July 30th 2011

Barn Owl hunting the entrance to Toft Farm 04:40hrs and the same or another one seen twenty minutes later over the grassy field down Southam Rd in better light. The post roost of Lesser Black-backed Gulls gathering in the fields opposite were joined by 2 adult and 2 3rd year Yellow-legged Gulls and a juvenile Med Gull with another 3adult Yellow-legged Gulls off farborough bank, Draycote Water.
Also present at the pond were 3 Little Ringed Plover, 2 Dunlin, Turnstone, 14 juvenile Yellow and single juvenile Grey Wagtail, female Goosander, 4 Buzzard, Sparrowhawk, 2 Green Woodpecker and pair of Pochard.
Moved on to Draycote Meadows where there were 3 Blackcap, 3 Buzzard and 2 Spotted Flycatcher plus a few moths and butterflies. Seen were Shaded Broad-bar, Mother of Pearl, Udea lutalis, Udea prunalis, Trachycera advenella, Common Blue, Large Skipper, Gatekeeper, Red Admiral, Comma, Green-Veined White, Meadow Brown and Speckled Wood.
The nearby disused railway line had Blackcap, 3 Whitethroat, 4 Bullfinch, 20 Goldfinch, 2 Jay and Treecreeper while other sightings included Mother of Pearl, Shaded Broad-bar and Straw Dot while overhead an Osprey flew south ignoring the pond.
In the evening I took part in one of the many moth events that were being held in the county as part of the Warwickshire Moth Blitz where once set up in the Grandborough valley I enjoyed a Fish supper with friends as the moths arrived watching meteorites and satellites. A Barn Owl was seen at dusk.

Richard