The settled weather over recent weeks has resulted in a good number of summer migrants turning up a little earlier than usual. The first Pied Flycatcher was found in the Lower Hide area at Nagshead on April 10th, followed by two singing Redstarts in Russell's Inclosure on April 12th. The table below shows the arrival dates for the summer visitors that have arrived so far at Nagshead. Garden and Wood Warblers should be arriving any day now and Spotted Flycatchers and Nightjars in the first two weeks of May. The first Nightingale has also arrived in good time at Highnam Woods; it was first reported on 11th April and confirmed on the 16th. Let us hope the weather continues to be kind and all of the visitors have a good breeding season.
Of course, it is not just the summer visitors that are benefiting from the good weather, resident species are also making hay while the sun shines. Hawfinches and Crossbills are still very much in evidence around Nagshead and all three species of woodpecker have been very vocal, with Great and Lesser Spotted drumming to establish territories. A question I get asked often is how to distinguish Lesser Spotted Woodpecker drumming from Great Spotted. It is really quite simple once you have experienced both. Great Spotted only gives a few drums at a time in a short burst and the sound tails off at the end, whereas Lesser Spotted drumming is faster, almost machine gun like, going on for a longer period of time and stopping abruptly. A Lesser Spotted recording made at Nagshead a couple of weeks ago can be found here.
Male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, RSPB Nagshead, April 2014 (Photo: Lewis Thomson)
Invertebrates have been seen in numbers during the fine weather too, vivid yellow Brimstones, Commas, Small Tortoiseshells and Holly Blue are amongst the butterfly species noted, along with several bee species. Dor Beetles and Green Tiger Beetles have also been seen along the paths at Nagshead, the heath is a very good place to look for the latter, as they thrive in open habitats with sandy soil. Reptiles have been very active in the warm temperatures, with Adders, Slow-worms and Common Lizards recorded on the Long Trail. Frogs and Toads spawned well in the Nursery Pond overflow and avoided the worst frosts, so there should be lots of tadpoles developing now. Large mammals continue to be elusive, although Wild Boar, Fallow and Roe Deer and Foxes have been encountered in recent weeks.
We have lots of fantastic events coming up on both reserves through the spring and summer, the Nagshead events page can be found here and the Highnam Woods page here. We look forward to seeing you all out on the reserves soon!
Lewis.