Welcome to Friday! It's been a fantastic week on the reserve - the highlight being last Monday when we had cattle egrets, glossy ibis, black kite, honey buzzard, little terns and a wonderful show of hobbys to enjoy!
The wildlife garden continues to thrive with dragon and damselflies visiting in good numbers today, as well as a small peacock butterfly, a great crested newt in the pond, and common lizards hiding in the stone walls. The mullein plants are also covered in fat mullein caterpillars, which we can't wait to watch turn into moths.
Here's a summary of this week's bird sightings, with date and location last seen:
Garganey – one drake at ARC Hanson hide on 31st. Black-necked grebe – two at Makepeace hide on 3rd. Bittern – one at Denge Marsh on 6th. Great white egret – one flying over ARC on 1st. Cattle egret – three flying around site on 2nd. Glossy ibis – one at Hayfield 3 on 6th. Hobby – many over the reserve on 6th. Peregrine – one over Denge Marsh on 31st. Honey buzzard – one over Burrowes pit on 2nd. Black kite – one over Burrowes and Oppen pits on 2nd. Avocet – four in hayfields at Denge Marsh on 31st. Little ringed plover – access track on 31st. Black-tailed godwit – seven in Hayfields at Denge Marsh on 31st. Greenshank – one at Denge Marsh on 6th. Little gull – at ARC on 3rd. Common gull – nesting on far left raft at Denge Marsh. Sandwich tern – one over Burrowes pit on 1st. Common tern – nesting on tern rafts at Denge Marsh. Black tern – one over Hookers pits on 31st. Little tern – one over Burrowes on 2nd. Arctic tern – on the approach track on 3rd. Cuckoo – over Denge Marsh on 6th. Bearded tit – one at Denge Marsh on 6th. Yellow Wagtail – three alongside access track on 31st. Lesser Whitethroat – two at Hookers pits and Christmas dell on 31st. Yellowhammer – on Return Trail on 5th.
Other wildlife seen this week has included brown argus butterfly near Makepeace hide; small heath butterfly near Christmas Dell hide; and pyramidal orchids at Hooker's lookout ramp.
Have a great weekend, and do come and visit soon!