Lesser Emperor spotted on sheltered lagoon 12th July 2020
Lesser Emperor, lots of Black-tailed Skimmers and a few Common Darter all on the wing today. Overhead there's been Hobby, Buzzard and some early migrant Sparrowhawk
Birds:1 Hobby - over reservoir lagoon hawking dragonflies
3 Sparrowhawk - over very high drifting S
1 Buzzard - over NW
4 Kestrel - sheltered lagoon
2 Common Tern - main lake
3 Chiffchaff - sheltered lagoon
80 Sand Martin
8 Swallow
5 Tufted Duck broods - scrape
2 Gadwall broods - scrape, reservoir lagoon
Dragonflies: Lesser Emperor, Common Darter, Common Blue Damselfly, Black-tailed Skimmer, Emperor, Willow Emerald Damselfly. Blue-tailed Damselfly, Brown Hawker.
Wildflowers and grasshoppers: the grasslands around the sheltered lagoon, south and wildside are teaming with colourful wildflowers like Tufted Vetch, Common Knapweed, Fleabane, Agrimony, Lady's Bedstraw, Yellow Loosestrife, Pyramidal Orchid, Meadow Vetchling, Bird's-foot Trefoil, Yarrow, Great Burnet and many more. These grasslands attract many grasshoppers and crickets - look out for the impressive Dark Bush-cricket and Roesel's Bush-cricket in the tall herbage.
