July 10th 2011

I was out with my family for a very good Indian meal last night returning to my sisters house in Hillmorton, Rugby where I had set up two moth traps and had great fun sharing my hobby with my nearest and dearest with at least 25 species arriving including first for the year Leopard Moth and Ruby Tiger before grabbing a couple of hours sleep.

Returned bright and early with Dave to help Rose and Rod empty the traps who clearly enjoyed being involved as we identified a further 45 species so her garden has plenty of potential then it was off to the Long Itchington Diner for a well earned breakfast.
Afterwards we visited Ryton Woods which at 9:30 with clear blue sky’s was very warm and we managed 18 species of butterfly before it clouded over with 25 Purple Hairstreak, White-letter Hairstreak (new for Dave), 9 Silver-washed Fritillary and 4 White Admiral being the best. In what turned out to be a cracking morning we also found Silver Y, Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet, Udea lutealis, Small Fan-footed Wave, Bramble Shoot Moth and Light Emerald moths while birds included a stunning Red Kite soaring overhead and a hunting Hobby while other birds seen were Sparrowhawk, 6 Nuthatch, Marsh Tit, Great-spotted Woodpecker, Jay, Treecreeper, Whitethroat, Blackcap, Garden Warbler and some very large tit flocks. Also had Southern Hawker and Common Blue Damselfly but missed a Hummingbird Hawk-moth.

Richard