Wildlife sightings for August 2012 The month started warm, windy and some drizzle, followed by sunshine and heavy showers. Then a week of sunshine, followed by more warm showers and finally a blue sky day. It was wet but we did have some visitors who walked from the car park, down the bridleway to the reserve and back, without a dash of mud on their brightly coloured shoes. The woodland trail became a no-go area (slow hardening mud) with whispers of boardwalks in the air.
Heronry news:Heronry activity continued. Three herons (possible young), and sometimes two, were standing in the heronry northend nest. One was more mature, or braver, than the other two, spending more time away from the nest, exploring the wider world. On the 6th, the three herons flew in single formation, across the play meadow. Was the maturer juvenile leading the way – follow me 'fellow nest pals' ?
On other days we have seen four (and up to twelve) juveniles standing in the heronry centre. In between meals, perhaps. The occasional bird was seen flying down to ponds below the nests.
Chicks calling had continued in the first week – occasionally quite loud (chicks quickly becoming teenagers).
Overheard at the heronry view point. Child to parent: "what's the most important thing for a person." Parent says – "safety". Child says "what's comes first for a heron." Parent says – "its beak."
Woodpecker news:Lesser spotted woodpecker was seen occasionally in the trees around the feeders. Great spotted and green woodpeckers were often seen on or near the feeders.
Late summer birdsLess warblers were seen or heard at the beginning and throughout the month. Occasional sedge warbler calling in the grassland reeds, together with sightings of blackcap, chiffchaff, grasshopper warbler, whitethroat, willow warbler.
Blackbird, nuthatch, robin and sparrow were seen at the feeders, surrounded by the finches and tits.
Common terns were seen over the lakes.
A juvenile whitethroat and a young lesser whitethroat was seen in a hedge on the canalside wetland trail.
Young and adult spring visitor birds are getting ready for migration – putting on weight by eating berries or insects. Some birds will feed up and double their weights so that they can fly continuously for 4 days and nights. Other birds will travel by feeding, flying, stopping and then more feeding before moving through Spain and onto Africa.
Young seen - coot ( 2 family groups on fishers mill lake) , gadwall ( 2 broods), mute swan, shoveler, tufted duck.
Hobby was seen over the northern lake. Occasionally two or three were seen feeding over the lakes (one was a possible juvenile). One was observed perching on the willow screen looking over FML.
Flocks seen - buzzards (sometimes 4) were seen over the site, lapwing, canada geese.
Buzzards hovered high over the play meadow
The short-eared owl was still being seen occasionally in the grassland area – sometimes seen catching food.
We saw many swallows on the telegraph wires. These are usually young birds from early broods, with more time to mooch and loaf about. They will be learning how to feed themselves, and getting to know their birth area for next year's spring return journey.
Nature flows quietly in August. There is silence along the bridleway, interrupted by the occasional wren partially churring- not the usual sound. A solitary robin calls, a blackbird gives a warning tutter.Creatures are resting after the breeding season. Birds will be going through moulting stages to refurbish their feathers for the autumn and perhaps for the long journeys ahead.
Wetland trail had black tern, black-tailed godwit, common sandpiper, common tern, coot, cormorant, curlew sandpiper (8th), dunlin, gadwall, garganey, goosander, great crested grebe, green sandpiper, greenshank, greylag goose, hen harrier, hobby, grasshopper warbler, kingfisher (along the river), lapwing, lesser whitethroat, little egret, oystercatcher, marsh harrier, mute swan (100+), reed bunting, shoveler, sedge warbler, shoveler, skylark, snipe, spotted flycatcher (along the canal from FML), swallow, swift, tufted duck, wheatear (on rope posts along northend crossover track), whitethroat, wigeon, willow warbler.
Meadow trail had blackbird, blackcap, green woodpecker, jay, sparrowhawk.
Woodland trail had blackbird, blackcap, cetti's warbler (calling), chaffinch, coal tit, goldfinch, great spotted woodpecker, greenfinch, lesser spotted woodpecker, nuthatch, robin, treecreeper, tits, water rail (calling from the silt pool), whinchat (by the farm).
BUTTERFLIES: Brimstone, comma, common blue, essex skipper, gatekeeper, green-veined white, holly blue, large white, meadow brown, painted lady, peacock (on the buddleia bushes), red admiral, ringlet, small skipper, small tortoiseshell, small white, speckled wood. (Thanks to Keith Warmington, Warks recorder, for these butterfly links).
On one warm day our keen-eyed butterfly surveyors saw these on various buddleia bushes on site: brimstone, comma, gatekeeper, green-veined white, meadow brown, painted lady, peacock, red admiral, small tortoiseshell.
DAY-FLYING MOTHS: Burnet varieties, cinnabar, common carpet, dingy footman, twin spot carpet, vapourer. (Thanks to UKmoths for these links).
DRAGONFLIES: Banded demoiselle, blue-tailed damselfly, emerald damselfly, common darter, ruddy darter, brown hawker, migrant hawker, southern hawker, black-tailed skimmer.
WILD FLOWERS (in flower): Bindweed, bugle, evening primrose, hawkbit/hawksbeard/hawkweed species, linseed, mayweed species, oxeye daisy, purple loosestrife, ragwort, red campion, rosebay and great willowherb, water chickweed, yarrow. (Thanks to ukwildflowers for these links.)
MAMMALS: Rabbit, water shrew and weasel. A young fox was seen by the river at the north-end.Grass snakes were seen.
National butterfly records this year indicate low populations after record spring rainfall. Some places are missing their large numbers of red admiral, peacock, small tortoiseshell and painted lady – species which are usually prominent in gardens in hot weather, have been missing in many areas. This is according to Butterfly Conservation. It is believed by some that this may be the worst ever summer for garden species.
Blackberry picking has started. It used to be about mid-September onwards(main crop), with early smaller crop in mid-August on. Now the early crop appears to be late July to first week in August. Time to start picking nature's fruits before they disappear.
We have heard that this summer will be the wettest for a hundred years. So it must be dry next year – so says the local optimist.
With a great thank you to everyone for your nature sightings – keep them coming in. You can use the car-park sightings board, phone or email. Contact details are on the maps – a copy of which can be downloaded from the RSPB Middleton Lakes internet page and also available in the car-park.Compiled by Nigel Palmer