We've got lots to offer our visitors at the moment - both our human visitors and our wilder ones...
Top of the list for our visiting waders is the mud (and the invertebrates and worms inside the mud). The North Brooks is currently offering the perfect blend of water, soggy mud and grassy cover for a nice mixture of wading birds. Perhaps the highlight of the past couple of days are the avocets - 5 of them in total - who have stopped by to take advantage of the facilities. The group includes adults and juveniles - I'd rather like to think that it is one of the pairs who stopped off here in spring introducing their youngsters to the place.
But the avocets have not got the place to themselves; they are sharing the prime muddy location with snipe, green sandpipers, common sandpipers, greenshank, dunlin and little ringed plover. Joining the waders are a family party (or perhaps two) of mandarin ducks and also garganey.
Whilst the North Brooks is the best spot for wader watching, don't dismiss the other hides. A redstart has been entertaining visitors to West Mead hide, going on little insect-hunting sallies from the fenceline that runs along to the left of the hide. Spotted flycatcher and whinchat have also been reported. None have been reported yet, but keep an eye open for yellow wagtails particularly where the cattle are grazing. Hobby, marsh harrier, buzzard and red kite are also making regular appearances. During the week our warden Paul was rather like the pied piper for red kites with 6 of them following him around - he was in the tractor at the time!
Whilst most of these birds will be on their way south, some creatures are still flying north to get here...clouded yellow and painted lady butterflies are both long distance migrants and we're seeing more arriving. Particularly good is the zig zags where the emerging fleabane provides plenty of nectar for gatekeepers, meadow browns, small skippers, common blues, peacocks and red admirals amongst others. Now August is here I shall regularly be checking the large ash on 'hairstreak' corner hoping to glimpse an elusive brown hairstreak.
Brown hairstreak photo by Sophie May Lewis.
The great selection of wildlife should be a good starting point for our human visitors, but if you're looking for more hands on encounters with wildlife we'll be bug hunting, pond dipping and grass sweeping over the next week. You could then reward yourself in the cafe with cake, or one of our locally produced ice creams - I'd recommend the elderflower and lemon!