Wildlife sightings for w/c 14th September 2020
Duck numbers continue to increase and the first Stonechat of Autumn on the grazing marsh.
1 Whinchat - grazing marsh (20th)
2 Common Sandpiper - main lake (17th)
1 Green Sandpiper - grazing marsh (16th)
19 Common Snipe - grazing marsh (16th)
1 Redshank - main lake (16th)
1 Little Egret - flew over low West (20th)
1 Hobby - over reservoir lagoon (20th)
2 Peregrine - perched on the hospital (20th)
12+ Meadow Pipit - over SW/S/W/N (16th)
1 Yellow Wagtail - flew over SW (16th)
2 Stonechat - grazing marsh (18th)
1 Grey Wagtail - World Wetlands (17th)
152 Shoveler - site count (17th)
50 Pochard - site count (17th)
47 Wigeon - reservoir lagoon, main lake (20th)
1 Kingfisher - main lake (20th)
1 Shelduck - main lake (20th)
4 Siskin - sheltered lagoon (20th)
15 Chiffchaff - South route, sheltered lagoon, entrance area (18th)
Dragonflies: (early September) Common Blue Damselfly, Emperor Dragonfly, Willow Emerald Damselfly, Common Darter, Ruddy Darter, Southern Hawker, Migrant Hawker (photo below)
Wildflowers and grasshoppers: (September) Tufted Vetch, Common Fleabane, Lady's Bedstraw, Meadow Vetchling, Bird's-foot Trefoil, Yarrow, Purple Loosestrife, Marsh Woundwort, Flowering Rush, Field Scabious, Devil's-bit Scabious. The grasslands and scrublands attract Roesel's Bush-cricket, Cone-heads, Meadow Grasshopper, Common Field Grasshopper and Dark Bush Cricket.
Reptiles: (5th September survey) Slow worms (13 juveniles, 31 female, 6 male); 12 Grass snakes; 2 Common Lizard.
