Wildlife sightings for 24th September 2013
1 Marsh Harrier juvenile - flew around the marsh first thing (hard to pinpoint where it landed in the thick fog)
19 Snipe - marsh
100+ Shoveler
100+ Gadwall
3 Yellow Wagtail - 2 flew S, plus 1 on marsh
1 Garganey - juvenile, marsh. This is the 3rd different individual seen here this autumn.
2 Hobby - flew S, SW
1 Yellow-legged Gull - 1st-winter, main lake
2 Green Sandpiper - marsh -> flew NW
40 Snipe - main lake, scrape
1 Kingfisher - main lake
7 Swallow - flew S
27 Meadow Pipit - mostly flew SW
Recent bird highlights: Garganey, Spoonbill, Red-footed Falcon, Peregrine, Hobby, Marsh Harrier, Greenshank, Green Sandpiper, Yellow Wagtail, Wheatear, Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat, Spotted Flycatcher.
Early September was a great few weeks for exciting migrants spotted on or over the reserve, thanks in some way to several days of poor weather which often grounds migrants that are flying through. For instance a low pressure system in the North Sea produced some unusual inland Skua sightings one morning. On a different day a Black Tern and several species of wader appeared out of the murk following some very heavy showers. Good daily numbers of House Martin and Sand Martin continued through the first half of the month, along with plenty of sightings of Blackcap, Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Whinchat, Wheatear, Yellow Wagtail and Swallow. Nearly all of the Reed and Sedge Warbler departed, except for the odd individual. Some notable raptors included 2 Goshawks in the same day, and a large Saker-type Falcon that chased a freshly arrived Ruff all around the main lake before giving up the chase. Snipe numbers suddenly leapt up to 20+ birds on the 13th with a clear influx of migrant birds arriving overnight or early morning.
Butterflies and other invertebrates: Butterfly transect 2nd September 2013: Small White (20) > Green-veined White (10) > Common Blue (7), Speckled Wood (7) > Large White (6) > Meadow Brown (4) > Comma (1), Small Tortoiseshell (1)
Dragonfly transect 2nd September 2013: Migrant Hawker (51) > Small Red-eyed Damselfly (26), Common Darter (26) > Azure / Common Blue Damselfly (9) > Brown Hawker (5) > Ruddy Darter (4) > Blue-tailed Damselfly (1), Southern Hawker (1)
Clouded Yellows are still being encountered on site at the moment: 2 on the marsh 3rd September.
In addition to the healthy range of Orthoptera species seen on site so far this year, two more species (Oak Bush-cricket and Slender Groundhopper) can also be added to the previous week’s list: Speckled Bush-cricket, Long-winged Cone-head, Roesel’s Bush-cricket, Dark Bush-cricket, Common Groundhopper, Common Green Grasshopper, Meadow Grasshopper, Field Grasshopper and Lesser Marsh Grasshopper. Whilst most of the bush-crickets and grasshoppers seem to be ratcheting up their stridulating serenades, some – like the Common Green Grasshopper – appear to be noticeably less audible.
Water voles: actively feeding in the Wildside ponds in particular (listen out for the very audible munching from the base of marginal aquatic plants like Branched Bur-reed and Greater Pond Sedge). They also often make a distinctive ‘plop’ sound as they leap into the water from the channel edge.
Flowering plants: Square-stalked St.John’s Wort, Self-heal, Common Mallow, Field Scabious, Devil’s Bit Scabious, Great Bird’s-foot Trefoil, Hemlock Water-dropwort, Mare’s-tail, Meadow Buttercup, Red Clover, Willowherb, White Clover, Figwort, Hemp Agrimony, Yellow Water-Lily, Purple Loosestrife, Yellow Loosestrife, Fleabane.
Bats: Soprano Pipistrelle >> Daubenton’s Bat, Leisler’s Bat > Noctule, Common Pipistrelle.
