This sensational picture of a peregrine carrying a common tern was captured by our regular visitor Dan Dench on Lodmoor last week. It is a perfect illustration of the peregrines’ sleek, powerful aerial prowess honed over thousands of years of evolution.

Peregrine with tern and crow in pursuit.

In certain quarters raptors get a bad press (at best) for doing what nature intends them to do. It is easy to get drawn…

 

Okay, it wasn’t making any noise so should have known better than to turn up on a dawn chorus walk but it was a welcome…

This morning I managed my first glimpse of Hobby over Radipole for the year, only fleeting but I let the VC and the hide know and others were able to get superior views of this fantastic little falcon. Moments later three Swift appeared in the same air space - no doubt keeping a close eye on their similarly sickle shaped tormentor.

A hobby dining on the wing. Picture copyright RSPB Images.

Although their habits differ enormously…

References have been made within these pages of the ongoing habitat works in the recent era to improve and extend the wet pasture on Radipole. A brief summary of said works would mention scrub clearance, mechanical reed and rush removal, felling of corvid perches and a new grazing regime to keep the sward at a beneficial height.

In the past 6-months shallow pools, foot drains and scrapes have been added and flexi-pipe…

The past couple of days has seen the first few reed and sedge warblers arriving from their African wintering grounds and very welcome they are too. Still relatively few in number their songs are lacking the conviction that characterises their species, but in a few weeks - as the trickle of arrivals becomes a flood - the reedbeds will become alive with their jittery, reeling, interminable songs - two of the more evocative sounds…

It is now, quite incredibly, (and scarily) 10 years that I have been associated with these wonderful reserves in Weymouth and I never feel less than proud to be involved with the ongoing works here. The recent bittern action, kingfisher antics and the repeated marsh harrier success' are fairly obvious 'nods' to indicate the worth of the habitat improvements being made on both sites... however there are less 'showy…

Last year Anne began a programme of reptile monitoring on both reserves. Following fairly standard reptile survey methodology she numbered corrugated sheets and situated them around the reserves to act as safe reptile refuge.Seeing as we were out on Lodmoor's salt marsh on Monday (checking that our eel ladder was functioning in advance of the glass eel influx and that the cattle trough feeder pipe was flowing), it seemed…

As part of our management of Radipole and Lodmoor we monitor fish populations to provide us with biomass estimates and a picture of what species are present and where. We do this by a process called electric (or electro) fishing which uses state of the art equipment to send a pulse of electricity between a cathode and an anode which temporarily stuns any fish between the two electrodes, thereafter allowing them to be easily…

Out and about on Radipole last week we were fortunate to come across this beautifully formed, purse-like Long-tailed tit  ('lottie') nest nearing completion. Constructed principally from moss and lichen, bound together with cobwebs and then lined with a bed of feathers, the 'lottie' nest provides a snug refuge to raise their chicks. The nest was a hive of industry with both birds actively tending to the construction…

As spring gathers pace there is a tangible sense of anticipation as to what may be around each corner - both actual and metaphorical. Birds are arriving daily from their wintering grounds, adding distinctive voices to the ever building choir of the dawn chorus, while eager stems and flowers are painting a fresh spectrum across the reserves.

We were optimistic that something was afoot with the pair of kingfishers that had…

It takes something quite special for me to be blogging at 7.30 in the evening but I have just got back from the North hide after watching this superb creature!

It’s an adult male Marsh Harrier which is something we don't see very often at Radipole. This is the first one I've seen here and certainly the first for a while. However, you may wonder why we haven’t seen a male like this given that we've had Marsh Harrier…

Spring still flitting along merrily and I, (after weeks of expectant pacing) am able to bring you the news that our tadpoles are hatching and taking their first tentative wriggles into the bigger world of their purpose dug ponds.

The above picture, (taken by Allan Neilson) shows the recently liberated tadpoles feeding on their energy rich egg-sacs. The urge to string-up a jam jar, gather my net and relive the forever sunny…

We have made frequent reference to the recent increase in otter signs and sightings on Radipole which have usually come as a result of the growing list of duties that require us to be on site pre-dawn. To save you these ungodly privations we have captured some more footage on our motion activated cameras which can be accessed from the link below. Short but incredibly sweet!

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgTQyl2twtI

It is sad that  on occasion we are forced to use this blog to report things other than the management of the reserves and their wildlife, but it is sometimes necessary given the urban nature of the Weymouth Wetlands. Last week we suffered a number of acts of vandalism on Radipole - pretty minor stuff but frustrating to say the least - culminating, more seriously, in circa 1.5 ha of reed being deliberately ignited at Lodm…