Wildlife sightings for 30th August 2017
3 Black-tailed Godwit - wader scrape
2 Common Sandpiper - wader scrape
1 Kestrel - sheltered lagoon
1 Kingfisher - sheltered lagoon
6 Snipe - grazing marsh, main lake
4 Chiffchaff - sheltered lagoon, wildside
2 Blackcap - South route
1 Garden Warbler - South route
1 Peregrine - perched on the hospital
3 Willow Warbler - sheltered lagoon
20+ Chiffchaff - sheltered lagoon, south route
15 House Martin
30 Swallow
August bird highlights: Common Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, Dunlin, Black-tailed Godwit, Snipe, Knot, Greenshank, Turnstone, Peregrine, Buzzard, Kestrel, Hobby, Common Tern, Kingfisher, Swallow, Yellow Wagtail, Garden Warbler, Stonechat, Grasshopper Warbler, Black Redstart, Spotted Flycatcher, Linnet.
Migrant wader passage continues through this month – one of the best areas is the low-lying ground on the main lake looking out from the WWF hide – and often the best sightings are made during heavy rain showers when many species can be grounded for a period of time. Other migrants that will be passing through include Swallows, Chats, Warblers, Gulls and Terns. By mid-August there are plentiful Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler to be found in the scrub and woodland areas of the reserve. Sand Martins using the artificial nest bank on the wader scrape have now fledged over 500 chicks, with 471 of these having been ringed as of 10/08/17.
Fungi: Fluted Bird’s-nest(entrance area), Shaggy Parasol(world wetlands), Snowy Inkcap(overflow car park), Blackening Waxcap, Upright Coral(wildside), False Death Cap(Hornbeam car park beds), Bleached Brittlegil(world wetlands Birch trees), Brown Rollrim, Split Fibrecap(world wetlands), Gaint Puffball(wildside).
Reptiles: 1 Grass Snake juvenile found in the Entrance Lake area (19th August); 5 broods of Common Lizards recorded in wildside, and 5 broods along the south route (rain garden, duck tales, Dulverton hide bridge, wetland living building) (10th August).
Butterflies: Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Speckled Wood, Small White, Comma, Peacock, Large White, Small Tortoishell.
Dragonflies/Damseflies: Scarce Chaser, Large Red Damselfly, Banded Demoiselle, Common Blue Damselfly, Red-eyed Damselfly, Azure Damselfly, Emperor Dragonfly, Blue-tailed Damselfly, Hairy Dragonfly, Black-tailed Skimmer.
Flowering plants: Marsh Marigold, Red+White Dead-nettle, Lesser Celandine, Bulbous Buttercup, Forget-me-not, Common Vetch, Cat’s Ear, Common Knapweed, Common Mallow, Monkey-flower, Self-heal, Red+White Clover, Meadowsweet, Betony, Marsh Woundwort, Tufted Vetch, Water Mint, Purple Loosestrife, Yellow Loosestrife, Fleabane, Great Burnet, Hop Trefoil, Green Alkanet, Creeping Thistle, Spear Thistle, Field Scabious, Devil’s-bit Scabious, Bird’s-foot Trefoil, Bladder Campion.
