Southwater Country Park - FREE HOT DRINK!!!

Southwater Country Park - Chilly Walk

Cripplegate Lake at Sunset

A quick walk around the Park this afternoon in bitterly cold conditions came up with a few birds of note:

14 Blackbird, 11 Robin, 4 Song Thrush, 3 Redwing, 5 Blue Tit, 20+ Coot, 8 Moorhen, 4 Mute Swan, 25+ Mallard, 39 BH Gull, 8 Magpie, 2 Carrion Crow, 6 Woodpigeon, 1 Goldfinch, 1 Wren and 18 Herring Gull (over SW).

Also of note whilst looking out for a couple of species I managed to find the larval signs of two flies. The leaf mine of Chromatomyia ramosa on Teasel and the gall caused by Myopites inulaedyssentericae on last years Common Fleabane seedheads.

Myopites inulaedyssentericae on Common Fleabane

Butterfly News

Purple Emperor - J. Glossop

The recent sunny weather has brought a feast of butterflies onto the wing. At Warnham LNR Jo Glossop our Wildlife Recorder was lucky enough to find this stunning Purple Emperor which was seen resting on a Poplar trunk during Tuesday morning. Also at Warnham there have been both Essex and Small Skippers seen on Mill Meadow and around the Dipping Ponds. Red Admiral, Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell are all around in good numbers and we have seen single White Admirals too.

Marbled White - S. Cocker

Meanwhile at Southwater Country Park another regular wildlife recorder Sue Cocker has managed to find our first Marbled Whites of the year with several now on the wing alongside the Quarry Lake. Ringlets, Meadow Browns and Small Tortoiseshells all appear to be having a good year at the Country Park too.

Ringlet - S. Cocker

It will be interesting to see if there are any more records of Purple Emperor at either Warnham or Southwater as both are sites be irregular recordings. Silver-washed Fritillaries are also being seen daily at Warnham LNR on the Butterfly Ride or Butterfly Corner.

Ringlet - J. Everitt