Wildlife sightings for 11th June 2017
5 Redshank - 3 chicks with 2 adults - wader scrape
2 Little Ringed Plover - wader scrape
2 Common Tern - main lake
1 Hobby - over the main lake
1 Snipe - grazing marsh
1 Shoveler - reservoir lagoon
27 Gadwall - reservoir lagoon, grazing marsh, main lake
14 Pochard - main lake, reservoir lagoon, sheltered lagoon, wader scrape
5 Mandarin duck - main lake, reservoir lagoon
1 Chiffchaff - South route
May bird highlights: Wood Sandpiper, Grey Plover, Whinchat, Oystercatcher, Greenshank, Whimbrel, Garganey, Little Ringed Plover, Yellow Wagtail, Common Sandpiper, Redshank, Shelduck, Jack Snipe, Peregrine, Barnacle Goose, Wheatear, Kingfisher, Swallow, Ringed Plover, Ring Ouzel, Caspian Gull, Garden Warbler.
Summer breeding birds on site include Chiffchaff, Sand Martin, Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Blackcap, Lapwing, Little Ringed Plover, Shelduck (8 ducklings seen on 22nd), Redshank, Reed Bunting. Sand Martin numbers using the artificial nest bank of the wader scrape have now occupied 88 nest chambers, containing >160 eggs and >65 chicks (recorded on 24th May). Exciting migrants like Wheatear, Ring Ouzel, Redstart, Whimbrel and Wood Sandpiper have been found since the start of spring. The bare ground along the marsh electric fences has been particularly good for migrant passerines like Yellow Wagtail, Wheatear and Whinchat.
Spring insects: Butterflies: Red Admiral, Green Hairstreak, Painted Lady, Orange Tip, Brimstone, Holly Blue, Speckled Wood, Small White, Comma, Peacock, Large White, Small Tortoishell. Bees: Buff-tailed Bumble Bees, Red Mason Bees, White-tailed Bumble Bee, Common Carder Bee, Early Mining Bee, Tawny Mining bee, Chocolate Mining Bee, Hairy-footed Flower Bee, Large Red-tailed Bumble Bee, Dark-edged Beefly. Common Flower Bug, Rove Beetle. Moths: Pale Brindled Beauty, Spring Usher, The Herald, Lunar Marbled Brown, Silver-Y.
Spring plants: Sweet Violet, Coltsfoot, Blackthorn, Hawthorn, Wild Plum, Elder, Hazel, Marsh Marigold, Red Dead-nettle, Neat Feather-moss, Lesser Celandine, Bulbous Buttercup, Cuckooflower, Yellow Iris, Forget-me-not, Cow Parsley, Ragged Robin, Southern Marsh Orchid, Common Spotted Orchid, Bee Orchid, Common Vetch, Black Meddick, White Dead-nettle, Salad Burnet, Cat’s Ear, Common Knapweed, Common Mallow, Meadow Vetchling, Grass Vetchling, Ribwort Plantain, Yellow Rattle, Monkey-flower, Self-heal, Red+White Clover.
Bats: Soprano Pipistrelle>Nathusius’ Pipistrelle>Common Pipistrelle>Daubentons>Noctule.
