Farewell summer flowers, hello more shoveller, gadwall and teal
This entry is the text from Paul Steven’s Wildlife Sightings column for Oct 8 edition of the Chichester Observer, Littlehampton Gazette and the Worthing Herald.
Last week the sunshine brought out the insects around the reserve. On my Sunday walk I note that most plants have gone to seed but there are still little surprises of colour against the brown pallette of the autumn. Purple puffs of creeping thistle are sparse now along the pathways. I spot a common carder bee hunting for nectar deep into the bright white trumpets of bindweed flowers. Another bee nectars on light blue field scabious flowers in our butterfly garden. A small tortoiseshell butterfly perches on tight cluster of tiny pink flowers on the head of hemp-agrimony in the wildlife garden. White umbrellas of angelica still flower in front of the windows of the Ramsar hide. These have yet to face the seasonal cut.
We cut back growth in select areas of the reserve in autumn to stop any one type of wildflower from dominating the site over time, promoting biodiversity in our plant life on site. Last week I called a halt to the strimmers that were cutting the wet grassland when I came across an elephant hawkmoth caterpillar feeding on willow herb. This caterpillar will soon pupate, spending the winter in a chrysalis on or close to the ground before emerging as a chunky pink and khaki moth next spring.
The little grebe was fishing near the boat jetty earlier this morning. These small water birds are excellent swimmers and dive for fish and insects. The weather has now turned but the rain has brought large numbers of shoveller and gadwall into the scrapes and ponds. I count 20 shoveller, 72 gadwall, 21 teal and a grey heron on the water between the Ramsar and Sand Martin hides. A few snipe are hiding in the sedge along the pool edges near the Lapwing hide.
In the long ditch by the main pathway I spot a shoal of roach that have gathered into a tight group, bumping and sliding along. Have they sensed a predator and closed ranks feeling there is safety in numbers? I see a kingfisher on a fly by as I walk the reedbed boardwalk so they are right to be afraid.
