LAST OF THE SUMMER-TIME

A few butterflies were making the most of the last of British summer time with this small copper enjoying the sunshine at the country park on Saturday 29th.
Other butterflies noted / reported were a clouded yellow, two speckled woods, red admiral and a small white.

At least ten common darters were also seen at the park in various locations, this male resting on an old tree trunk on the beach.

Wildfowl enjoyed the balmy autumn weather with 80+ greylag geese, some pictured above, also the four white-fronted geese still present, 300 brent geese and 1500+ wigeon too.
Offshore 5 common scoter, 6 red-breasted mergansers and 6 great crested grebes were feeding in the flat calm sea.

On the park 40 goldfinches flew out of the alders, 25 linnets in the grazing fields, 2 redpolls, one siskin and a yellowhammer were heard calling in flight over the park.

Birds seen on Sunday 30th included the same five common scoter still offshore from the park and 30 little egrets at the park pond.
A kingfisher was seen near the Oyster Fishery and 14 marsh harriers and a merlin on Langenhoe by Steve Entwistle on Sunday afternoon.

Night-time temperatures crept up on Friday night and resulted in 75 moths in the trap at the park by the next morning. The most interesting was this Cypress carpet, only the second record for the park but a species that is spreading across the county, so no doubt more sightings here next year.

Half of the catch was made up by lots of November Moth sps with over 40 being noted, so certainly the peak night for them. Also noted was yellow-line quaker, beaded chestnut, green-brindled crescent, large yellow underwing, setaceous Hebrew character and mallow.