I thought i'd start this week's blog with a couple of photos from our moth trap which we set last night at the reserve- although at this time of year the trap is quite quiet, with fewer moths than during high summer, the range of species changes and it can be really interesting to see species that have camouflage especially suited to the fallen leaves and rustic colours of autumn. The star of the show was the scarce Dewick's plusia, a beautiful little moth that resembles a silver Y, but is smaller, with a different white marking on the side set within a lovely coppery-coloured panel: Photo credit: Dewick's plusia by Heidi JonesThis moth, like the silver Y, is a migrant so it was a bit of a surprise to see such a smart one find it's way into our trap! It's possible that Dewick's plusia, like many other species of insect, now take part in 'transitory breeding' which bolsters the UK's numbers- once migrants reach our shores, if early enough in the year, they themselves can breed here and produce a second generation. Their caterpillars feed on yarrow, wormwood, common nettle and chamomile so it's quite possible that this early autumn insect hatched here in the UK. Other delights in the trap included a couple of angle shades (see below), two frosted orange (another late summer-autumn species), a large wainscot, several burnished brass and a blood-vein. Large yellow underwing, a few snout and lots of setaceous hebrew character (probably the commonest moth last night) made up the rest of the cast. Photo credit: Angle shades by Heidi JonesIn terms of bird life, hobbies have been a big attraction this week- on 9 September an adult with a juvenile were seen hunting together over the Visitor Centre, feeding on the abundance of dragonflies, whilst another adult and two juveniles delighted visitors on 11 September- the two youngsters alternated between sitting in a tall willow across the river north of Brandon Fen and darting through the air, as their hardworking parents caught dragonflies very efficiently for them. The family were viewable at a distance from the riverbank footpath at lunchtime and at one point the adult did a marsh harrier-style food pass where she relinquished a dragonfly to a begging youngster! Also on the Washland this week have been two pintail (10 September), up to twelve wigeon (10 September), lots of shoveler, gadwall and mallard. If you do head up to the Washland Viewpoint and along the public footpath up there, keep an eye out for wheatear as we had our first of the autumn recorded on 4 September, on the footpath just above New Fen. Other migrants include several yellow wagtail in flight passing over the reserve in recent days, and we have had odd swallow, sand martin, swift and house martin up in the ether too! Our cranes have been extremely popular in recent weeks, partly due to them being easier to see lately than usual- now this years' young have fledged, family groups are more mobile and seeing them in flight is a distinct possibility for any visitors that venture down to Joist Fen. As of 9 September, it seems as if our family of four (who nested nearby) have left the reserve but the five (who consist of our two breeding pairs and the fledged chick of one of the pairs) are still coming in to roost here at night and feeding in the local area during the daytime. 10 September yielded no sightings, and at some point the birds are likely to leave us to overwinter in the stubble fields at the Ouse Washes, so watch this space! While cranes might get trickier to see, one of our star birds should do the opposite now- bearded tits- as family parties move around the reserve feeding on reed seeds which will be ripening in the coming weeks. Look out for them crossing the path in front of you or drifting through the tops of the reedbeds surrounding you, during a walk down the hard track through the centre of the reserve.There has still been good numbers of dragonflies on the wing, especially common darter, ruddy darter and emperor dragonfly. Willow emerald damselflies are here in good numbers, but are always very understated and tricky to spot unless you see them in flight first- and they do tend to sit and wait for warmer days before they take to the wing! They are commonest in the nettles and scrub around the Visitor Centre and along the path to the Photography Station.
Flowering plants are quite thin on the ground at the moment, though common stork's bill and evening primrose brighten up patches of grassland here and there, but the reeds themselves are currently in flower! You may not think of the reeds as 'flowering' in the conventional sense, but the common reed (Phragmites australis) does flower in an understated way- it is pollinated not by insects but by the wind, in common with many grasses, sedges and tree species, so the flowers do not need to be particularly showy. All that needs to happen is for the reeds to all flower simultaneously, and for the anthers (male parts) and the stigmas (female parts) to hang outside the flowers- catching the breeze and enabling the transfer of pollen. The reed flower-clusters (or inflorescences) are a deep purple in colour and looking their best right now. In a few weeks time, as the leaves turn from green to golden brown, so will the flowers turn to seed heads- and this is what the bearded tits and reed buntings will feast on!
As usual, here's a quick update on our facilities, the main difference from last week being that from Monday 14th September we hope Mere Hide will be open once again:Car Park and Trails - open from dawn until dusk, daily
Accessible toilet - open from 9am to 5pm daily
Visitor Centre - closed, but our Welcome Point which is outside and COVID-secure, is staffed from 9am to 5pm daily
Refreshments - available in takeaway format from outside the Visitor Centre, 9am to 5pm daily
With best wishes for the week ahead,Heidi (Visitor Experience Officer, RSPB Lakenheath Fen)