CUCKOO - VIEW

The recent run of clear and chill nights hasn't been very productive for moth-trapping, although this male muslin moth pictured above was discovered in the trap early on Sunday 25th. Close-up it has a striking yellow face, furry head and big feathery antennae.

The male pictured below has brown wings while the female has thin white wings that have the appearance of muslin. The muslin moth is a regular visitor to the trap each April / early May.
The other moth species noted on Sunday morning were hebrew character, common quaker, red chestnut, small quaker, early grey and the March moth.


There was no sign of the grasshopper warbler by the park pond on Sunday morning, so as expected it only stayed for the one day. There was a nice view of a cuckoo perched in a hawthorn tree by the pond in the afternoon. Having briefly cuckoo-ed a few times, it sat on the branch for several minutes allowing a view clear enough that the yellow in the eye could be seen through the binoculars.

Elsewhere around the park 2 male nightingales were singing very close to each other by the entrance, while lesser whitethroat and several whitethroats were also singing well near the car park. By the cliff 7 sand martins were seen, a male wheatear was seen in the fields, yellow wagtail flew along the seawall, 2 pairs of common terns called noisily as they flew past, while Andy Field had a little tern and a pair of Mediterranean gulls at the Point. Earlier in the day a Mediterranean gull was seen feeding over a field with other gulls near the village shop.

At Ivy Dock a reed warbler was glimpsed in bushes by the dyke, 12 linnets also noted, 2 whimbrel flew off the saltings calling but no sign of any avocets on the Golfhouse pools. On the grazing fields 20 black-tailed godwits and 15 redshank roosted at high tide and a pair of oystercatchers look as if they may stick around to nest. A male white wagtail was feeding along the edge of the water in the field and a snipe was seen in flight.

On the park pond a male pochard and 12 tufted duck were the main ducks of interest, although the first young coot chicks this spring were seen. During the morning shower of rain, the female sparrowhawk sat in a hedgerow at the back of the pond, upsetting many of the other birds.

Common lizards can be found anywhere in the park especially where there's dead wood or on fenceposts amongst the long grass. These two (with a third one out of shot) were soaking up the afternoon sun on an old tree stump, just inside the park entrance with lots of traffic zooming close-by. Two adders were also seen in the afternoon near the park entrance in their usual spot.