Wildlife sightings for 8th April 2012
Highlights from this morning's WeBS count: 2 Shelduck - scrape 1 Garganey - male, scrape 1 Little Ringed Plover - scrape 1 Green Sandpiper - scrape 7 Redshank - scra [...]
Highlights from this morning's WeBS count:
2 Shelduck - scrape
1 Garganey - male, scrape
1 Little Ringed Plover - scrape
1 Green Sandpiper - scrape
7 Redshank - scrape and marsh
10 Snipe - scrape and main lake
29 Lapwing - marsh, scrape, main lake
3 Sand Martin - over scrape, investigating sand martin bank
1 House Martin - over scrape
1 Yellow Wagtail - scrape
Recent bird highlights: Bittern, Peregrine, Red Kite, Buzzard, Curlew, Black-tailed Godwit, Jack Snipe, Woodcock, Redshank, Little Ringed Plover, Dunlin, Sandwich Tern, Common Tern.
With spring in the air the Cetti’s Warbler are becoming more vocal with at least 8 birds to be found across the reserve. Many Chiffchaffs have arrived along with smaller numbers of Willow Warbler, Blackcap and Garden Warbler. Goldcrests can be heard singing away by the Trappers Lodge cabin in World Wetlands along with many other common songsters like Blackbird, Wren, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Song Thrush and Chaffinch.
Lapwing are scraping out nests on the main lake shingle islands and grazing marsh fields, and performing territorial flight displays. Great Crested Grebe and Little Grebe are displaying regularly on the sheltered lagoon. The first few Sand Martins have also arrived (mid-March).
The marsh will remain wet through early spring to attract a host of visiting waders and other wildfowl as well as early Wagtail species. The wader scrape will now start to be drained and wetted on a weekly basis to also attract feeding waders
Moths: Common Quaker, Hebrew Character, Chestnut, Acleris literana, Ypsolopha ustella, Torticodes anternella, Agonopterix heracliana, Clouded Drab, Dotted Border, March Moth, Acleris cristana, Caloptilia semifascia, Mompha epilobiella, Amblyptilia acanthadactyla, Acleris hastiana, Calybites phasianipennella.
Flowering plants: Alpine, White Butterbur, Butterbur, Grey Willow, Goat Willow, Osier, Blackthorn, Cherry, Plum, Hazel, Alder, Lesser Celandine, Daisy, Common Whitlowgrass, Marsh Marigold, Snake’s Head Fritillary, Hairy Bittercress, Common Lungwort, White Dead-nettle, Common Field Speedwell, Green Alkanet, Primrose, Colt’s-foot, Ragwort, Groundsel, Dandelion, Petty Spurge.
Water Voles: There’s a particularly active individual in the ‘reed swamp’ exhibit in World Wetlands.
Butterflies: Red Admiral, Comma, Brimstone, Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell, Orange-tip, Holly Blue, Speckled Wood, Green-veined White, Small White.
Bats: Soprano Pipistrelle (around main buildings), Daubenton’s (resr lagoon).
