Wildlife sightings for 22nd June 2013
14 Teal - wader scrape, reservoir lagoon
80 Swift - mostly over reservoir lagoon
2 Blackcap - both singing wildside
2 Whitethroat - beside Sand martin bank, wader scrape/Thames path
1 Chiffchaff - singing in wildside
2 Peregrine - across the river on hospital
Recent bird highlights: Black-necked Grebes, Peregrine, Hobby, Buzzard, Shelduck, Dunlin, Redshank, Yellow Wagtail, Spotted Flycatcher, Red-backed Shrike.
There are several broods of Lapwing and Redshank chick on the marsh, main lake and wader scrape. They are becoming increasingly hard to spot as the tall grasses and herbs grow up around them, giving them better cover from avian predators like Lesser Black-backed Gulls and Carrion Crow. Tufted Duck, Pochard, Mallard, Gadwall and Little Grebe all have nests on the lake islands and amongst the marginal vegetation. Mute Swan broods currently number 5 (with 15 juveniles).
Numbers of Sand Martins and Swifts are high, avidly feeding on increasing midge hatches on the lakes and scrape as the temperatures rise. 51 holes in the artificial bank are occupied by the Sand Martins. Smaller numbers of House Martin may be counted, with Swallows being occasional visitors at this time of year (these birds prefer to breed in more rural areas). Black-headed Gulls and Common Terns are nesting on the rafts on the main lake and reservoir lagoon. All reedbeds and reed fringes are full of singing Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler and a few Reed Bunting. Whitethroat, Garden Warbler, Blackcap and Chiffchaff are all breeding amongst the tree/scrub blocks and the hedges around the reserve. There’s now plenty of young Reed Warblers to be found in most patches of reed, being very vocal and busy at the moment. Occasional Yellow Wagtail and Whinchat may be found on the marsh.
Butterflies and other invertebrates: (4th+13th June) Common Blue>Burnet Companion>Small White>Speckled Wood>Green-veined White>Small Copper. Azure/Common Blue Damselfly>Blue-tailed Damselfly>Hairy Dragonfly>Large Red Damselfly>Broad-bodied Chaser, Elephant Hawk Moth.
Reptiles: Common Lizards have been seen on log piles on the South Route and pond zone; also around the brick edges of the sluices if quiet enough. Slow Worms are present below the survey tins and sometimes basking on habitat piles. Grass Snakes may be spotted swimming across ponds in wildside.
Flowering plants: Bee Orchid Bittersweet Black Medick Bladder Campion Blue Water-speedwell Branched Bur-reed Cat’s-ear Charlock Chives Columbine Common Chickweed Common Mallow Common Sorrel Common Spotted Orchid Crow Garlic (about to come into flower) Curry Plant Cut-leaved Crane’s-bill Deptford Pink Field Scabious French Sorrel Fuchsia Garden Cat-mint Garden Geranium / Crane’s-bill varieties Garden Iris varieties (‘Blue Rhythm’, ‘Moonbeam’, etc) Garden Lady’s-mantle Giant Rhubarb Globe Flower Grass Vetchling Great Bird’s-foot Trefoil Great Burnet Hedgerow Crane’s-bill Hemlock Water-dropwort Hoary Plantain Hop Trefoil Lavender Lesser Swinecress Love-in-the-Mist Mare’s-tail (plants have emerged out of water – flowers are tiny and in whorl around stem) Meadow Buttercup Meadow Clary Meadow Vetchling Oriental Poppy Peony Pineapple Mayweed Procumbent Pearlwort Purple Toadflax Ragged Robin Red Campion Red Clover Round-leaved Crane’s-bill Sage Scented Mayweed Scentless Mayweed Short-fruited Willowherb Smooth Tare Smooth Hawk’s-beard Southern Marsh Orchid Spotted Medick Sweet Flag Turkish Sage Welsh Poppy White Clover Wild Clary Wild Strawberry Wild Thyme Yellow Iris Yellow Rattle Yellow Water-Lily
Fungi: Brittlegill species on birch trees (e.g. Bleached Brittlegill) Brown Mottlegill Eyelash Fungus (species sent for determination) Firerug Inkcap Hare’s-foot Inkcap Lycogala terrestre (a slime mould) Palamino Cup Pleated Inkcap species Spring Fieldcap Trichia persimilis (possible) (a slime mould) Yellow Brain
Grasses, Sedges & Rushes: Common Club-rush Common Spike-rush Crested Dog’s-tail Crested Hair-grass False Oat-grass Fern-grass Hairy Brome Meadow Oat-grass Perennial Rye-grass Quaking-grass Tufted Hair-grass Yellow Oat-grass Yorkshire Fog Wood Club-rush
