What a difference a week makes! The reserve has been noticeably noisy with the sound of birds chirping wherever you walk; bees are buzzing around our meadows taking advantage of the array of wildflowers still on display, not to mention the numbers of butterflies fluttering past … it almost feels like spring again on the reserve! Everywhere you look there's something to be seen. Perhaps its nature’s way of reminding us that summer isn't gone yet - here are a few highlights of what’s been seen this week…
Brown Hare – Lizzie Ingram one of our residential interns spotted one of these rather shy mammals down on the reserve. The Hare can be distinguished from rabbits by their much longer limbs and slightly longer black-tipped ears. In the spring hares change their behaviour and can often be seen in a frenzy of “boxing”, where they strike each other with their paws.
Spotted Flycatcher – The spotted flycatcher returns to the recent sightings blog again after our trainee warden Simon Gray finally saw his first one darting around the bottom of the top meadow. These birds often fly down from a perch high up in the canopy and take a juicy insect or two and return to the same spot. These migrants will soon be leaving Coombes for their migration back to central Africa.
Commas – These bright orange butterflies have a clever camouflage technique, as when they rest their wings it makes them look like a wilted leaf to stop them getting eaten, whilst the larvae is flecked with brown and white markings which make them look like bird droppings – isn’t nature clever? You can often spot these butterflies around by Clough-Meadow Cottage feeding on the currents.
Comma Butterfly by Carl Capewell
The Devil’s Coach Horse – Spotted around the plantations this black beetle has very large jaws which it uses to catch and cut its prey. Apart from the scary jaws and strange name, this beetle is good for returning nutrients back to the soil. Once upon a time people believed that the beetle had magical powers, and it has now achieved fame by starring in the film “The Devil’s Coach Horse” based on the book by Richard Lewis!
Brooklime – This sprawling herb with its distinctive rounded succulent leaves and tiny pretty blue flowers can be seen in the boggy part of the top meadow - just take a little diversion from the main track and you’ll soon notice this unusual plant. In years gone by it was used as a salad plant in northern Europe because it was thought to prevent scurvy.
Canary Shouldered Thorn – This rather alien looking moth with its luminous yellow colour was spotted in the moth trap the other night. It can regularly be seen in moth traps and is often found in woodlands and gardens between July to October.
Canary Shouldered Thorn by Simon Gray
Common Toad – Whilst some of our day volunteers where moving some old log piles from around buzzard bank we had a rather warty encounter! Although not quite Mr Toad of Toad Hall, it was certainly enjoying the moist conditions created underneath the pile – a perfect home. Toads have been known to live for up to 15 years.
Kestrels – After taking a stroll through the reserve take a well-deserved break on our viewing platform and keep your eyes up in the skies! This magnificent bird of prey can often be seen hovering over the top meadow looking for small mammals in the long grass.
Kestrel by Steve Brown
With all this wildlife spotted around Coombes at the moment – there’s almost enough for it's own TV show! So instead of just reading about the wonderful wildlife seen on our reserve come and have a look for yourself and see what you discover - it’s all here just waiting for you…