VIPER SCOWL

On Sunday 15th this was one of the adders found along Bromans Lane not far from the main group in the country park. Two other adders were on show until late morning in the park.

On the park grazing fields, a female wheatear was present for most of the day, refuelling on its long journey northwards. Most birds were gathered to the rear of the fields close to the flooded creeks but staying out of view. Birds of note included 32 shelduck, 10 lapwing, 10 teal, 6 wigeon, 10 mallard, oystercatcher, 3 curlew and a pair of mistle thrushes.

On the migrant front two sand martins flew over the car park, calling loudly as they headed west. Blackcap called from Bromans Lane, willow warblers sang in the park and also two fields north, lesser whitethroat rattled in the park all day and the nightingale by the park entrance continued to sing sporadically.

The barn owl was burning the candle at both ends when it should have been sleeping. Martin Cock saw it quartering the fields to the north of Bromans Farm at 8am and then it was seen 12 hours later at 8pm from the pond-hide by Emma Simmonds. Steve Entwhistle driving away from the park at 8.30pm managed to see the tawny owl swooping along the Lane in his car headlights. A spotted redshank still in winter plumage was seen by Steve on the Reeveshall pool.

The moth trap was put out on Sunday evening and left on all night. Thirty moths of 12 species showed a bit more variety than recently. The most strikingly marked and the hairiest was this lunar marbled brown with it's distinctive "lunar" / crescent shaped marks located in the middle of each wing. Despite being quite widespread it wasn't recorded last year at the park, possibly due to less trapping done in April.

Another new one for the spring was this very descriptively named shuttle-shaped dart. This should turn up quite regularly in the trap over the coming weeks.

Other moths of note were angle shades, pine beauty, blossom underwing, grey pine carpet, red chestnuts, March moths with hebrew character and common quakers the most numerous.