BAGGING RAGWORT

Have spent a couple of sessions over the last couple of days in the park grazing fields removing all the ragwort plants. The bright yellow flowers make the plants easy to spot although getting a hold of some of them by hand proved tricky amongst all the thistles.

The weather has been overcast but reasonably warm so many butterflies were flying around the flowering thistles especially the hundreds of meadow browns at their peak at the moment.
Several meadow pipits and skylarks were seen with a few goldfinches and linnets too.

Various birds were taking a short-cut over the fields as they flew between the Colne and the mudflats especially just after high tide. Fifty curlew many in heavy moult, 25 redshank and 20 black-tailed godwits flew overhead, while 8 common terns flew north over the fields.
On Thursday 17th at low tide there were around 200 black-tailed godwits on the mud in the evening, some very close in and others on the far outer edge of the mudflats.

The central ditch in the fields still has plenty of water in it this summer although not much waterfowl using it. The pair of swans were present but there was no sign of any cygnets. Amongst the reeds fringing this ditch and the dyke were at least six pairs of reed warblers, some of them singing. A little egret stalked one of the muddy pools in the field.

In the park on Friday the sparrowhawk flew over, two adders were under the tin sheet as usual and a small copper butterfly was seen.

Spent some time in the hide by the pond on Thursday evening where there was a great sight of 300 sand martins and 200 swifts circling over the fields. There had been a steady flow during the day of swifts flying over the Colne and heading west over the park.

On the pond a female tufted duck was keeping a close eye on her young brood of four dark brown ducklings. The little grebes were also looking after their two small hungry chicks. Twenty mallard here and also the first teal of the autumn.

As dusk approached a fox was seen crossing the fields and when the light was nearly gone a badger made a brief appearance. No owls were heard during Thursday evening but a tawny owl was seen perching alongside Bromans Lane at dusk on Wednesday evening and nearby the little owls could be heard calling.