Recent Sightings from May 31st to 6th June
The Wetlands sprung into June this week welcoming the sunshine and blue skies. Visitors enjoyed the bank holiday sunshine and kicked off the half term week for schools. We saw one of the busiest days since reopening, on bank holiday Monday and we don’t just mean the visitors! The warm weather and scorching sunshine have given a burst of energy to the dragonflies, bees and butterflies this week and there is an ever-increasing number of wildflowers dominating the trails around the reserve. The Four spot chaser dragonfly is a nice addition in a past week, these give a challenge to those who want to take a photo or get a good look at their lovely orange/brown colouring. Stealth mode is needed to catch them when basking in the sunshine otherwise it is nice to enjoy them darting around your head.
Four spot chaser dragonfly. Image credit: Jeremy White
The team spent a few days this week watching a Reed Warbler gathering nesting material, his choice of material… web, courtesy of the visitor centres’ spiders. It was interesting to see just how much effort the little guy had to exert to pull the web from the building. A Reed warbler’s nest is quite impressive, they will make a nest hanging between a couple of reeds and will lay 3-5 eggs. Both parents will take care of their chicks and they may even find an additional, much larger chick take up residence in the form of a Cuckoo! The Reed warbler is a victim of brood parasitism by the Cuckoo.
Reed warbler. Image Credit: Kirsty Lindsay
It was a pleasure to hear from a good handful of the visitors that they had heard and seen the bittern flying around, coming to and from the reed beds. We were treated to an array of birds of prey this week, some we are lucky to see more than others like the Marsh Harrier. A hobby, sparrow hawk, kestrel and peregrine falcon were reported seen enjoying the wetlands.
Hobby. Image credit: Jeremy White
More terrific moths this week with a very full trap of 111 moths of 51 species. A highlight this week was the Lime Hawk-moth. The names of moth species still amaze, there was a Shark, Flame and Chocolate tip moth this week!
Shark moth. Image credit: Kevin Hewitt
A real highlight of the week was the pleasure of seeing children and their grandparents enjoying the great outdoors and all the wonders the wetlands has to offer. The excitement and smiles of children coming off the reserve having seen an array of birds, bees and butterflies and not forgetting the ducks definitely gives a feel good factor.
Recent sightings list:
Azure damselfly, Bearded reedling, Bee orchid, Bittern, Blackbird, Blackcap, Blue tailed damselfly, Blue Tit, Brimstone butterfly, brown-banded carder bee, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Canada Goose, cardinal beetle, Carrion Crow, Cetti's Warbler, Chiffchaff, Collared Dove, Common blue Butterfly, Common blue damselfly, Common carder bumblebee, Common hawker dragonfly, Common wasp, common whitethroat, Coot, Cormorant, Cuckoo, Curlew, Dunnock, Early bumblebee, Four Spot Chaser, Goldfinch, Great tit, Grey Heron, Helophilus pendulus tiger hoverfly, hen harrier, Herring gull, Hobby, holly blue butterfly, House martin, Kestrel, Large white butterfly, Lesser black-backed gull, Lesser whitethroat, Linnet, Little egret, Little Grebe, Long-tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, marmalade hoverfly, Marsh harrier, Mistle Thrush, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Orange tip butterfly, Oystercatcher, Peacock butterfly, Pheasant, Pied wagtail, Pochard, poplar hawk moth, Raven, Red admiral butterfly, red fox, Reed Bunting, Reed warbler, Robin, rove beetle, Sand Martin, Sedge Warbler, Shelduck, Shrill carder bee, Skylark, Small tortoiseshell butterfly, Song thrush, Southern marsh orchid, Sparrowhawk, Stoat, Stonechat, Swallow, Swift, Thick-legged flower beetle, Tufted Duck, white-tailed bumblebee, wolf spider, Woodpigeon, Wren, zebra jumping spider.
Author: Kirsty Lindsay