My walk started in the village of Hambleton in the county of Rutland. Ever since 1970 Hambleton has been situated on a peninsular, surrounded by the waters of Rutland Water on three sides. A walk around this peninsular would offer stunning views as well as some interesting wildlife.
As mentioned previously on this blog we spotted a fledgling on the ground and so I left my camera filming nearby to try and catch a glimpse of a parent. We didn't have to wait long before a Wood Warbler (Phylloscopus sibilatix) turned up to feed it.
Looking over to the south shore of the reservoir you can see the spire of St Mary's Church in Edith Weston.
Also visible to the south is St Matthew's Church at Normanton. When the valley was flooded in 1970 the Church would have been flooded up to the tops of the pews, so in a rescue effort the church was surrounded by an embankment and the floor level raised. The top half of the church is now a museum.
Whilst wandering through a wood I was astonished to see this Dark Green Fritillary (Argynnis aglaja). I've never seen any of the Fritillarys this far north.
Towards the "land bridge" of the Hambleton Peninsula you can see the spire of All Saints in Oakham. Considering the proximity of Oakham to Rutland Water you very rarely get a view of the county town from the reservoir.
Just as we were on the last stretch I spotted something on a leaf that looked a bit like a pumpkin seed. A closer look revealed it to be a Scarce Footman Moth (Eilema complana). I've never seen one of these before and I really has no idea what it was so thanks to the galleries at Wild about Britain for helping identify this lovely creature.
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