It may seem strange to be focusing on an insect as this week's star species, giving that it is now mid October, but there are still goon numbers of this and several insects flying at Minsmere. The autumn sun has made for a very pleasant day today, and the insects have certainly been out in force as a result, especially the dragonflies.
It comes as a surprise to many people to see dragonflies and butterflies flying so late in the year, but in fact this is typical for several species. Speckled wood and small copper butterflies can still be on the wing at least until late October, while migrants such as red admiral, painted lady and clouded yellow may arrive on favourable southerly winds, or gather on our coasts ready to migrate back south. Last night was also a great night for moth trappers, with a lot of migrant moths being attracted to light traps, including at least one new species for Minsmere.
Common and ruddy darter and migrant hawker dragonflies also typically fly well into the autumn, and can be numerous even into November. Damselflies, however, have finished flying for the year, with one notable exception: willow emerald damselflies.
Willow emerald damselfly by Sean Nixon
Willow emerald damselflies were first recorded breeding in the UK for the first time as recently as 2009, just a few miles south of Minsmere on the Suffolk coast. In the last ten years their population has increased rapidly and they've colonised many new areas in Eastern England, but Suffolk remains a key stronghold. They typically emerge later than many other insects, and numbers peak in early autumn, but it's not unusual to see them still flying in November.
Unlike most dragonflies and damselflies, they do not lay their eggs in water, but instead insert them below the bark of willow branches overhanging water. It's possible to watch this behaviour at Minsmere, where the best places to see them are around the pond and in the ditches between Wildlife Lookout and South Belt Crossroads.
Mating willow emeralds by Ian Barthorpe
Willow emeralds may initially look similar to the closely related common emerald damselfly, with which they share the distinctive behaviour of landing with their wings half open, rather than folded back along the body as in other damselflies or perpendicular to the body as in dragonflies. This leads to their alternative English name of western willow spreadwing. Apart from characteristically being seen perched in trees, the most distinctive feature of willow emeralds is the white pterostigma - that's the name for the spot near the outer edge of the wing, as seen in the photo above. The pterostigma is black in all other UK damselflies.
Whilst looking for willow emeralds near Wildlife Lookout, keep your eyes and ears open for some of our more elusive reedbed birds, too. Cetti's warblers, bearded tits and water rails are all regularly heard nearby, as well as at South Hide and Island Mere. Bitterns are becoming less elusive at Island Mere this week, with at least one bird taking to fishing just outside the hide. Whilst you're waiting for it to appear, keep checking the island itself, where the cattle egrets continues to put in regular appearances, especially in late afternoon, alongside cormorants and grey herons. At least two great white egrets remain in the reedbed, too, both being seen in North Marsh today, and otters continue to be seen at least once every day.
The first year male ferruginous duck remains in the pool behind South Hide, often in company with gadwalls, wigeons and mute swans. On the Scrape, teal numbers have now exceeded 1400, easily outnumbering the other ducks, such as wigeon, gadwall, shoveler, shelduck and mallard. A green sandpiper is still on West Scrape, up to four avocets on East Scrape and a few lapwings, snipe and black-tailed godwits remain.
The other scarce birds seen this week have been yellow-browed warblers, with up to three birds present yesterday, including one that showed well for a few minutes at the pond, and two that were heard near the Work Centre. One was heard near North Hide this afternoon. Potentially even more exciting was the report of a Pallas's warbler int he dunes near East Hide last night.
Other small birds to look out for this week include goldcrests, bullfinches, redwings and fieldfares around the North Bushes, a brambling around the Visitor Centre, meadow pipits, linnets and a rock pipit around South Scrape and the dunes, and two Dartford warblers in the dunes north of the sluice.
Fieldfare by Jon Evans
Offshore, there are regular reports of gannets, red-throated divers, brent geese and common scoters, as well as occasion great skuas and common or Sandwich terns.
Finally, we now have up to 5000 starlings roosting in the evening, in the reedbed behind South Hide. This is a big enough flock to put on a bit of a show, but not enough to drop everything and stay late for just yet, You may, however, want to head out to Westleton Heath in the evenings to watch the red deer rut - ask at the visitor centre for directions, but hurry as the action will be finishing in about a week.
Well, relatively still.
At least they sit still then Clare!
Trust you to capture the damselflies mating, Ian! Lovely photo.