May 25th 2009

This morning was very overcast with light south east winds and the pond was a struggle finding only 2 Grey Wagtail, 2 Sparrowhawk and 8 Lesser Black-back Gulls heading west apart from the usual warblers singing there heads off. After 2hrs I gave up birding and spent time looking for day flying moths between toft shallows and the M45 bridge. Managed 12 Celypha lacunana and single Cinnabar, Esperla sulphurella, Treble-bar, Red Twin-spot Carpet and Silver Ground Carpet amongst the buttercups and nettles. Earlier I had checked the café walls and there were Rustic Shoulder-knot, Brimstone and Foxglove Pug.
While searching for moths there were family parties of Willow Tit, Long-tailed Tit and Bullfinch foraging and a Great-spotted Woodpecker and had the opportunity to meet the owners of Toft-Alpacas something I have been meaning to do for years. If you’re familiar with Draycote Water then you would have noticed the Alpacas in the surrounding fields in toft bay and its well worth checking out there web site www.toft-alpacas.co.uk - I learnt a lot today.
By the time I set off for home it started to rain lightly but that did not stop the Painted Lady migration, nine overtook me in Dunchurch and a further 3 went through my garden this afternoon.– well over a hundred were seen in Warwickshire yesterday and a lot more today. Garden moth trap did well again with 21 species trapped.

Richard