Wildlife sightings for 18th June 2014
2 Little Ringed Plover - scrape
1 Peregrine - perched on hospital
1 Kingfisher - scrape
c 200 Swift - feeding on site
June bird highlights: Red Kite, Hobby, Oystercatcher, Green Sandpiper, Little Ringed Plover, Yellow-legged Gull, Kingfisher, Turtle Dove, Swallow, Whitethroat.
Common Tern are now nesting with the Black-headed Gulls on the purpose-built rafts out on the main lake and reservoir lagoon. Whitethroat, Cetti’s Warbler, Garden Warbler, Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler and Chiffchaff are among the many breeding birds holding territory around the reserve. Recently Green Sandpipers have been feeding on the marsh and scrape, along with Little Ringed Plover.
Flowering plants: Black Medick, Buckthorn, Cut-leaved Crane’s-bill, Dog-rose, Globeflower, Greater Celandine, Horseradish, Meadow Clary, Raspberry, Yellow Iris, Common Stork’s-bill, Goat’s-beard, Hairy Tare, Hoary Cress, Adder’s-tongue fern, Common Spike-rush, Dogwood, Germander Speedwell, Glaucous Sedge, Ground Ivy, Hedgerow Crane’s-bill, Meadow Foxtail, Red Clover, Round-leaved Crane’s-bill, Solomon’s Seal, Star-of-Bethlehem, Tuberous Comfrey, White Campion, White Water-lily, Beaked Hawk’s-beard, Bird Cherry, Bistort, Bluebell, Bogbean, Bugle, Cleavers, Clustered Mouse-ear, False Fox-sedge, Field Forget-me-not, Garlic Mustard, Greater Stitchwort, Greater Tussock-sedge, Guelder-rose, Lesser Pond-sedge, Meadow Buttercup, Ox-eye Daisy, Pendulous Sedge, Red Campion, Red Valerian, Salad Burnet, Smooth Meadow-grass, Sweet Vernal-grass, Whitebeam, Wood Avens.
Butterflies: Orange Tip, Small White, Peacock, Speckled Wood, Common Blue, Holly Blue, Green-veined White, Large White, Small Tortoiseshell, Comma, Red Admiral, Brimstone.
Moths: Elephant Hawk-moth, Lime Hawk-moth, 2 Treble Lines, Heart & Dart, and 3 Light Brocade all caught in overnight moth trap at Explore playground.
Dragonflies: Hairy Dragonfly, Common Blue Damselfly, Blue-tailed Damselfly, Black-tailed Skimmer, Emperor Dragonfly.
Hoverflies: Melanostoma scalare, Epistrophe eligans, Riponnensia splendens, Eristalis pertinax, Eristalis intricarius, Myathropa florea, Helophilus pendulus.
Other insects: Honey Bee, Buff-tailed Bumblebee, Early Bumblebee, Common Carder Bee, Hairy-footed Flower-bee, Common Green Shield-Bug, Large Red Damselfly, 7-Spot Ladybird, Harlequin Ladybird.
Reptiles: Slow Worms on banks, adult Grass Snakes occasionally seen swimming in water, Common Lizards basking on bridges, hides, log piles etc.
Amphibians: male and female Smooth Newts mostly found in the South Route ponds; Marsh Frogs now very vocal across the reserve, with best places in wildside ponds and entrance lake.
Bats: The third bat survey of the season on 15th May found a couple of locations with constant Soprano Pipistrelle activity (Wildside, Peacock Tower). Nathusius’ Pipistrelle appeared on both transect routes, but constant activity was encountered around the Peacock Tower. Leisler’s Bat had a period of constant activity in the Reedbed area too. There were 7 species of bat recorded, with the following activity levels: Soprano Pipstrelle >> Nathusius’ Pipistrelle > Leisler’s Bat >> Noctule > Daubenton’s Bat > Serotine; also a Common Pipistrelle detected later on after survey.
