This month we have been celebrating the reserve for its dragonflies, with the British Dragonfly Society designating us as an official ‘Dragonfly Hotspot’.
A launch event was held on 13th July with guided walks, pond dipping and various other dragonfly related activities taking place. Although the day was mostly cool and cloudy and not the best for seeing dragonflies on the wing, there were sightings of common darter, southern hawker and blue-tailed damselflies, while the larvae of emperor dragonflies were seen in one of the freshly cleared ponds, almost ready to emerge (adult male emperor pictured left), and visitors were able to take a close look at a variety of other dragonfly and damselfly larvae in the dipping ponds (chaser larvae pictured right). Other species recorded over the past month include black-tailed skimmer, broad-bodied and four-spotted chaser, common blue and azure damselflies.
Mid-summer can often be a quiet time for bird sightings on the reserve, but there were several species of interest seen. A cattle egret was perhaps the most notable sighting with an individual present on 1/7 following several other recent sightings since the end of last year. A little tern seen on the estuary on 14/7 was however a rarer sight here, with only one previous reserve record from April 2005. Mediterranean gulls were also notable and seen on eight dates, including seven birds on 16/7.
Wading birds have also been relatively varied with highlights including spotted redshank on 25/6, green sandpiper on 10/7, little ringed plover on three dates with a maximum of three on 12/7, and a sanderling on 16/7. Greenshank were notable as well with sightings on five dates including two birds on 2/7 and 7/7, while black-tailed godwit were seen on 10 dates with a high count of 44 on 28/6, and two bar-tailed godwits were present on 16/7. Whimbrel have also begun to move southwards, with sightings of up to four birds on five dates, and 35 dunlin were seen on 16/7. Numbers of common species have also been building up as autumn migration gets underway, with 115 redshank and 210 curlew counted on 17/7.
Other water birds have included a good number of great white egret sightings with up to two individuals present on 17 dates, while numbers of little egrets have also increased as birds disperse away from their breeding colonies. Three pairs of great crested grebes are still present on the deep lagoon with young, and tufted duck and gadwall can be seen with young as well now. Small numbers of shoveler and teal have also begun to arrive back on the reserve following their absence during the breeding season, along with a single wigeon on 16/7.
Passerine migrants included several wheatear around the end of June, and a redstart on 6/7, while other notable sightings included red kites on 11 dates, a tawny owl seen in the car park on 12/7, and 60 sandwich terns over the estuary on 16/7.
A grey seal on 17/6 was also an interesting sighting this far up the Conwy estuary.
Meanwhile other invertebrates included a very smart scarlet tiger moth seen on 13/7 (pictured), a species which seems to have been recorded locally more than usual this year. Butterflies included a small skipper on 15/7, a scarcity on the reserve with just four previous records, and other more common species including meadow brown, gatekeeper, speckled wood and red admiral.