West End:  24 Great Crested Grebe – no obvious signs of nesting yet; 17 Grey Heron – many of the young from the heronry have now fledged, they can be easily identified from the adults and can be seen around the reserve; 2 Mute Swan; 1 Buzzard which is usually mobbed by the 2 pairs of Common Terns on the rafts.  15 Swallow, 1 Moorhen, 1 Coot. A Blackcap is regularly singing in the Car Park and a Song Thrush is still singing loudly. Jackdaws are often flying over as a couple of pairs … Read the rest

Whillets: Alastair who is one of our official transect butterfly and dragonfly recorders reported the following from the meadows –  2 Dingy Skipper Butterfly, 1 Broad-bodied Chaser Dragonfly, 1 Red-eyed Damselfly and a Silver Ground Carpet Moth.

 

At the Dam End: 3 Garden Warbler, 2 Chiffchaff, 4 Whitethroat, 4 Pied Wagtail, 2 Swallow, 8 House Martin. (No waders on The Dam).

Whillets: Alastair who is one of our official transect butterfly and dragonfly recorders reported the following from the meadows –  4 Burnet Companion Moth, 1 Mother Shipton Moth (both day flying moths) and 1 Dingy Skipper Butterfly.

At the Dam End: We started the BTO WeBS survey at 8 am at the dam wall which produced 1 Little Ringed Plover, 1 Common Sandpiper, 2 each of Grey & Pied Wagtails and 10 Canada Geese including a family with 4 young (see photo below). On the water were: 2 Mute Swans, 2 Coot, 4 Moorhens, 2 male Tufted Ducks, 1 Mandarin, 32 GC Grebe, 1 Grey Heron and 20 Mallard. In the air were: 6 Swifts, 2 Swallows, 4 House Martins and a Buzzard being … Read the rest

Dam end:  On dam wall 2 Common Sandpiper and 2 Little Ringed Plover, 1 Grey Wagtail, 2 Pied Wagtail, 2 Swift, 4 House Martin, 1 Green Woodpecker, 1 Jay

Whillet’s: 4 Reed Warbler, 2 Mandarin, 1 Buzzard.

West End:  A mid morning visit gave the following highlights. A lone male Pochard, 2 Egyptian Geese on Pintail Point, Pair of Mandarin with six ducklings.

West End:  A late afternoon visit gave nice views of the White plumage Grey Heron standing with several Cormorants on Martins Island plus a Little Egret was on Pintail bank.  The Heronry is still very active although some nests are becoming vacant as young start to fledge and any unsuccessful nesting pairs decide to abandon. A Kingfisher was seen flying carrying a small fish. A Buzzard was being mobbed by Terns. A pair of Swallows were feeding close on an increasing swarm of mosquitoes hovering just above the water surface, whilst a duet from Song Thrush and Blackcap was coming … Read the rest

Whillet’s Meadows:   Whilst working in the meadows a Barn Owl was seen,  a Sedge Warbler heard singing behind Whillet’s Pool + Reed Bunting, Whitethroat, Blackcap and Garden Warbler also heard within meadows, also noted were 2 Slow Worms, 2 Grass Snakes, 1 Common Newt, 2 Cinnabar Moth, 2 Drinker Moth caterpillars.

West End: 2 pairs of Common Tern, one pair seen carrying out bonding display and food passing whilst on the nesting raft –  A good sign this pair will attempt to nest on the rafts.