What a change in the weather from earlier in the week today, as we have been basking in glorious sunshine all day whilst out on site plant surveying. Many thanks to Pete Acton, Pete Smith and John Young from Notts Biological and Geological Records Centre and to Carl Cornish, our RSPB Conservation Officer, for coming along to the reserve today to take a look at the wetland plants developing on Phases 1, 2 and the old silt lagoon. Everyone was pleased to see the variety of species that are colonising the site (see my previous blog from earlier this week, entitled ‘Amazing aquatics’ for details) and have provided some excellent plant identification tips and guidance for me to use in future surveys.
Other sightings from today include –
My first 2012 record of migrant hawker, Aeshna mixta, dragonfly on site,
A fully grown elephant hawk-moth, Deilephila elpenor, larva feeding on great willowherb on Phase 2 found by Pete, Pete, John and Carl,
4 greenshank over Phase 2 early this morning and later singles throughout the day,
2 dunlin on Phase 3 this morning, seen by volunteer Graham Gamage,
Curlew calling from Phase 1,
Grey wagtail on Phase 1,
And an incredible sighting of thousands of whirligig beetles, Gyrinus spp. on the water’s surface around the sluice on the old silt lagoon.