BUTTERFLY BUSH

The colourful painted lady butterfly pictured above, graced the buddleia bush again near the information room in the country park on Friday 15th. I wonder if any other individuals will be seen in the next few weeks, or whether this may be the only one for the park. Very different from last year's spectacular influx into north Essex when several hundred were seen over the park and thousands generally along local seawalls, gardens and fields. In an average summer only one or two are usually seen at the park.

Of greater interest was the sight of a small tortoiseshell on the buddleia. This very tatty looking tortoiseshell is only the second one seen at the park this summer. Numbers have crashed in the last two years and what was usually a common butterfly, is now only just clinging on with one or two individuals.

Other butterflies on the butterfly bush included a dozen red admirals, comma, meadow brown, small white, large white and peacock. The first holly blue of the second brood was seen in the car park.

Very pleased to find two red underwing moths, one pictured above, resting high up on part of the wooden exterior of the information room in the middle of the afternoon. They would never have been spotted if they had been resting on a tree trunk, their folded wings blend perfectly with the pattern and colour of bark.

However disturb the moth and the wings flutter their bright red hindwings patterned with black and white. It is a very eyecatching combination and supposedly helps to deter predators when it suddenly reveals the colourful markings.

Red underwings have been recorded in previous summers here, including another pair seen 3 years ago resting during the day side by side on the black weatherboarding of the toilet building.

The moth trap operated through Thursday night but it was a below average catch with only about 20 species found. The conditions were not ideal for moths as there was a clear sky which dropped the temperature, added to this was the near full moon.

The moths found included a poplar hawkmoth, swallow prominent, peacock moth, flounced rustics, orange swift, lesser broad-bordered yellow underwings, cloaked minor, brimstone, lime-speck pug, setaceous hebrew character, shuttle-shaped dart, dark arches, scarce footman, smoky wainscot and a small square-spot.

Had an evening walk along the Reeveshall seawall to check the pool and the Pyefleet Channel for waders. No wood sandpipers or curlew sandpipers were found on this occasion. Waders of interest in the general area included 3 greenshank, 3 spotted redshank, 6 green sandpipers, common sandpiper, 3 summer plumaged bar-tailed godwits, 100 black-tailed godwits, 60 avocet, 25 ringed plover, 100 grey plover, 40 dunlin, one golden plover plus lots of redshank, curlew and a few oystercatchers.

The male marsh harrier quartered the fields of Reeveshall as did a youngster, while two other youngsters were also seen on the nearby Langenhoe marshes. Three kestrels were the only other raptors seen. Ten little egrets were seen flying east along the Pyefleet to their evening roost at St Osyth and there was a late gathering of 300 sand martins assembling for their roost.

Four corn buntings passed overhead calling as did a yellow wagtail but other than a couple of skylarks and two linnets, no other small birds.

Back at the Shop Lane wood at dusk, there was a brief glimpse of a tawny owl gliding silently into the conifer wood. The same locality where a tawny owl was found dead recently.