After the relentless sunshine and heat of July the weather is now starting to feel a little autumnal and our wildlife certainly seems to think that it's time to be on the move or to be preparing for the winter ahead.
Emily reported on the selection of wading birds that are now appearing on the edges of the pools, especially on the North Brooks, stopping off to rest and re-fuel on their southwards migration. Today, we've had an influx (sometimes called a 'fall') of smaller birds with redstart, spotted flycatcher and whinchats all being reported, alongside lesser whitethroat, swallows, sand martins and even a (rather late) swift.
The redstart was catching insects along the hedgeline around redstart corner - perfect!
This photo was taken here a couple of years ago by Gareth Hughes
Our reptiles have been a bit tricky to find as of late - they'll have built up plenty of energy during the warm weather and have been seeking shade or hunting for food and avoiding us with our heavy footsteps! Now's the time when they'll start moving back to their traditional hibernation spots and topping up their energy by basking in the autumn sunshine. There have been a few sightings recently along adder alley, near the minibeast mansion and at the top of the zig zag path.
This lovely photo of one of our males - HB30 - was taken by Barry Clough. He was spotted between the Visitor Centre & the Zig Zag path.
Also worth keeping a very careful eye open for are baby adders. Adders give birth to live young - perfectly formed and patterned adders that are about the size of a pencil. Being so small and very well camouflaged, spotting one is a bit of a challenge but we have found and photographed 3 hatchlings this week. It will be lovely to be able to track these over time and see how quickly they grow and whether they move around the site. Although the colour of a hatchling differs from those of an adult (they are often a gingery-brown) the distinct markings on the back and side of the head remain the same so each can be identified. Although they do look rather cute, they are still venomous so tread carefully and do not attempt to pick them up!