It has been another great week out on the reserve and a random blog title maybe - but my wildlife highlights this week have all had either wood or willow in their name!
A mix of sunshine and showers has brought in the new birds. The reserve is often worth checking out either just before or just after rain showers – as it can force migrating birds to land and avoid flying in bad conditions. The jubilee wetlands has been very productive this week with a fairly early curlew sandpiper dropping in, black-tailed godwits most days and a wood sandpiper which is still knocking about. The wood sandpiper has been providing great views on the canal side scrape. The scrapes have been pretty good for close views of birds recently. The little egrets are often wandering around, un fazed by people walking past. Little-ringed plovers, ringed plovers and green sandpipers are often bobbing around the muddy edges along with all the commoner ducks and geese it’s a pleasure to sit at the screens and scan and watch.
Wood sandpiper on canal side scrape (K.Thorpe)
Little egret on river side scrape (K.Thorpe)
The garganeys have been showing themselves on a daily basis. There are at least 2 birds on jubilee. On a rare occasion when they were both swimming together, side by side, one has much stronger facial markings than the other which could suggest it’s a female whilst the other one is probably a juvenile. Their union didn’t last long with the ‘female’ getting aggressive and submerging the other one before it flew to the safety of a flock of teal! Trying the blend in perhaps....
It’s great to see waders dropping in and rare ducks, but for me the best birds of the week have been 2 willow tits which were hanging out with a flock of blue tits and warblers behind the canal side screen. This is a bird which historically was frequently seen in the local area but has mirrored the national trend and is decreasing rapidly. There are pockets where they cling on and the Tame valley is one place. This year we had 1 territory very close to the reserve which fledged chicks (the first confirmed fledging for years) but their toe hold is slipping, which is why it’s great to see more than one on the reserve. They were making their characteristic nasally ‘zi-zi-taah taah taah’ call which made them very easy to locate.
As well as the willow tits making themselves vocally obvious, so have the warblers. I can’t walk round site without being scolded by a family of some warbler or other. Cetti’s warblers, reed warblers and chiffchaffs are still tending to dependant chicks. There are flocks of fledged blackcap, whitethroat, chiffchaff, willow and sedge warbler forming mixed flocks with other species, combing the hedgerows and the ditches. There has been a grasshopper warbler reeling away this week which is unseasonal. My rubbish photo doesn’t do it justice and at one point it was sat out in full view near the canal side screen (didn’t have the camera that day!). One of my favourite warblers and really pleased that they are doing well at Middleton with at least 10 territories this year.
Can you spot the gropper?!!!? (K.Thorpe)
Kingfishers are really noisy and obvious at the moment. The latest fledglings are out of the nest and being chased from their parents territory. Once they can fish for themselves the adults will not tolerate them and at this time of year we often find young kingfishers using the pools away from the river – the pond dipping pool a favourite. The best places to watch and listen to these noisy chases are whilst standing on the River Tame footbridge or walking to the river view point (the furthest you can walk on the riverside trail where there is a handy picnic bench to sit and wait on!).
It has been a 3 woodpecker week. Green woodpeckers seem to be everywhere on the reserve. The pop up everywhere and their explosive laughing call heard regularly as they fly away from you. I have yet to manage a decent photo of these flighty birds! The great-spotted woodpeckers have been common in the woodland trail and the lesser spotted woodpecker has been in the oak trees near the car park. I find there is a better chance of the elusive lesser early in the morning, usually between 6-9am. And a certain degree of luck as well!
Lesser spotted woodpecker (M.Pollard - taken in May but it's a lovely snap and I wanted to include it in this blog!)
The grey herons are having a long season – the first chicks to hatch were in April and there are still big chicks being fed now. Their raucous and often unnerving calls can be heard across the car park, especially when the adults fly in to feed the chicks causing lots of noise and excitement. When the herons do fledge, they often pop up in random places. This week, I took a nice stroll down the bridle path with one. It just stalked ahead of me, occasionally stopping to turn and look before mooching on in front. When I came too close it flew into the Langley brook.
Large heron chicks in the heronry (K.Thorpe)
It has been another fairly good week for butterflies on the reserve. There aren’t as many as previous years but the latest broods of peacocks and small tortoishells are on the wing at the moment, taking advantage of the buddleia flowers. There is a popular buddleia near the tank bridge (the green metal bridge over Langley brook) and I managed to get some okay photos of the nectar drinkers using it!
Red admiral, peacock and small white (K.Thorpe)
The canal meadow has been a great place to find butterflies, bugs and bees. Teasels, willow herbs, vipers bugloss and chicory seem to be the favourites. All the white species are bombing up and down here along with brown hawkers and southern hawkers. There have also been very noisy Roesel's bush-cricket buzzing away like little electric power lines in the grass. These crickets can be found anywhere there is longer grass (they prefer the longer stuff) and are one of the easier crickets to pick out by sound and sight. They are also a species expanding their range – until the early 20th century it was only found along the south-east coast and has seen rapid expansion north and west in recent decades.
Green veined white and Roesels bush cricket (K Thorpe)