Wildlife sightings for 8th June 2014
2 Teal - main lake
1 Shoveler - main lake
1 Kestrel - perched in tree on sheltered lagoon
2 Green Sandpiper - marsh/scrape
2 Little Ringed Plover - scrape
An orchid survey was conducted on site on Thursday giving a total of:
- > 2,000 Southern Marsh Orchid
- > 200 Bee Orchid
- > 15 Common Spotted Orchid
- c. 10 Pyramidal Orchid - these are just starting to flower
- 2 Broad-leaved Helleborine
- 1 Common Twayblade - this is a new species for the site
May bird highlights: Red Kite, Goshawk, Marsh Harrier, Hobby, Little Egret, Bar-tailed Godwit, Greenshank, Little Ringed Plover, Ringed Plover, Temminck’s Stint, Common Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Dunlin, Whimbrel, Oystercatcher, Arctic Tern, Baltic Gull, Caspian Gull, Black-Necked Grebe, Yellow Wagtail, White Wagtail, Spotted Flycatcher.
Common Tern are now nesting with the Black-headed Gulls on the purpose-built rafts out on the main lake and reservoir lagoon. Several pairs of Lapwing have chicks, mostly visible on the scrape so far, and Redshank are nesting on the marsh and scrape. Whitethroat, Cetti’s Warbler, Garden Warbler, Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler and Chiffchaff are among the many breeding birds holding territory around the reserve.
Watch out for many more exciting migrants during May and into June. Wader species, Yellow Wagtail, Wheatear, Spotted Flycatcher, Redstart can all be expected, and hopefully a rarity or two.
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, Holly Blue, Green-veined White, Large White, Small Tortoiseshell, Comma.
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.
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.
Amphibians: male and female Smooth Newts mostly found in the South Route ponds; Marsh Frogs seen and heard in the car park ditch, entrance lake and wildside ponds.
Bats: a few Soprano Pipistrelles, 1 Common Pipistrelle and a few Daubentons.
Reptiles: Slow Worms on banks, adult Grass Snakes occasionally seen swimming in water, Common Lizards basking on bridges, hides, log piles etc.
