Wildlife sightings for 21st August 2018
1 Hobby - hunting over grazing marsh
1 Garganey - wader scrape
1 Green Sandpiper - wader scrape
3 Common Sandpiper - wader scrape
4 Snipe - wader scrape, main lake
2 Common Tern - main lake
1 Yellow Wagtail - flew over heading SE
Pochard brood of 3 - reservoir lagoon
July/early August bird highlights: Green Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Avocet, Redshank, Dunlin, Greenshank, Snipe(6), Common Tern(9), Garganey, Peregrine, Red Kite, Buzzard, Hobby, Little Egret(6), Whitethroat, Yellow Wagtail.
Sand Martins had occupied at least 70% of the nest chambers by mid-July. Pochards raised at least 1 brood; Gadwall 4 broods on the reservoir lagoon and scrape; Little Grebe 1 brood on the main lake. Common Terns juveniles appeared, having bred elsewhere but settled here for feeding. Post-breeding migration started up in July with wader species like Common Sandpiper dropping in, as well as Teal, Shoveler, Garganey and Yellow Wagtail.
Flowering plants: (end-July) Bird’s-foot Trefoil, Tufted Vetch, Yellow Loosestrife, Purple Loosestrife, Water Forget-me-not, Monkey Flower, Ragwort, Cat’s-ear, Sow-thistle, Prickly Oxtongue, Smooth Hawk’s-beard, Water Plantain, Figwort, Yarrow, Common Fleabane, Field Scabious, Yellow Bartsia, Brooklime, Marsh Woundwort, Hemp Agrimony, Lady’s Bedstraw, Water Mint, Wild Marjoram, White Water-lily, Redshank, Wild Carrot, Hogweed, Wild Parsnip.
Amphibians: Marsh Frogs calling most sunny days in May/June/July – entrance lake, wildside and south route ponds and pools.
Butterflies/Moths: (end-July survey) Common Blue, Holly Blue, White-letter Hairstreak, Red Admiral, Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown, Peacock, Marbled White, Brimstone, Comma, Green-veined White, Large White, Small White, Essex Skipper, Small Skipper, Large Skipper, Speckled Wood. The July 20th moth trap found 115 species including Jersey Tiger, Hoary Footman, Gold Spot, 6-Spot Burnet and Grey Dagger.
Dragonflies: (mid-July survey) Emperor Dragonfly, Black-tailed Skimmer, Broad-bodied Chaser, Large Red Damselfly, Azure Damselfly, Blue-tailed Damselfly, Common Blue Damselfly, Banded Demoiselle, Red-eyed Damselfly, Lesser Emperor Dragonfly, Brown Hawker, Small Red-eyed Damselfly, Southern Hawker, Migrant Hawker, Common Darter, Ruddy Darter.
Bees: (end-July survey) Common Mini-miner, Large-headed Resin, Patchwork Leafcutter, Yellow Loosestrife, Wool-carder, Green-eyed Flower, Buff-tailed Bumble, Small Garden Bumble, Early Bumble, Red-tailed Bumble, Common Carder, Honey.
Other insects: (end-July survey) Black and Yellow Longhorn Beetle, Green Shield Bug, Dock Bug, Stilt Bug, Roesel’s Bush-cricket, Field Grasshopper, Long-winged Conehead, Lesser Stag Beetle, Summer Chafer, Common Red Soldier Beetle, Swollen-thighed Beetle, False Blister Beetle species, 7-Spot Ladybird, Harlequin Ladybird, 14-Spot Ladybird, Viburnum Leaf Beetle, Willow Leaf Beetle, Garden Spider, Wasp Spider, Nursery Web Spider, Flower Crab Spider.
Reptiles: (July/early August) Juvenile Common Lizards around the benches and bridge timbers or long grass nearby, particularly in wildside
