Saturday 14 April 2018

PROSPECTING SHELDUCK

Small groups of shelduck have been checking out rabbit burrows in the fields for nesting, such as this pair near the park pond.

Eight shelduck have been seen in the park's grazing fields in recent days.

A dark silhouette of a brambling seen through the tangle of branches of the trees near the park hide on a dull Friday 13th. It was only seen for a period in mid morning along with a few chaffinches before flying off.
Also at the park on Friday a singing willow warbler, 4 blackcaps, chiffchaff, while on the pond were 4 pochard and on the fields were 25+ teal, 20 shoveler and 2 black-tailed godwits.


On Thursday 12th at the park 3 willow warblers singing for the second day near the pond, 2 chiffchaffs, 4 blackcaps in reedmace while on the fields 2 black-tailed godwits were feeding.


Three willow warblers were singing at the park on Wednesday 11th and also a lesser whitethroat rattling briefly late morning. Eight blackcaps were seen and heard at the park, a group of five feeding in the reedmace at the pond and also a reed bunting for the second day here. Twenty siskins fed in the alders near the pond, a goldcrest was near the hide and the Cetti's warbler was singing loudly. Three pochard were on the pond. Four great crested grebes were offshore from the park at high tide.


A swallow flew over the park fields on Tuesday 10th, the second sighting at the park this spring. Also on the fields were 200 brent geese, 70 redshank, 50 curlew, one black-tailed godwit and 5 nesting lapwing. At the park pond 5 blackcap, reed bunting and 3 pochard.

A muntjac deer was seen walking along the back of the park pond on Wednesday 11th.
In a field near Chapmans Lane a brown hare was seen on Friday 13th.

The moth trap at the park caught 70 moths of 10 species on the night of Tuesday 10th. A locally uncommon blossom underwing was the most interesting species.


One early grey moth was recorded-  a typical early spring species in ones and twos

A satellite moth was trapped on the night of the 11th.

A fading twin-spotted quaker still showing the black twin-spots on each wing.
Most of the moths trapped recently have been a mix of common quakers and small quakers.

Five red chestnut moths were trapped on the 11th.
Other moths noted over the two nights were chestnut, Hebrew character, March moth and clouded drab.

Apart from the moths at the trap, this great silver diving beetle was a noteworthy discovery in the trap on Tuesday 10th.

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