This week the estate team are working on the edge of the dragonfly path - close to the Saltholme Pools hide, today we made a great stamp on vegetation removal. We need to manage this vegetation because at the moment the dragonflies are using it for a place to breed and the nymphs to grow into the adults; if there is no management of the reeds and grasses in the water, then eventually the pond reeds will be over filling the ponds and dry up the habitat. Last year the volunteers worked on the same area to make improvements, as we are this year. Below is a picture I took today with Peter, Dean, Ed and Brian.
Once I was in the water (with waders on) I could start to see the life in the pond. The dragonflies that have been buzzing up and down the ‘dragonfly path’ most probably hatched out of the same pools a few weeks earlier, I know this because the pools had lots of dragonfly nymph cases where they had crawled up the reeds, and emerged from their nymph cases, which eventually fall back into the water where I originally saw them…
The other creatures I saw were water scorpions (but not technically a type of scorpion) and a few great diving beetles. Over head the starlings and lapwings flew past. I did notice on the board ‘what’s here today?’ A good selection of birds of prey have been seen including marsh harriers, merlin and peregrine. Also the water rail, little grebe and wigeon have been sighted across the reserve today.
The picture above shows a female common darter dragonfly at midday near to the garden.
- Josh McGowan