Wildlife sightings for 6th August 2015
1 Cuckoo - marsh fence
1 Snipe - main lake
1 Green Sandpiper - scrape
2 Common Sandpiper - scrape
Mandarin brood of 3 - main lake
Great Crested Grebe brood of 2+ - sheltered lagoon
100+ Swift - reservoir lagoon, marsh
30 House Martin - reservoir lagoon, marsh
36 Lapwing - marsh, main lake
August bird highlights: Buzzard, Kestrel, Red Kite, Hobby, Snipe, Green Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Redshank, Yellow-legged Gull, Kingfisher.
Early wader and duck migration was seen in the first two weeks of July. Post-breeding Shoveler and Teal arrived on the wader scrape, along with Sandpiper species, Black-tailed Godwit and Curlew. Breeding success has included 2 Shoveler broods, 6 Gadwall broods, 2 Pochard broods, 14 Tufted Duck broods, 1 Mandarin brood, Lapwing, Whitethroat, Cetti’s Warbler, Chiffchaff, Sand Martin, Reed Bunting and Reed Warbler. Further passage wader activity can be expected on the marsh, scrape or main lake as we move towards August.
Dragonflies and Damselflies: Large Red Damselfly, Azure/Common Blue Damselfly, Blue-tailed Damselfly, Red-eyed Damselfly, Hairy Dragonfly, Broad-bodied Chaser, Black-tailed Skimmer.
Reptiles: Survey results from 13th June: Slow Worm: 18 juvenile, 20 female, 2 male. Grass Snake: 3 juvenile. Juvenile Common Lizard seen in Wildside on 20th July.
Butterflies and other insects: (June/July) Marbled White, Green Hairstreak, Painted Lady, Red Admiral, Brimstone, Small Tortoiseshell, Small White, Large White, Small Copper, Peacock, Speckled Wood, Comma, Holly Blue, Orange-tip, Green-veined White, 7-Spot Ladybird, Bee-Fly, Miner Bee, White-tailed Bumblebee, Buff-tailed Bumblebee, Common Carder Bee.
Moths: (June/July) 6-Spot Burnet, Brassy Longhorn, Hummingbird Hawkmoth, Yellow Shell, Brown Silver-line, Silver Y.
Flowering plants: Marsh Marigold, Rough Hawkbit, Cat’s Ear, Meadowsweet, Meadow Rue, Tufted Vetch, Common Vetch, Meadow Vetchling, Tare, Cuckoo Flower, Southern Marsh Orchid, Ragged Robin, Bee Orchid, Common Spotted Orchid, Bird’s Foot Trefoil, Wild Carrot, Hemlock Water Dropwort, Water Plantain, Flowering Rush, Greater Pond Sedge, Pendulous Sedge, Spike Rush, Soft Rush, Hard Rush, Yellow Iris, Purple Loosestrife, Yellow Loosestrife, Water Mint, Branched Bur-reed, Lady’s Bedstraw and many more. The wet fen meadows in Wildside look at their very best at the moment, and this community is one of the most diverse on the reserve.
