Summer months.. where are you?
After the deluges of last week, (rain rain go away come again another day) on Friday it brightened up and the wildlife took centre stage.
With the weather brightening up and the warmth bulding, there has been the emergence of
fresh looking butterflies; in addition to last week’s browns, ringlet and speckled wood have joined the roll call. Peacock butterflies are splendid at the moment and all three skippers have been reported (large, small and Essex
peacock butterfly © Greg Veness |
What a site
A broad-bordered bee hawkmoth feeding on viper’s bugloss was one photographer’s highlight, and a nice record.
broad-bordered bee hawkmoth © Bob Chappell |
Despite the wet weather the insects have been making lackford lakes their home. Numbers of dragonflies such as hairy and - new this week – emperor dragonflies are increasing. Brown butterflies such as gatekeeper and meadow brown are in evidence for the first time along with small copper and skipper. A notable event is the nesting of tree bumblebees in the Double Decker hide – please take care if using this hide
Flashes of blue
In the bird world the kingfishers have fledged, adults and juveniles can be spotted all around lackford. (good spot is the Double Decker hide) Look out for that flash of bright blue across the water, they are such a stunning bird to watch and with the sunny weather on the way the sun makes them even more beautiful.
kingfisher © Stephen Whayman |
kingfisher © Stephen Whayman |
The sound of summer
The turtle dove is a dainty dove, its smaller and dark than a collared dove and slightly larger than a black bird. The upperparts are mottled with chesnut and black and its black tail has a white edge. The purr of a turtle dove is the sound of summer and its amazing that one was spotted on the wire along our church walk path.
turtle dove © Rich Berry |
Turtle dove © Jonny Rankin
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Family fun
A day trip to lackford lakes is perfect for the family to connect with nature, pop into the visitor centre where you can pick up one of our spotter sheets (see how many species you can spot)
On saturday 9th July we have, Summer birds & butterfly ID.
Explore lackford lakes with local birder and butterfly
enthusiast, Paul Holness, and learn to observe and identify the great
variety of species.
A chance to spend a relaxed and informative day learning new
identification skills or brushing up on those you already have. The
wide variety of habitats at Lackford encourages a great range of bird
and butterfly species and you will have the opportunity to see and hear a
good number of both. This day is suitable for beginners and those with
less experience. Booking is essential for this event so please visit our website for more details. http://www.suffolkwildlifetrust.org/lackfordlakes
It was Naturally Art this weekend with our nature inspired art weekend for 5-10 year olds. This week there was an under the sea feel to it and was enjoyed as always by all who attended. If you would like your child to get involved, then book them onto our next session on the 10th Sept
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