Cuckoo, Lesser Whitethroat, Grasshopper Warbler, and some tiny Tawny Owlets
Warblers, warblers, warblers…
We’re going Cuckoo over this week’s sightings!
Wildlife Sightings at WWT Llanelli from 21st – 27th April 2025
Highlights: Cuckoo, Lesser Whitethroat, Grasshopper Warbler, Tawny Owlet
The first Cuckoo of the year arrived on Tuesday, making itself known with its iconic call, shouting its own name all across the Millennium Wetlands . A notorious brood parasite, the Cuckoo lays its egg in the nest of another bird, often that of a Meadow Pipit or Dunnock. When the Cuckoo chick hatches, it will push all of the other eggs out of the nest, leaving its ‘mother’ with only one mouth to feed. The adoptive parent will continue to feed the Cuckoo for two weeks after it has left the nest, despite the chick being twice its size. Adult Cuckoos will leave the UK to return to Africa in June, with the fledgling chicks leaving later in the year. Despite their childcare strategy, Cuckoos are a Red List species – globally threatened, with declining breeding populations in the UK.
More ‘firsts’ of the year this week have been the Lesser Whitethroats , alongside Grasshopper Warblers and Sedge Warblers ! The Grasshopper Warbler is a particularly interesting visitor, thanks to its namesake song. Not only does it sound like a grasshopper, but it moves like one too – creeping through dense grassland where it nests in the undergrowth.
The newest and most adorable arrivals to the Millennium Wetlands this week have been a clutch of Tawny Owl chicks! Found during our nest box surveys, the Reserve Team were overjoyed – and overcome by their cuteness! Tawny Owls stay relatively small all their lives, and are only as big as a Wood Pigeon, so their diet tends to consist of small prey like mice and other rodents.
Remember the Meadow Pipits that the Cuckoos love to hire as babysitters? Well, they’ve been busy out on the Saltmarsh parachute displaying! Their fabulous courtship flight involves them flying high into the air before spreading their wings and gliding back down to earth. Keep an eye out from the Michael Powell or British Steel Hides to catch a glimpse of their aerial acrobatics.
Last but certainly not least of the birds, Friday saw a number of Whimbrel gathered on the Saline Lagoon. Easily heard before they are seen, Whimbrels produce a ‘seven-whistle’ call, which helps to distinguish them from the similarly looking Curlew.
In other wildlife news, the Hairy Dragonflies are out and about, darting across the waters of the Millennium Wetlands. If you look to the water's edge, you might also see a beautiful yellow Flag Iris standing out amongst the greenery for the dragonflies to land on.
Featured Photo Credit: Russ Myners
