One of the highlight of June is our breeding seabirds. Common tern, sandwich tern and little tern all breed in the harbour on Tern Island and New Island along with big numbers of black-headed gulls and a handful of Mediterranean gulls.
Little tern chicks - Ivan Lang
Ringed plovers and oystercatchers occupy the fringes and it is a cacophony of noise with birds bickering with neighbours or greeting partners and parents arriving with food. Head to Church Norton for the best views.
Little tern with sandeel - Ivan Lang
Swallows and martins swoop over the fields and waterways, while high above swifts show their aerial prowess like WW2 dog-fighters. Warblers can be found across our reserves, blackcap, chiffchaff, lesser and common whitethroat, reed and sedge warbler among them. If you are after farmland birds head to Medmerry where skylark pour out their quintessential summer song from the skies, accompanied by yellowhammers and corn buntings.
Corn bunting - Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)
Four-spot and broad-bodied chasers patrol the ponds chasing off intruders into their territory, whereas the daintier blue-tailed and azure damselflies appear more refined in their approach. Red admirals, comma and peacock butterflies are joined by newly hatched common blues, coppers meadow browns and skippers.