Recent Sightings 26th March-1st April
Highlights: Lapwing Nesting, Swallows, Slow Worms, Speckled Wood Butterfly, Green Woodpecker
British Steel Hide
The Saline Lagoons seem relatively quite after the high tides last week, but close by over on Dafen Scrapes large flocks of around 700 Black-tailed Godwits, over 200 Redshank have been seen resting and feeding; the female Long-tailed duck continues to been seen briefly in-between diving also.
Freshwater Lagoon
On the lagoon islands 5 Mediterranean gulls have been seen in amongst the Black-headed gulls.
This past week saw the Sand Martin speakers reinstalled onto the artificial nesting bank, sand martins like to nest in colonies so the sound of other martins will entice them in. They have been seen flying across both the grounds and reserve, and are showing an interest in the nesting bank area at dawn and dusk when the speakers have been playing.
Millennium Wetlands
The reserve team have been preparing the reptile refugia for the upcoming surveying to start and whilst doing so the following have been observed: Slow worms, Grass snake, a Common Toad, a juvenile Newt, a Common Shrew and a Water Shrew.
Butterflies are starting to show around the reserve, with Speckled Wood and Brimstone spotted.
Most of the bird action on the reserve seems to be taking place on Deep Water Lake this week with the first Swallows of the year being spotted in amongst the Sand Martins flying over the reserve and showing well feeding over the lake; whilst the Kingfisher pair continue to be spotted around a potential nesting bank; meanwhile a handful of Lapwing appear to be sitting on nests on the cockle beds of the lake; and the Black-headed Gulls have been observed bringing in nesting materials and mating.
A Green Woodpecker was spotted in the Northern Loop, and further along on the Reedbed edges a Greenfinch was seen performing a display flight.
Work on the reserve this week included the spring cut of the wildflower meadow near Hopkin's Folly, this is to ensure any grasses and rushes do not become dominant and take over before the wildflowers have chance to bloom. Wildflowers such as Cowslip, Knapweed, Common Whitlow Grass, and Yarrow are starting to leaf across the site, a promising sign that those warm summer days aren't far off!
