Category: Sighting

Ringing saw a very slow trickle of birds, mainly Blackcaps, though not the numbers I would have expected at this time of year. Other warblers included Whitethroat and Reed Warblers. There were a few Chiffchaff around calling. Two Kingfishers fishing around the pond were a nice sight as was a Grey Wagtail.

Dam End:- Arctic and 2 Common Terns all juveniles. Juvenile Wheatear, Common Sandpiper and Greenshank on the dam, 2 Yellow Wagtails over south.
Whinchat in the first big field along the north bank from the west end, quite a few Willow Warblers plus an 18 strong Long-tailed Tit flock.

Dam End:- 1 Juvenile Arctic Tern.
West End:- 2 Gadwall, 1 Coot, 2 Kingfisher, 1 House Martin, 25 Swallows, 2 Mandarin.

Osprey at 10:30 flying along the north ridge headed south west.
2 Common Sandpipers on the dam, 5 Lesser Black-backed and 2 Great Black-backed Gulls and 3 Common Terns.

West End:- 1 Green Sandpiper on tern raft.

Whillet’s:- 19 Mistle Thrushes flew south early morning, 1f + 1m Sparrowhawk chasing 6+ Jays around Ash trees behind meadow pond. A flock contained 1 Marsh Tit, 4 Great Tit, 8 Blue Tit and 9 Long-tailed Tits also Willow Warbler and several Chiffchaffs. Reed Warbler at reed bed, 2 Buzzards,1 Lesser Black-backed Gull and 10 Greylags were flyovers. 100+ Swallows trickling south during the morning with several groups of Goldfinches.
2 Whitethroats in meadow, 1 Kingfisher and Bullfinch heard.
8 Grass snakes, 3 Speckle Woods and 1 Purple Hairstreak.1 Blood Vein Moth.

WeBS and Other Surveys
Dam End:- Osprey seen flying off with a fish.
Highlights were the dragonflies with a new species for the reserve – Lesser Emperor Dragonfly at Whillet’s.
All Reservoir:- 29 Cormorant, 10 Grey Heron, 34 Great Crested Grebe, 2 Buzzards, 35 Mallard, 7 Mandarin, 3 Moorhen, 3 Stock Dove.
Dam End:- 1 Osprey, 1 Kestrel, 2+7j Egyptian Geese, 14 white Farmyard Geese, 1 domestic feral hybrid Mallard, 1 Tufted Duck, 2 Common Sandpiper, 124 Black-headed Gull, 2 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 1 Great Black-backed Gull, 2+6j Herring Gull, 3 Common Tern, 3 Swift, 1 Sand Martin, 65 House Martin, 6 Grey Wagtail, 8 Pied Wagtail, 6 Chiffchaff, 1 Willow Warbler, 1 Goldcrest, 6+ Blue Tit, Nuthatch heard, Green Woodpecker heard, 2 Crow, 1 Raven, 1 Chaffinch, 1 Goldfinch.
West End:- 3 Mute Swan, 1 Teal, 8 Swallow, 2 Kingfisher, Great Spotted Woodpecker heard, 2 Bullfinch flyover.
Butterflies:- 1 Purple Hairstreak, 2 Vapourer moths.
Whillet’s:-  2 Reed Warbler, 2 Whitethroat, 1 Kingfisher, 1j Greenfinch.
Dragonflies:-  Highlights were a Golden-ringed (male), and a new species for the reserve a Lesser Emperor (male), Also 3+ Southern Hawker, 2+ Brown Hawker, 5+ Migrant Hawker, 5+ Common Darter.
Damselflies:- Highlight was a Willow Emerald at meadow pond stream inlet, 1 Banded Demoiselle, 1 Blue-tailed, 1 White-legged, 2 Azure.
Butterflies:- 5 Meadow Brown, 1 Red Admiral, 2 Small Tortoiseshell, 3 Common Blue, 1 Holly Blue, 1 Brown Argus, 6 Small Copper, 2 Small Heath, 5 Gatekeeper, 6 Green-veined White.
Moths:- 4 Blood Vein,  1 Shaded-broad bar, 1 Silver Y, 2 Straw Dot, a micro moth – known as the Mint Moth (Pyrausta aurata). Also 2 Hornets.

Dam End:- 1 adult + 2 juvenile Great Black-backed Gull, 2 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 2 Common Tern, 3 Sand Martin, 2 Swallow, 10 House Martin.
West End:- 2 Mandarin, 1 Moorhen, 1 Goldcrest, 2 Bullfinch and several Chiffchaffs heard.

Osprey seen early by Brendan Lanigan.
Work Party sightings ~ Dam End:- 11 Great Crested Grebe, 3 Grey Heron, 1+7 juv Egyptian Geese, 16 white feral Farmyard Geese, 2 Common Sandpiper, 113 Black-headed Gull, 5 Great Black-backed Gull, 2 Common Tern, 1 Swift, 3 Swallow, 6 House Martin, 2 Grey Wagtail, 2 Pied Wagtail.