Recent Wildlife Sightings 13th - 19th July
Highlights: Purple Hairstreak, Spotted Redshank, Green Sandpiper, Beautiful Demoiselle
We emerged from the torrential downpours of last week to bright sunshine and sweltering heat - much more characteristic of the season we're in. Butterflies and bees alike were overjoyed at the arrival of summer weather, while some uncommon waders took advantage of the shallower lagoons.
Highlights: Purple Hairstreak, Spotted Redshank, Green Sandpiper, Beautiful Demoiselle
In Millennium Wetlands, one lucky photographer managed to capture a Purple Hairstreak resting on a low hanging flower. Although not too uncommon across the UK, these butterflies are scarcely seen due to flying high in the canopy of their favoured Oak trees to feed on honeydew. On the rare occasions that they do flutter down, the deep purple of their upperwings is often not seen when they land, so the pale streak and orange eyespot on their underwings are the key features to look out for.
From Michael Powell Hide, several Spotted Redshank popped in last weekend to feed in the remaining water of the lagoon. One of these was in its smart summer plumage, with a striking black body and head, and neat white spots along its wings. These visitors were just stopping off to refuel on their journey back to Africa, but there's a chance we'll see more turn up now that their return passage has begun.
A few sightings of Green Sandpiper on Freshwater Lagoon have been made in recent weeks. In some cases, Common Sandpiper have been seen feeding alongside their Green cousins, making identification much easier - their spotted dark backs stand in contrast to the evenly toned feathers of Common Sandpiper, along with a lack of sharp white shoulder patch that appears on the Common species.
The aptly named Beautiful Demoiselle has been showing off its dazzling iridescent colours in Millennium Wetlands this week. These large damselflies are often mistaken for dragonflies, but their striking features mean there is only one other species they could be confused for. Indeed, the Banded Demoiselle is another damselfly that sports an identical colour scheme on its body, but has a dark spot on each of their otherwise translucent wings. Look out for both of these impressive invertebrates along water channels across the reserve.
Featured Photo Credit: Jessica Crumpton
