Egrets, we've had a few...

Over recent years, little egrets have become a common sight around the estuary, and feeding on the lagoons. Yet, it was only at the turn of the Millennium that these Mediterranean herons first nested in North Wales, and only a few years previously that they first nested in Britain. There are two egret colonies in the valley, including one among the grey herons in Coed Benarth SSSI, on the east bank opposite the reserve entrance. Judging by the numbers we've seen this week, they have had a good breeding season, and on Friday, 103 little egrets were counted on and from the reserve. That's almost inconceivable just a decade ago.

As the water levels drop, we've seen more snipe arrive this week, with up to nine probing the mud in front of the Coffee Shop and the Tal-y-fan Hide. Up to a dozen black-tailed godwits and a handful of whimbrels and dunlins are also feeding or roosting in the Shallow Lagoon, and several green sandpipers and common sandpipers are here.

Our first kingfisher for many months has been seen a couple of times, from the Coffee Shop, so we hope it's going to be a regular visitor through the autumn. The great-crested grebe chicks are growing fast, and now about two-thirds the size of Mum. More good news as several visitors have seen two broods of young gadwalls on the lagoons; it's several years since gadwalls bred here.

There are loads of six-spot burnet moths around this week - check out the thistle heads, particularly in front of the Coffee Shop. There were lots of moths in the trap overnight on Wednesday, including 19 southern wainscots, orange swift, dotted clay and a first for the reserve, green carpet. Daytime visitors can see lots of colourful flying insects too, with plenty of gatekeeper and meadow brown butterflies, and a ruddy darter dragonfly reported on Saturday (2nd); this would be the first on the reserve (click here for a list of dragonflies seen here to date), so we're keen to know more - if you know anything, please get in touch!  And 'firsts' are not just restricted to flying things, as warden Sarah recorded a new plant for the reserve: pink water speedwell.  I wonder if any of these new species will become as regular and widespread as the little egrets?