Cudworth Moths

It was a good night last night with temperatures not falling below 12c. The most colourful and interesting are featured below.

                                      Figure of 80

                                    Lime Hawk Moth

                                   Maiden's Blush

                                   The Seraphim

                                    Spruce Carpet

Carlton Marsh & Littleworth Park - Monk Bretton

2 adult Mute Swans were on the scrape with Greylag and Canada geese.

Our wildlife group was busy mowing and strimming  around the car park this morning. 

Littleworth Park

Buterflies today included 1 Painted Lady, 1 Comma, 37 Small Heath, 20 Common Blue, 2 Holly Blue and 5 Small Copper.

Also 7 Burnet Companion, 4 Silver Y and 3  Mother Shipton Moths.

8 Smooth Newts and a dead Hedgehog were found (Chris Parkin).

Carlton Marsh & Ferrymoor Flash

Carlton Marsh

Not a great deal about today aside from the usual. Cetti's and buntings were flying back and forth across the hide pond many times. Male GS Woodpecker arrived at 08:20 to the right of the hide chirping away for 5 minutes. Managed to bag a shot of a Reed warbler below. Also found a Snakefly, first time we've ever seen one. We did hear Treecreepers behind the double bench by the meadow but couldn't get eyes on them (Phil Bulpin).

Just outside the recording area on Royston Road, a Barn Owl was hunting a st aside field at 09.15hrs (per JP). 

 

  Snakefly species - A new species for the reserve

                                           Reed Warbler

Ferrymoor Flash  

Oystercatcher, 2 Cormorants and Great Crested Grebe (CG).

 

Cudworth Common

On the flashes 2 Reed Warblers, 2 Cetti's Warblers and 3 Willow warblers. 

Carlton Marsh Wildfowl Counts

15 Greylags and young, 72 Canada Geese, 6 Gadwall, 10 Mallard, 2 Tufted Duck, 4 Coot, 1 Mute Swan, Kingfisher, 3 Grey Heron.

Also recorded Greenfinch, Great Spot Woodpecker, Long-tailed Tit family and Red-legged Partridge. 

Carlton Marsh

Despite the cool overcast weather a few insects were found. 1 Red Admiral, 3 Peacock, 3 Common Blue, 6 Small Copper, 7 Orange-tip (2f), 3 Burnet Companion and 1 Mother Shipton Moth. 

Also 6 Smooth Newts (Chris Parkin)

                                               Small Copper

                                        Common Blue

Woolley

Although it was cool again at least 6 species of butterfly were seen. 1 Wall Brown, 1 Painted Lady, 3 Small Heath, 1 Common Blue, 1 Small Copper and 7 Orange-tips (3 females).

Early indications over the past week suggest that this year may be a Painted Lady year (Chris Parkin).

Earlier in the week a Red Kite drifted over The Grove in Cudworth on Tuesday 12th May (Bob Embleton). 

Carlton Marsh Update 7-5-26

         Cuckoo photographed by Harold Heath & Clive Mitchell

This bird has been very obliging of late. It just shows how scarce it's getting in some areas, a chap came up from Derbyshire the other day looking to photograph it, as there were none in his neck of the woods. I'm pleased to say he did get some good photos.

Carlton Marsh

 LRP and 2 Red-legged Partridge and an adult LBB Gull wader scrape area.

Also 1 Swift over, a Cuckoo sang, a Canada Goose had 4 new very small young + 38 on adjacent fields and 3 Lapwings.

Insects included 9 Peacock, 6 Speckled Wood, 18 Orange-tip, 2 Large White, 20 White sp, 5 Dingy Skipper, and 5 Small Copper. Also 4 Burnet Companion on the western meadow. (K. Bannister/C. Parkin/CG)

Carlton Marsh

 A quiet day with just Great Spotted Woodpecker, Whitethroat, Jay and Reed Bunting reported (Phil Bulpin).

 

A teneral damselfly probably Azure (P. Bulpin)

Male Kingfisher yesterday (P. Bulpin)
 

Carlton Marsh

A Common Sandpiper was on the wader scrape with broods of 7 & 2 Mallard (CG).

2 Oystercatchers flew north at 14.05hrs (Geoff Miller).

Littleworth Park - Monk Bretton

This year's first Painted Lady and Small Heath. 

Also 2 Holly Blue, 1 Small Copper and 28 Squash Shield Bugs (Chris Parkin). 

Carlton Marsh

The overnight rain raised the water levels in the wader scrape reducing the potential for wading birds, However, a Lapwing and a Common Sandpiper were seen this morning (K. Bannister).

Later a Cuckoo sang briefly, a little Egret flew north and 6 Swallows were feeding. Also present Great Spot Woodpecker, a Red-legged Partridge sang along with 3 Sedge Warblers, 3 Reed Buntings and c12 Reed Warblers (C. Parkin/CG).

 

 Bark Sac Spider (Clubiona corticalis )in the hide (CG) 

Long-jawed Orb-weaver Spider (Tetragnatha montata) on the hide (CG)

 A Fox was on the prowl in the western Meadow 

Carlton Marsh

A Little Ringed Plover, a Lapwing and a drake Shoveler were on the wader scrape with the Canada Geese (k. Bannister/M. Littlewood).

A Little Egret flew north. 

Elsewhere 12 Reed Warblers sang along with 1 Sedge Warbler, 12 Blackcaps, 6 Blackbirds, 4 Cetti's warblers, 2 Lesser Whitethroats, 4 Whitethroats, several Chiffchaffs and a Red-legged Partridge.

Insects included 2 Holly Blue, 1 Dingy Skipper and at least 3 Green Longhorn Moths (Adela reaumurella) which are new for this site (CG).

 

Green Longhorn Moth (Adela reaumurella) CG

 Watch on full screen 

Carlton Marsh

2 Avocets, 1 LRP and 2 Red-legged Partridges at wader scrape 08.15hrs (K. Bannister).

A Sparrowhawk was caught on camera bathing in one of the western meadow ponds (H. Heath/C. Mitchell)

Photos of male Sparrowhawk by Harold Heath & Clive Mitchell 

  

Storrs Mill, Cudworth

A Red Kite drifted south towards Edderthorpe Flash at 12.20hrs, and earlier 10 Swifts were flying around Stanley Street, Darfield Road, Cudworth (CG).

 

South Kirkby Industrial Estate

Coot with 3 young, Mallard with 3 young.

 

Also 41 Dingy Skipper, 17 Brimstone, 2 Small Copper, 2 Holly Blue, , 26 Orange-tip and 4 Mother Shipton moths (Chris Parkin),