Well it’s been a very busy start to August with lots of people completing big butterfly counts on the reserve. Big butterfly count identification charts were flying out the Visitor Centre and well done to everyone that took part and downloaded their sightings.
Peacock butterfly - one of many counted over the last couple of weeks.
As well as counting butterflies, Jan and the children have been getting ‘Crafty with nature’ on Tuesdays. They have been producing lots of nature themed works of art, including little tern and fish mobiles, clay bugs and beasties, and weaving willow. The weathers been lovely, so we’ve had the gazebo up for a bit of shade and we’ve been picnicking in between creating our artwork.
We’ve found lots of beasties in our pond whilst ‘Pond dipping’ on Thursdays. Arline has been helping the children identify dragonfly and damselfly larvae, diving beetles, midge larvae, great diving beetle larvae, backswimmers, pond skaters, water boatmen, pond and ramshorn snails, everybody’s favourite – newts, and much more.
Ray has been continuing to take ‘A walk on the wild side’ and introduce people to our wonderful reserve and some of its inhabitants.
And on Saturday morning I joined the Warden when he opened up the moth trap to reveal 91 different species of moth! Amongst them were an enormous poplar hawkmoth, a very pretty canary-shouldered thorn and a gorgeous garden tiger. However the star of the show was the brilliant master of camouflage, the buff-tip, which looked exactly like a small broken silver birch twig. We have another moth event on September 12th to coincide with ‘National Moth Night’ – I have already cleared my diary to ensure I’ll be joining the Warden for that one too!
Canary-shouldered thorn
Discovering a new friend - poplar hawkmoth
Garden tiger
The master of disguise! Buff-tip
With the balmy summer evenings you might like to join The Friends of Pagham Harbour for drinks and nibbles as the sun goes down over the harbour. Everybody is welcome - see our events guide for the ‘Salthouse Sundown’, and if you are new to birding and want to get some tips on bird identification we also have our first ‘Birding for beginners’ this month.