbatella		1
1497	Amblyptilia acanthadactyla		1
1645	Falcaria lacertinaria	Scalloped Hook-tip	1
1680	Cyclophora punctaria	Maiden's Blush	1
1722	Xanthorhoe designata	Flame Carpet	1
1759	Ecliptopera silaceata	Small Phoenix	1
1764	Chloroclysta truncata	Common Marbled Carpet	4
1768	Thera obeliscata	Grey Pine Carpet	2
1776	Colostygia pectinataria	Green Carpet	10
1834	Eupithecia vulgata	Common Pug	2
1844	Eupithecia indigata	Ochreous Pug	1
1857	Eupithecia tantillaria	Dwarf Pug	1
1902	Petrophora chlorosata	Brown Silver-line	63
1906	Opisthograptis luteolata	Brimstone Moth	2
1920	Odontopera bidentata	Scalloped Hazel	4
1931	Biston betularia	Peppered Moth	2
1947	Ectropis bistortata	Engrailed	1
1951	Aethalura punctulata	Grey Birch	12
1955	Cabera pusaria	Common White Wave	2
1957	Lomographa bimaculata	White-pinion Spotted	3
1981	Laothoe populi	Poplar Hawk-moth	1
2006	Pheosia gnoma	Lesser Swallow Prominent	2
2008	Ptilodon capucina	Coxcomb Prominent	2
2014	Drymonia dodonaea	Marbled Brown	14
2028	Calliteara pudibunda	Pale Tussock	5
2043	Eilema sororcula	Orange Footman	16
2060	Spilosoma lubricipeda	White Ermine	1
2061	Spilosoma luteum	Buff Ermine	1
2063	Diaphora mendica	Muslin Moth	3
2102	Ochropleura plecta	Flame Shoulder	4
2123	Diarsia rubi	Small Square-spot	7
2160	Lacanobia oleracea	Bright-line Brown-eye	1
2163	Melanchra pisi	Broom Moth	6
2190	Orthosia gothica	Hebrew Character	1
2289	Acronicta rumicis	Knot Grass	1
2302	Rusina ferruginea	Brown Rustic	5
2326	Apamea crenata	Clouded-bordered Brindle	1
		Total species	46
		Total individuals	199

Grey Birch

Scalloped Hook-tip

Whilst I'm on here, may as well post a couple of bird photos from Greece back in April.

Crested Lark

Stonechat

Stonechat fledglings

LRP

Out and about

Enjoyed a jam-packed day today, which even included some furniture assembly in the middle (though that was more of a chore than part of the enjoyment).

Kicked off with a quick visit to Grove Park to see if any more Wheatears knocking about. There wasn't, but a shrill piping demanded attention and there was very welcome LRP. Only saw the one, but ironically it was loitering about immediately next to the building works. Looks like the works are fenced off so that the main part of the 'scrape' is still free of any activity. Click for big and search for the piping plover ...

This smart Song Thrush was wondering what the piping was aswell.

Aside from a few Linnets, nothing else of note so I headed over to Huncote Embankment again in the hope of a few Wheatears or better. In reality I knew that the clear skies and rapidly warming temperature meant that there would be no Wheatears but I went ahead anyway. Blackcaps, Willow Warblers and Chiffchaffs very highly vocal all around the site, with a nice Peregrine, drumming Great Spotted Woodpecker, yaffling Green Woodpecker, singing Reed Buntings and a smart Whitethroat adding to the summery sound. I had a good walk around the whole site, enjoying the early sunshine and relative lack of people. Amazing how peaceful a scrubby man-made embankment adjacent to a huge man-made hole in the ground can be.

Gorse flowering everywhere

Intact reedmace - no Limnaecia phragmitella?

This is exactly the type of flower I can't remember or ID with confidence. Could it be Winter-cress? Help!

I arrived home in time for a late breakfast, overdue cuppa and got to work assembling a big high-level bed thing with a futon underneath for Josh. A damned site more effort required than the usual self-assembly I can assure you.

Once that was done I was out again. I headed over to Charnwood Lodge complete with all the necessary kit:

butterfly net - check
big pots - check
plastic tub with some netting over the top - check
warm sunshine - check
habitat with necessary foodplants - check
x2 virgin females - check

It was going to be so easy, turn up, whip out the virgins and sweep the net through swarms of male Emperors. That was the plan anyway, the reality was yet another blank assembling session. Lost count of the number of times/sites I've failed with Emperor assembling.

All was not lost though, as I had a thoroughly enjoyable time walking around Charnwood Lodge without the longhorn cattle roaming about. A singing Cuckoo was highly vocal but remained unseen, and amazingly Green Hairstreaks were out in reasonable numbers already ..

This one helpfully settled on a dry-stone wall.

I had a look at Colony Reservoir aswell - all the times I've been to Charnwood Lodge and I'd never bothered before. It is small and has a real ancient/prehistoric feel somehow, with the plentiful Water Horse-tails poking through the water.

Before heading home, I dropped into the Alter Stones/Blacksmiths Field in Markfield for one last go with the virgins. No luck with those, but as I had my net handy I nonchalontly swiped at a small micro and ended up with a British Tick - an early Heliozela sericiella. Very tiny, will have a go at phtographing tomorrow.

There's a few scenery photos on Flickr from Huncote Embankment and Charnwood Lodge. The moth traps were still low on numbers last night - I'll summarise all of the recent nights tomorrow.

Thornton Reservoir & Grove Park - 16/04/2008

Nipped to Thornton Res. after work yesterday. The Little Owls were again on show as can be clearly seen from this pathetic image.

The round knobbly thing on a branch.

The wagtail field was also busy again. Initially I found 3 Yellow Wagtails and 2 White Wagtails amongst the Pieds. Jim Graham turned up and after another search the Yellow Wagtail count was up to 4.They were still a little too far for proper photos, but a bit closer than last week. Unfortunately the White Wagtails were always distant.

Yellow Wagtail on molehill.


Pied Wagtail on pile of shit.

After a walk along the waterside failed to produce anything else of interest, I re-checked the field on the way back and there was now 5 Yellow Wagtails and 3 White Wagtails. The hirundines started to appear as the late afternoon turned to evening, but still no House Martins for me.

On the way home I dropped into Grove Park to have another look at a pair of Little Ringed Plovers that appear to be attempting one last effort before the site is completely built over.

Bird = LRP, site = RIP