BRENT COMING BACK

The brent geese are becoming a regular sight at the country park, since the first ones were seen a fortnight ago. This flock of 100 were on the sea beside the Point early morning on Thursday 8th.

Also at the Point was a group of 80 avocets waiting on the last bit of mud to be covered by the incoming tide. A yellowhamer and a lesser redpoll were heard flying over while 20 linnets were feeding in the sea-blite bushes.

At the end of the day a marsh harrier flew over the Point on its way towards the Langenhoe roost.

The pair of kestrels were enjoying the morning sunshine on Thursday as they perched by their nestbox at the back of the grazing fields. A sparrowhawk was seen over the park in the afternoon.

Numbers of wigeon in the fields have been gradually increasing with 300 now present, along with 300+ teal.
The kingfisher flew along the edge of the beach from the Point, then flying over the seawall and perching briefly by the dyke on Thursday.

At the park pond five shoveler and three gadwall were seen on Thursday, the first gadwall returned after the summer break just a couple of days earlier. Twenty-five siskin flew away from the alders where they had been feeding for a while. Two lesser redpolls flew over calling heading west.

There seemed a few more smaller birds around the park on Thursday than of late such as eight chiffchaffs, 3 blackcaps and five goldcrests.

At least a hundred curlew were roosting /feeding in the grass field to the west of the park on Tuesday 5th.

At the park on Monday 4th a marsh harrier flew along the foreshore eastwards, 5 swallows passed over as did ten siskin while in the fields the second Cetti's warbler sang from the central ditch and 3 snipe were seen.

Near Rewsalls farm a big flock of 200 meadow pipits were seen by Martin Cock and Andy Field on Wednesday 8th, while nearby a handful of siskins were feeding in alders by the vineyard.

This little bunny came out to nibble the grass in front  of the hide on Thursday 8th. Plenty of rabbits around the park.

One of the striking of autumn moths is the merveille du jour, this one pictured above came to the trap at the park during the night of Sunday 4th. It was one of 130 moths of 23 species, a better catch than some recent nights. Despite being generally widespread, the merveille du jour isn't a common moth at the park and has only been recorded once before.

The dusky lemon sallow makes an annual appearance usually just the once, occasionally on a couple of nights in the autumn. The larvae feed on elm.

The flounced chestnut is another moth that is recorded just the once or twice in the autumn. Two came to the trap on Sunday 4th. The larvae feed on the leaves of various deciduous tree species.
Also noted were orange sallow, silver-Y, white-point, 12 L-album wainscots with fifty lunar underwings being the most numerous.

The moth trap on the 6th October produced just under 100 moths of 17 species including barred sallow, sallow, mallow, autumnal rustic, green-brindled crescent, dark chestnut and brindled green.