A micro in the bathroom and a trip to the Pits

Last night was warm, and if I hadn't been trapping the night before I would have been mothing. Instead I relied on the traditional method of leaving the bathroom window open, and this produced a single tiny moth which I potted for examination.

Caloptilia cuculipennella

The Twitter moth expert came up with the same name, but advised that identification could not be certain on the basis of the photo. I agree with that, so it will be one for Nigel (Warks Moth Recorder) to sort out in due course.

Due course has arrived (02/10/2020) and it was indeed C cuculipennella, and more to the point was a fifth for Warwickshire. Apparently they are generally understood to emerge later in the year, so this record is evidence of a little known early generation.

This morning I fancied a change of scene and went to one of Neil's patches, which he refers to as The Pits. It used to be an enormous working gravel pit, which on my first visit, in 1998, I christened Salford Priors Gravel Pit. Now it's mostly reclaimed farmland, and the Pit part is much nearer Dunnington.

The water level was too high to leave much exposed gravel, so I only really saw a few common ducks, Little Grebes, and gallinules. A single Gadwall was the most noteworthy waterfowl species I could find.

Gadwall

Plenty of Reed Warblers were singing from phragmites around the edge of the pool, and these had attracted at least two, probably three, Cuckoos, including a calling female. Sadly, none posed for me. Instead I managed to get a shot of a newly emerged Black-tailed Skimmer before I headed home.

Black-tailed Skimmer