Recent sightings - Summertime at the Wetlands

We have had a whirlwind summer so far here at Newport wetlands. Late July saw the eagerly anticipated arrival of the shrill carder bumblebees on mass. We are extremely lucky to be able to say that one of the UK’s rarest bumblebees can be found in overwhelming numbers here. Along with the brown banded carder bee it is probably harder to spot the more common species in the UK!

Image credit: Jeremy White - Shrill carder bee

Image credit: Kirsty Lindsay - Brown banded carder bee

Bumblebees, dragonflies and butterflies are the only energetic species on the reserve these days with the soaring temperatures. Our pond dipping ponds are drying up but thankfully, the deeper lagoons are aiding with keeping the wildlife hydrated and safe. Records from the weekly butterfly transect include painted lady, clouded yellow, common blue (around 60 counted on one section), comma and many more.

Image credit: Cellan micheal - Clouded yellow

July brought some fantastic news on the bittern front. NRW have released their report and we are delighted to say that they’ve had their best year yet with six fledged bittern chicks from at least two nests. This makes it the most successful year since they bred for the first time in 2020.

Usual suspects have been wandering the mudflats. Curlew, oystercatcher, shelduck and a regular little egret. Black-tailed godwits have been spotted and whimbrel stopping off on their passage to refuel.

Image credit: Jeremy White

The skies have been full of migrants, darting in and out of the lagoons in the form of swifts, swallows, sand martins and house martins. Do you know the difference between these four elegant silhouettes diving about in the summer skies?

Image credit: Ben Andrew

Our moth mornings are a weekly highlight at this time of year with over 100 species most weeks. Some of our highlights includes a small mottled willow, chocolate tip, magpie moth, cresent, double kidney, canary shouldered thorn, and dog’s tooth.

Image credit: Kevin Hewitt - Chocolate tip

Image credit: Kevin Hewitt - Magpie

Image credit: Kevin Hewitt - Dog's tooth

We are nearly halfway through summer now, but we still have plenty of activities for families to come and enjoy nature. See our full list of events here: https://events.rspb.org.uk/browse?filter[name]=newport

 

Common toad, Bloodworm, Bearded reedling, Bittern, Blackbird, Blackcap, Black-headed gull, Black-tailed godwit, Blue tit, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Canada goose, Carrion crow, Cetti's warbler, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Collared dove, Common whitethroat, Coot, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunnock, Gadwall, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great black-backed gull, Great spotted woodpecker, Great tit, Great white egret, Green woodpecker, Greenfinch, Grey heron, Herring gull, Hobby, House martin, House sparrow, Jay, Kestrel, Kingfisher, Lesser black-backed gull, Lesser whitethroat, Linnet, Little egret, Little grebe, Long-tailed tit, Magpie, Mallard, Marsh harrier, Moorhen, Mute swan, Oystercatcher, Peregrine falcon, Pheasant, Pied wagtail, Pochard, Raven, Red kite, Reed bunting, Reed warbler, Robin, Sand martin, Sedge warbler, Shelduck, Song thrush, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Stock dove, Stonechat, Swallow, Swift, Whimbrel, Willow warbler, Woodpigeon, Wren, Stickleback, Backswimmer, Hornet, Pond skater, Robin's pincushion, Water boatman, Water mite, Water scorpion, Brown-banded carder bee, Honey bee, Common red soldier beetle, Great diving beetle, Longhorn beetle, Water beetle, Common carder bumblebee, Garden bumblebee, Shrill carder bee, Brimstone butterfly, Clouded yellow butterfly, Comma butterfly, Common blue butterfly, Essex skipper butterfly, Gatekeeper butterfly, Green-veined white butterfly, Holly blue butterfly, Large skipper butterfly, Large white butterfly, Meadow brown butterfly, Painted lady butterfly, Peacock butterfly, Red admiral butterfly, Ringlet butterfly, Small skipper butterfly, Small tortoiseshell butterfly, Small white butterfly, Speckled wood butterfly, Black-tailed skimmer dragonfly, Blue tailed damselfly, Broad-bodied chaser dragonfly, Brown hawker dragonfly, Common blue damselfly, Common darter dragonfly, Emperor dragonfly, Four spot chaser, Golden ringed dragonfly, Ruddy darter dragonfly, Southern hawker dragonfly, Brussels lace moth, Buff-tip moth, Canary shouldered thorn moth, Chocolate tip moth, Cinnabar moth, Common emerald moth, Common white wave moth, Crescent moth, Dark swordgrass moth, Dogs tooth moth, Double kidney moth, Drinker moth, Elephant hawk moth, Grass veneer moth, Herald moth, Hummingbird hawk moth, Lackey moth, Latticed heath moth, Lesser broad-bordered yellow underwing moth, Maidens blush moth, Rosy footman moth, Ruby tiger moth, Rush veneer moth, Sallow kitten moth, Scarlet tiger moth, Small rufous moth, Southern wainscot moth, Gold triangle moth, Water veneer moth, Bank vole, Brown rat, Common shrew, Grey squirrel, Otter, Rabbit, Stoat, Water vole, Weasel, Ramshorn snail, Bristly oxtongue, Common bistort, Ribbed melilot, Grass snake.