After a rather wet and wind few days during which it really felt like autumn had arrived (yesterday was, after all, the autumn equinox), today has seen a welcome return to blue skies and bright sunshine. Indeed, it looks like we could be in for several days of warm sunny weather this week - perfect for spotting some of the late insects still on the wing at Minsmere.
As i strolled around the North Bushes in the early afternoon sun at the end of my lunchtime walk, I was pleased to see four species of butterflies, three dragonflies and several hornets all feeding on the sugary blackberries or simply basking in the sun. Many visitors are surprised to see insects out in late September, but several species will remain active well into November on sunny days.
Common and ruddy darters were numerous, and there were a few migrant hawker dragonflies among them. These three dragonflies are all typical autumn insects. So, too, are red admiral butterflies, of which I saw at least six around the North Bushes trail, while there were several small coppers in the dunes. A small white stood out against the dark foliage and fruits of a bramble bush, but today's species of the week, the speckled wood, is much better camouflaged in the dappled woodland light.
Speckled woods are common and widespread butterflies. They have several generations over the course of the year, so can be seen from March through to October, making them one of our most frequently encountered butterflies - though easy to overlook for beginners as their brown wings with white speckles helps them to blend into their surroundings.
The North Bushes Trail is still attracting several migrant warblers, too, with sightings of whitethroats, blackcaps and chiffchaffs there today, as well as a number of robins singing their mournful autumn ditty.
At the opposite end of the North Wall, a lovely flock of four whinchats were flycatching from the tops of the willows in the reedbed. Nearby, small parties of bearded tits erupted from the reedbed this morning, with others between Wildlife Lookout and South Hide. Calm autumn mornings are always the best time to see these popular but elusive birds, so it would be worth arriving early this week, taking up a reedbed vantage point, and listening for their distinctive calls.
Bearded tit by Jon Evans
Elsewhere in the reedbed, there were sightings of hobbies, marsh harriers, water rails and grey herons today, and otters at Island Mere over thee weekend.
There was an autumnal feel to seawatching today, despite the calm conditions, as several brent geese were spotted flying past, along with an Arctic skua and a few gannets. A small flock of common scoters were resting on the sea, and both grey seal and harbour porpoise were spotted.
Other autumnal highlights included a good passage of meadow pipits overhead, with several settling on the Konik Field, and a couple rock pipits mixed in among them.
Meadow pipit by PJ Hewitt
On the Scrape, the highlight was a little stint, while other waders included greenshank, spotted redshanks, green and common sandpipers, a bar-tailed godwit and several dunlins, ringed plovers, snipe, lapwings and black-tailed godwits. An adult Mediterranean gull and immature little gull also popped onto East Scrape along with a small flock of black-headed gulls, while a yellow-legged gull was seen yesterday. Four pintails were aslo seen among the large numbers of teals, wigeons and gadwalls.