It's been a great week for insect sightings with lots of moths, dragonflies, and butterflies out on the reserve. Our Assistant warden, John, managed to capture this great photograph of a five spot burnet resting on a flower this week. The colourful contrast of the knapweed made for an excellent shot!
We had a wonderful selection of moths in the moth trap on Friday, including, as our might have noticed from the title, the fabulous spectacled.
And we had a juicy looking poplar hawkmoth - you can't beat a hawkmoth for being impressive to look at, as well as a very shimmery burnished brass moth.
We had a fleeting, yet wonderful sighting of a white wing black tern on it’s journey round Yorkshire. The bird was spotted in multiple locations, including at Fairburn and Old Moor down near Barnsley.
Our gorgeous spoonbill has made yet another grand appearance this week too! Conveniently nestled down at spoonbill flash, many visitors have spotted it preening along the water’s edge.
Photo thanks to Mike Langman (rspb-images.com)
There have also been a few sightings of black tailed godwits on the reserve this week. The majority took place over Lin Dike; however a few were also seen flying about the reserve.