Sightings – July 2017
July was a great month to see baby birds. Our camera traps captured some lovely footage of a mute swan with a cygnet and a family of mallards. The woodland feeding station also attracted lots of young garden birds such as chaffinches, blue tits and house sparrows.
We had some fantastic moths turn up in the moth traps too, including the fabulous pink and green elephant hawkmoth, intricately patterned magpie moth and the fluffy drinker moth the highlights.
Elephant hawkmoth
Magpie moth
Drinker moth
We also had our first sighting of a Mandarin duck this year. This ornate bird has occasionally been spotted at the reserve over the years however it is mainly found in the south of England.
Mandarin duck (male, above; female, below)
Finally, we had not one but two ospreys flying over the reserve at the same time!
Osprey
Other birds recorded in July:
Little grebeGreat crested grebeCormorantGrey heronMute swanGreylag gooseCanada gooseMandarin duckWigeonTealMallardShovelerPochardTufted duckGoldeneyeSparrowhawkBuzzardOspreyPheasantWater railMoorhenCootOystercatcherLapwingSnipeRedshankCommon sandpiperBlack-headed gullLesser black-backed gullHerring gullStock doveWoodpigeonCollared doveCuckooSwiftKingfisherGreat spotted woodpeckerSand martinSwallowHouse martinGrey wagtailPied wagtailDipperWrenDunnockRobinWhinchatBlackbirdSong thrushGrasshopper warblerSedge warblerGarden warblerBlackcapWillow warblerGoldcrestLong-tailed titCoal titBlue titGreat titTreecreeperMagpieJackdawRookCarrion crowStarlingHouse sparrowChaffinchGreenfinchGoldfinchSiskinLesser redpollBullfinchReed bunting