Sand Martin, Pheasant, Pochard, and a slithering Grass Snake
The temperature has once again taken a plunge, but the sun shines on
Spring birdsong has begun to fill each morning – come on down and have a listen!
Wildlife Sightings at WWT Llanelli from 11th – 16th March 2025
Highlights: Sand Martin, Pheasant, Pochard, Grass Snake
A summer visitor to the UK, the Sand Martin is a member of the swallow family, and the smallest of them in Britain! Small but mighty, the Sand Martin digs burrows of up to a metre long in sand banks, in which they lay a clutch of four to five eggs. Over on Freshwater Lagoon, you may notice a large metal structure with holes across the face. This is our artificial bank, built to encourage nesting using a large speaker playing Sand Martin calls. We hope to have the speaker up and running again soon, ready for the summer. Despite having a purpose-built bank for them, the two sand martins spotted on Tuesday were actually flying over Deep Water Lake instead of Freshwater Lagoon.
Out on the Saltmarsh, a female Pheasant was seen sneaking through the dry grass this Saturday. An unexpected sight to set your scope on when you expect to find a Pheasant in the countryside, not on a wetland marsh! This may be the same individual spotted in November around the same area.
A few Pochard have been sticking around Deep Water Lake since Monday, so keep an eye out for their dazzling red heads!
The spring sunshine has brought a few reptiles out from brumation – a state similar to hibernation in mammals, allowing reptiles to survive the winter through a state of inactivity. Namely, a Grass Snake was hard slithering through (you guessed it!) grass along the Centre Path on Tuesday, before poking its head out to be spotted by the Reserve Team.
Safely away from the snakes, a young Rabbit was rustling around in the undergrowth of the Grounds this morning (perhaps he was hiding some Easter eggs under there?). It may surprise you to discover that Rabbits are not native to the UK, having been introduced by the Normans in the 12th century!
Adding some colour to the grassy verges of the Grounds, plenty of wildflowers have popped up, including Red Dead-Nettle, Coltsfoot, and Early Dog-Violet. Interestingly, you may spot that Coltsfoot flowers have no leaves surrounding them, as they appear a while after the plant has flowered! This trait of the plant has given rise to one of its other names, Son-before-father.
