July 17th 2010

A humid night so down the valley early where a Barn Owl was out hunting at 5am between Tollgate and Laurel Farm off the A45 and a Little Owl perched on telegraph pole in Woolscott village. The Woolscott scrape had Little Ringed Plover and Little Egret but the highlight was 2 Crossbills heading west calling over Grandborough. Also seen in the area were 400+ Lesser Black-backed Gull, 2 Herring Gull, 2 Yellow Wagtail, 30+ Yellowhammer, 10+ Skylark, 2 Raven, Buzzard, 6 Whitethroat, 4 Tree Sparrow, 34 Stock Dove and 30 Lapwing before popping in to Sainsbury’s where another Crossbill was seen and heard low over car park.
John rang wondering why there were geeks with cameras on a railway bridge near his village and a check on tinternet gave me a deserved pain in the groin as I had forgotten that 6201 Princess Elizabeth was passing through Rugby hauling a train from Birmingham New St to Euston. Luckily she was returning in the evening so Bob and I went to the footbridge between Little Lawford and Cathiron and watched her pass at full pelt as the sun went down – magic. I cocked up my photos so many thanks to Jon Hall and Bob Hazell for sharing theirs
Meanwhile on the mothing front Dave had a Hummingbird Hawk-moth in his garden a couple of days ago – his second for the garden of this day flying migrant.



Princess Elizebeth passing through Long Lawford by Jon Hall

Princess Elizebeth homeward bound early evening passing between Little Lawford and Cathiron by Bob Hazell

Richard