The very windy weather on Monday & Tuesday meant there was a lot less activity - that is apart from the hundreds of Swifts swooping around the reserve who seemed to buck the trend - it was a fantastic sight. I'm guessing the wind must have kept the insect life a lot lower and the Swifts took full advantage. I was in awe for several minutes.
Now I know House Martins don't read this blog but it's as though they wanted to prove me wrong when I said they had been a bit of a rare commodity this year so far. There were plenty out with the Swifts over the weekend and the early part of the week, enjoying the bountiful supply of insects for precisely the same reason as the Swifts - it was a real treat to watch these birds in such numbers. The skies were grey but I was happy.
Once the weather calmed it was normal service resumed with the usual cascade of Bittern sightings across the reserve with volunteer Lee Dutton recording 26 flights during his stint on the platform as Information Warden on Saturday. The first platform always a good vantage point - I had 4 flights in a short space of time this morning along with the same number of Great White Egrets and a couple of Marsh Harriers - can't be bad.
Bitterns are still booming and again the 1st platform a good bet but also over at Loxtons. A bird was perched on the far bank in front of the hide here on Thursday before taking off and just touching the water when doing so. A bird returned to the same spot around 2 hours later and perched again - pictured below:
10 minutes later it, or another bird, took off again. It looks like a female from the photos but I could be wrong.
Also from the Loxtons screen the Common Terns are still present on a daily basis. They have shown signs of mating but haven't quite managed it yet - or it hasn't been witnessed at least. They are certainly beginning to take more control of the raft, often ousting the usually resident Cormorants. They are just about tolerating them for now though but will not stand for any company or any nonsense if they begin to nest.
Other feisty ones are the Lapwings - often seen chasing away other birds - particularly crows and gulls in front of the first platform - their continued presence and behavior is a good sign they are nesting or have youngsters. Small groups of Lapwing are also using the reserve with groups of up to 14 seen, including this morning. Redshank are also present here with at least 3 individuals seen - possibly 4 and one was seen to 'have a go' at a passing Marsh Harrier on Tuesday. The Lapwings stayed out of this one but have been seen chasing off the Redshank if it got too close. One bird has also frequently perched on the rails by the front island offering great views and photo opportunities:
Redshank
It was in the same area this morning that a Roe Deer was seen out grazing - must be worth it to swim to the islands.
Other mammals recorded this week include a Water Vole seen in the ditch around Waltons, Rabbits seen on the footpath side of the main drain, Grey Squirrel hopping along the rail path and a Stoat which crossed the entrance between the 1st platform and Waltons - a common crossing place for Stoats and Weasels in the past.
As previously mentioned there's plenty of insect life around the reserve - I won't even try to learn them all. Some of the more obvious of course are Dragonflies, Damselflies and Butterflies.
I must admit I haven't been particularly mindful of Butterflies this week but from memory have seen Brimstone on several occasions, Peacock, Speckled Wood & Green Veined White. John Crispin also photographed this Common Blue around Loxtons - thanks John.
As predicted Waltons (particularly the back path) is alive with 4 spotted chaser, with hundreds, if not thousands, present. A cool morning should bring great rewards but even in the warm it's a wonderful sight as I saw, with a couple of visitors on Tuesday afternoon as they put up swarms of the as they walked. I've also recorded Scarce Chaser this week along with my first Emperor and first Black Tailed Skimmers of the season.
Damselflies are in plentiful supply with thousands of Blue Tailed Damselflies along with Azure & Variable. I've also seen my first Common Blues of the season. The path to the Tor View Hide is a good place to spot them all as it's quite sheltered. We also have Red Eyed Damselfly and a White Legged Damselfly recorded on the rail path on Tuesday. I've also seen my favourite - the Banded Demoiselle in a few places including the bridge over the drain by the road and in the new Car Park.
Banded Demoiselle - Giles Morris
Banded Demoiselle were also seen at Tinneys this week - the isolated plot we manage on the Sharpham road. They are by the stream/South Drain to the right of the main gateway. I also had Grey Wagtail in the same area, a Marsh Harrier and for the 2nd week running a Cuckoo around the back path.
Cuckoos are of course on the main reserve - Loxtons a frequent haunt on the dead trees - up to 4 seen by 1 person. John Crispin managed to capture some shots of one taking off this week:
Also this week: plenty of Marsh Harrier activity - it's rare not to get a sighting, 2 Barn Owls seen hunting from the 1st platform 9pm Thursday (we'll be checking the owl boxes very soon - fingers crossed), 7 or 8 Hobby seen on Tuesday but a few others throughout the week, Treecreeper seen last Saturday, Spotted Flycatcher late last week, very vocal Song Thrush in the car park by the top boardwalk and a Peregrine in a nasty dispute with 2 Marsh Harriers - apparently it looked like a big ball of birds at one point - luckily it looks as though all came away unscathed.
That's it for this week. Thanks as usual to John Crispin for all his topical photos. He's on a well deserved holiday this coming week so I'll trawl through my archives to supplement the blog next week.
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Have a great weekend!