Orchids in the Meadow
It looks set to be another good year for Orchids this summer. They are starting to appear up in the meadow with the Northern Marsh Orchids showing well. If you also happen to glance across the Flood Ground from the Campbell Hide or Avenue Tower then you will see lots of purple spikes appearing out there too. The Avenue Tower has been exceptional the past couple of days for flights of Swallows and House Martins, feeding on all the insects sheltering in the lee of the Sycamore trees. Down at Saltcot Merse Observatory there is a bumper gathering of newly fledged Starlings. Boy are they noisy! Our Oytsercather pair on Teal Pond hatched out four chicks in the end and have now moved off from this area what with the presence of the Grey Heron there most days.
High Tide: 11:45, 8.6m
Opening times:
10am - 5pm every day except Christmas Day
Around the reserve:
Wildflowers
Cuckoo Flower
Dog Violet
Bluebell
Red Campion
Marsh Marigold
Lesser Celandine
Greater Stitchwort
Bluebells
Ramsons
Hawthorn
Insects
Peacock Butterfly
Red Admiral Butterfly
Orange-tip Butterfly
Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly
Green-veined White Butterfly
Large White Butterfly
Small White Butterfly
Hawthorn Shieldbug
Buff tailed Bumblebee
White tailed Bumblebee
7-spot Ladybird
11-spot Ladybird
Large Red Damselfly
Blue-tailed Damselfly
Azure Damselfly
Common Blue Damselfly
Mammals
Badger
Fox
Otter
Brown Hare
Mole
Wood Mouse
Bank Vole
Field Vole
Weasel
Stoat
Pipistrelle Bat
Whooper Pond
Mallard 5
Mute Swan 1
Grey Heron 1
Folly Pond
Mallard 4
Gadwall 1
Teal 2
Black-tailed Godwit 10
Moorhen 2
Mute Swan 2
Grey Heron 1
Redshank 1
Teal Pond
Mute Swan 1 nesting
Moorhen 2
Swallows nesting
Avenue Tower
Barnacle Goose
Mallard
Wigeon
Gadwall
Oystercatcher now with chicks
Mute Swan with cygnets
Black-headed Gull - nesting
Lapwing with chicks
Longhorn Cattle 2
Saltcot Merse Observatory
Marsh Harrier
Buzzard
Mute Swan
Shelduck
Lapwing
Oystercatcher
Curlew
Little Egret
Linnet
Hebridean Sheep 12
Avenues & Feeders
(notable species)
Willow Warbler
Chiffchaff
Sedge Warbler
Blackcap
Garden Warbler
Reed Bunting
Sparrowhawk
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Robin
Blackbird
Chaffinch
Long-tailed Tit
Goldfinch
Greenfinch
House Sparrow
Tree Sparrow
Song Thrush
Great-spotted Woodpecker
Twitter & Facebook
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