MORE MARCH MOTHING

Although the sun shone again on Monday 10th, there was a chill in the wind from the north. This peacock butterfly enjoyed the morning warmth whilst sheltering from the wind behind a bush in the country park. A small tortoiseshell was also seen at the park fluttering around some blackthorn blossom.

Also enjoying Monday's sunshine were 2 adders, 2 grass-snakes and a common lizard.

There was the colourful sight on Sunday 9th of this brimstone butterfly flying around the overflow car park area. It has never been a common sight at the park in past years with none seen last year. Also on the wing on Sunday were a peacock and small tortoiseshell.
Reptiles seen during the day included two grass-snakes and at least two adders near the car park.

The moth trapping has continued at the park for a sixth night in succession, making the most of the settled and dry weather. Compared with previous March moth trapping sessions, this first week of the month this year has been the most productive with fifty individuals being noted on a couple of nights and even eighty moths logged on Sunday night.
This red chestnut pictured above has been noted on a few recent nights, a common moth whose larvae feed on dock.

The first early grey of the spring pictured above, was also in the trap on Monday morning, another regular spring moth, whose foodplant is honeysuckle.

The twin-spotted quaker with its distinctive pair of dark spots on each wing, was noted for the first time this spring too during the Sunday night session.

Three engrailed moths were found resting on the side of the nearby building rather than inside the trap.

Birds of note at the park on Monday were a marsh harrier flying low over the fields which helped to stir up the flocks of wigeon, teal and other smaller flocks of waders and wildfowl. The kestrel was perched on its nest-site tree at the back of the fields while earlier in the day a sparrowhawk was mobbed away by a family of the crows.

On the pond two pairs of pochard, ten tufted duck, six gadwall and three noisy little grebes were noted in the afternoon. A Mediterranean gull flew over the park in the morning calling and the lapwings were displaying over the fields.

Birds seen on Sunday included the lone snow bunting on the Point in the morning enjoying the beach before the mass of visitors descended on the area. A common buzzard flew north west over the fields and pond in the morning, presumably a passage bird. A sparrowhawk flew past the hide late in the morning.

On the grazing fields 5 snipe, 400 wigeon, 200 teal, 50 redshank, 50 curlew, 20 shelduck, 30 black-tailed godwits were some of the birds seen on Sunday morning.