As spring has gradually turned into summer, a nice variety of plants, insects, birds and other wildlife have been abundant around the reserve with some interesting species recorded.
The past few weeks have seen the peak time of year for orchids here, and it seems to have been a particularly good one for bee orchids with 162 spikes counted on 7/6 (library photo by Julian Hughes). There have also been several white variant bee orchids noted (ophrys apifera v chlorantha) which are of particular interest, while good numbers of the other regular species including southern marsh, early marsh and pyramidal orchids have also been recorded.
Some notable insect records have come about over the past month with several new species for the reserve, and others with very few previous records.
Moth trapping on 8/6 produced a good variety of species including a shark moth with only one previous reserve record from June 2014, and obscure wainscot with 10 previous records, last recorded in 2015. An orange crest caterpillar on 18/6 was a first record of this species here, with the adult moth never having been seen. Meanwhile moth luring using pheromones produced the first reserve record of the rather impressive lunar hornet moth on 25/6 (photo by Jonni Price), and six-belted clearwing on 6/7, the first record since July 2017. More commonly seen are the six-spot burnet moths which have begun to emerge over the last few weeks and can often be seen feeding on plants such as thistles and knapweed during the daytime.
A clouded yellow butterfly (pictured) flying around and feeding near Carneddau hide was an unexpected surprise on 29/5. Being a migratory species, they arrive in the UK from continental Europe and north Africa and are more commonly recorded later in the summer and further south in the country. This individual was identified as being of the pale ‘helice’ form found in a small percentage of females, lacking the brighter yellow colour of the regular form. This is the tenth reserve record for the species, the last being nearly 17 years ago in August 2005. A more common migrant butterfly species, the painted lady was also recorded several times with two along the estuary track on 7/6 and individuals on 16/6 and 22/6. Other notable butterfly species for the reserve included a small heath on 2/6 and a wall on 23/6.
Dragonflies have also been on the wing in recent weeks with emperor, southern hawker and broad-bodied chaser seen around the ponds.
A two-banded longhorn beetle found on 2/6 was another first for the reserve, while a water scorpion found during a pond dipping session on 5/7 was the fourth record here.
There were also some interesting bird sightings with highlights being a very smart summer plumaged black tern making a brief appearance over the lagoons on 31/5, a yellow-legged gull on 12/6, a black redstart reported on 27/6, a green sandpiper on 29/6, and great white egret seen on four dates in early June and early July.
Mediterranean gulls have also been seen a lot recently with sightings of at least four different individuals in all plumage stages on 10 different dates from early June up to the present. They have generally been seen among the large numbers of black-headed gulls which numbered 271 on the WeBS count on 19/6 and continue to increase as we move later into the summer. Several ringed birds have been present among them originating from as far away as Germany and Poland, and a little closer to home from Marsh Lane nature reserve in the West Midlands.
There were six sightings of red kite throughout June and early July, while kingfisher, often seen later into the summer and autumn was present on four dates in early June, usually around the bridge pond.
Other notable waders included a sanderling on 7/6, individual greenshank on 27/6 and 29/6, small numbers of black-tailed godwit seen regularly with a maximum of seven present from 5/6, and occasional dunlin with a peak count of 19 on 5/6. A pair of oystercatchers currently have two young on a rocky island in the deep lagoon close to Tal y Fan hide.
Meanwhile a cetti’s warbler fledgling seen on 2/6 is the first confirmed breeding record of this species on the reserve following a significant increase in the presence of birds over the past couple of winters, and suspected breeding last year.