Wildlife sightings for 26th May 2017
3 Common Tern - main lake, sheltered lagoon
1 Common Sandpiper - grazing marsh
2 Little Ringed Plover - wader scrape
1 Redshank - main lake
2 Shoveler - a pair on the wader scrape
1 Grey Wagtail - reservoir lagoon
1 Whitethroat - singing around the entrance lake
1 Peregrine - perched on hospital ledge
May bird highlights: Wood Sandpiper, Grey Plover, Whinchat, Oystercatcher, Greenshank, Whimbrel, Little Ringed Plover, Yellow Wagtail, Common Sandpiper, Redshank, Shelduck, Jack Snipe, Peregrine, Barnacle Goose, Wheatear, Kingfisher, Swallow, Ringed Plover, Ring Ouzel, Caspian Gull.
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, Wild Daffodil, Blackthorn, Hawthorn, Wild Plum, Hazel, Marsh Marigold, Red Dead-nettle, Neat Feather-moss, Lesser Celandine, Bulbous Buttercup, Cowslip, Cuckooflower, Yellow Iris, Forget-me-not, Cow Parsley.
Bats: Soprano Pipistrelle>Nathusius’ Pipistrelle>Common Pipistrelle>Daubentons>Noctule.
