The wet has well and truly been put in the wetlands with the endless rainfall we had in March but despite the weather our wildlife and visitors have shone through! As Easter is drawing to a close the wellies and rainsuits have definitely been a frequent sighting at Newport Wetlands.
Brimstone butterflies and Buff-tailed bumblebee queens are the first signs of insect life with bright yellow Brimstones fluttering around and the buzz of HUGE bumblebee Queens looking for nest sites. At this time of year, dandelions are crucial for these insects to collect pollen and gain the energy needed to survive. If you can do one thing to help the bumblebees in early spring, it’s to let just a few dandelions grow in your garden for them to feed on and don’t start mowing too soon!
Buff-tailed bumblebee - Ieuan Evans and Brimstone - Jeremy White
Chiffchaffs are filling the sky with sounds of song. They are the sweetest bird and most easily recognised by their sound which, if you listen carefully, it sounds like they are repeating their name *chiff chaff chiff chaff*. Lots of Chiffchaff migrate over to the UK in the Spring from Europe and North Africa but some stay with us all year round. They are among the earliest singers in the breeding season, being heard from February onwards.
Chiffchaff - Ieuan Evans
Other species of warbler that are migrating over to us are Willow warblers, Common and Lesser Whitethroats and Blackcaps. These birds each have their own little features that distinguishes them from each other, but they can be quite hard to tell the difference from afar so learning their song helps us to identify them! All three species have been seen on Perry Lane in the dense bushes and hedgerow. Keep an eye on the power lines for a singing Whitethroat!
Willow warbler - Jeremy White, Common Whitethroat - Ieuan Evans and Blackcap - Jeremy White
We are kicking off the breeding season with fantastic news that a male bittern has been heard booming. The famous sound of the bittern is not too dissimilar to the sounds of someone blowing over the top of a bottle and it can be heard up to 2km away (they’re the UK’s loudest bird)! Newport Wetlands was the first site in Wales in over 200 years where Bittern have successfully bred and that’s due to the careful management of our reedbeds to make ideal Bittern habitat.
Many other species are getting ready for nesting. Some are signing from the treetops and others are busily flying around with their beaks full of twigs and moss for their nests. Blackbirds can be seen pulling up large tufts of moss and carrying them off into our bushy thickets. Great tits are singing “teacher-teacher”. Ducks and geese are pairing off and competing for nest sites around the café scrape. Blue tits are already lining the nest box on our office wall (there’s a nest camera and we’ve been watching their progress).
Tufted duck and Little Grebe - Jeremy White
Moths are becoming more active and more numerous. Our Saturday morning moth reveals are proving quite productive and our list of moths from our traps is expanding. Who wouldn’t want to see an exotically named Brindled beauty or an oddly named Early tooth-striped moth?
Early tooth-striped - Kevin Hewitt
An exciting return to the reserve is a Little Owl which has resumed its residence in an old tree in one of the farmland hedgerows. It’s a tricky one to spot so extra credit to those who have spotted it on their visit. 3 Bearded reedlings were seen and heard on the warm bank holiday.
Other sightings include Weasels making a dash across the paths, Tufted Duck and Pochard on the lagoons, Marsh Harriers hunting and Peregrine Falcon darting about the skies.
The full list of species that were recorded on our sightings board is:
Bird Avocet, Bearded reedling, Bittern, Blackbird, Blackcap, Black-headed gull, Black-tailed Godwit, Blue tit, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Canada goose, Carrion crow, Cetti's warbler, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Coal tit, Collared dove, Coot, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunlin, Dunnock, Fieldfare, Gadwall, Garganey, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great black-backed gull, Great Crested Grebe, Great spotted woodpecker, Great tit, Green woodpecker, Greenfinch, Grey heron, grey plover, Grey wagtail, Greylag goose, Herring gull, House sparrow, Jay, Kestrel, Kingfisher, Knot, Lapwing, Lesser black-backed gull, Linnet, Little egret, Little grebe, Little owl, Long-tailed tit, Magpie, Mallard, Marsh harrier, Meadow pipit, Mistle Thrush, Moorhen, Mute swan, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pied wagtail, Pochard, Raven, Redwing, Reed bunting, Robin, Rock pipit, Rook, Sand martin, Shelduck, Siskin, Snipe, Song thrush, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Stonechat, teal, Treecreeper, Tufted duck, Water rail, Whimbrel, Wigeon, Willow warbler, Woodpigeon, Wren
Insect - bumblebee Buff/white-tailed bumblebee
Insect – butterfly Brimstone butterfly, Large white butterfly, Peacock butterfly, Red admiral butterfly, Small tortoiseshell butterfly
Insect - macro moth Brindled beauty moth, Clouded drab moth, Common quaker moth, Early tooth-striped moth, Hebrew character moth, Pale pinion moth, Powdered quaker moth, Small quaker moth, Streamer moth
Mammal Badger, Brown rat, Fox, Grey squirrel, Otter, Rabbit, Stoat, Water vole, Weasel