BASKING WEATHER

Morning sunshine on Friday 17th was good basking weather for many insects such as this male common darter. Lots are starting to appear around the park with the territorial males chasing rivals away whilst trying to soak up the sun at the same time. The common darter is the most numerous dragonfly in the park during the late summer and early autumn.
Southern hawker, migrant hawker and a blue-tailed damselfly were also seen.

Numbers of painted ladies still remain high with around 150 about the place feeding on all sorts of flowers. The first common blue butterfly of the mid summer period was seen flying low over the grass.

An adder hid well in the long grass, conditions warm enough that it didn't need to be out in the open. The wasp spider was still clinging motionless and patiently on its large web.

The moth trap was checked on Friday morning and produced a below average tally of moths with only about 40 moths of 25 species noted. One of the strangest looking moths is the one pictured above- the Chinese character. A small moth that looks like a bird dropping, it is reasonably common and three were found in the trap. The small white squiggle-mark on its wing supposedly looks like a Chinese letter or character, giving the moth its name.

Other moths found were flounced rustic, orange swift, yellow belle, burnished brass and quite a few lesser broad-bordered yellow underwings.

The purple flowers of the lesser knapweed are attracting several bees and butterflies especially the painted ladies.

On the bird front, five swifts circled over the park in the evening and up to 100 swallows flew over the park in the morning. One of the young sparrowhawks welcomed the return of one of its parents with loud calling. A female wheatear flitted along the seawall in a series of short flights in the evening.

Out on the mudflats 25 avocets fed along the edge of the river while the local avocet family look like they have moved from the saltings by the Point onto the nearby mud as three well grown young birds were watched feeding there. The golden plover flock is slowly building up for the autumn with 200 seen resting on the mud, many still with their black chests. A whimbrel was heard as it passed over the park, one of the few waders not seen along the Pyefleet the previous day. Two yellow wagtails also flew over in the morning.

On the mammal front a water vole was seen swimming across the borrowdyke into a thick clump of reeds. Its little snout and eyes just above the surface made the little mammal just visible, although there were plenty of ripples to be seen as it paddled across the open water.

As dusk fell I visited the hide overlooking the pond and was rewarded with a clear view of one of the resident badgers emerging before darkness fell from the artificial sett. It stuck its head out of the hole to sniff the air before emerging with trepidation. It didn't travel far as it trundled about ten metres over the top of the sett before disappearing down one of the other holes.