A few weeks of warm dry weather has been followed by some murky drizzly conditions, though not forgetting the dramatic thunderstorms, which has provided good conditions for many species and habitats this summer.
The timing has been very good for the productivity of box nesting birds, with a specific interest in the success of pied flycatchers. This year over 500 pied flycatcher chicks have been recorded from around 100 boxes across the reserve. In a usual year the weather can cause problems for adults collecting food for chicks, but this year the longer periods of nice weather have allowed adults to consistently find food and would appear to have helped many more chicks reach fledging.
Insects, the main food source for pied flycatchers, have also enjoyed the sunshine and warm weather as many go in search of nectar sources and help pollinate the vast variety of flowers that can be found across the site. One of our more recent projects has been the development of flower rich hay meadows from abandoned fields over the last few years. Old records of greater butterfly orchids were confirmed after the first year of management with just a few spikes, but after 3 years we have now counted a total of 65 flowering spikes this year.
Meadow full of greater butterfly orchids, heath spotted orchids and yellow-rattle (Photo by Gavin Chambers)
At this time of year we spend some time attempting to reduce the dominance of the bracken in the meadows by slashing it when it’s still growing and then repeating later in the year. While out in the meadows we spotted a few interesting species in the form of a common blue butterfly, not so common on the reserve, and a chimney sweeper, a day flying moth which is infrequent in the county.
Common blue butterfly (Photo by Gavin Chambers)
It's not only birds that like to catch insects as I found while on the moors recently, a poor small heath butterfly had got itself stuck to a round-leaved sundew. Sundews attract insects with their sticky, glistening droplets of a sugary substance which catches unsuspecting insects. The reason they are carnivores is due to the lack of nutrients in the habitat where they grow, which is typically wet moorland bogs, so they need the extra nutrients from feeding on insects.
Small heath butterfly caught in a round-leaved sundew (Photo by Gavin Chambers)
Given this week is National Insect Week, why not get out in your garden, local park or reserve, or come and explore Lake Vyrnwy and see what insects you can find. Or check out last weeks blog, see link below, with info about our Moth event this weekend. There are many insects out there to be found you just have to look closely.
Gavin Chambers, Warden
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