Recent sightings from this week:
16 Aug – Little gull – 10 on East & South Scrapes
16 Aug – Wood sandpiper – one on East Scrape
16 Aug – Spotted redshank – six across Scrape
16 Aug – Dunlin – 20+ on the East Scrape
16 Aug – Black-tailed godwit – 12+ on East Scrape
16 Aug – Ringed plover – two on East Scrape
16 Aug – Avocet – 100+ on the South Scrape
16 Aug – Knot – five on South Scrape
16 Aug – Bar-tailed godwit – one juvenile on South Scrape
16 Aug – Common redshank – 15 across the Scrape
16 Aug – Green sandpiper – three on West Scrape
16 Aug – Sandwich Tern – 14 on East Scrape
16 Aug – Common sandpiper – six on West Scrape
16 Aug – Greenshank – three on East Scrape
16 Aug – Bittern – two at Bittern Hide with regular sightings at Island Mere as well.
16 Aug – Marsh harrier– several, Bittern Hide/Island Mere
16 Aug – Wheatear – one in the dunes
16 Aug – Stone curlew –two near North Wall
16 Aug – Spoonbill – two over Scrape flew north
16 Aug – Bearded tit – several young at Wildlife Lookout
16 Aug – Whinchat – one by Sluice
16 Aug – Sand martin – in burrows by visitor centre
16 Aug – Great White Egret – one showing well North Hide
15 Aug – Osprey – one over Island Mere
15 Aug – Hobby – two at Bittern Hide
15 Aug – Wasp spider – four in the dunes between Public hide and North Wall – please watch where you walk!
The summer is over for most of our birds, as many of the waders have finished raising young and are now making their way back to their winter feeding grounds. Wader numbers change frequently due to the changing weather, as rain and wind tend to force waders to seek refuge on the scrape, and when the sun shines the birds leave to continue on their migration – the opposite to what our visitors do!
Wildlife Lookout has become the place to be if you want to see a bearded tit, but you have to have a sharp eye as this group of young birds don’t make a lot of noise until they fly – look for their cream coloured bodies, ‘Lone Ranger’ black eye stripes and long brown tails as they bounce in amongst the reed mace.
Digger Alley has been busy in the sunshine, with a stream of pantaloon bees and green eyed flower bees continuing to stock up their burrows with food for their young. Bee wolves are still on the wing, in the bursts of rain they sit in their burrows waiting for a break, an amazing sight to see so many neon green faces peering out from the holes!
Lastly this week saw another first for the reserve in the form of the large sawfly - cimbex conatus – which has previously been found in the west of the county but never here. Volunteer Nick rescued the fly after it fell into the pond during a pond dipping session (obviously it took the event too literally!).