Category: Sighting

West End:- 4 Common Terns with 3 chicks on left raft. 1 Little Egret, 38 Great Crested Grebes, 6 Mandarin including one with 3 young, 9 Cormorant, 29 Greylag geese with 3 young, 1 Coot, 1 Garden Warbler, 1 Blackcap, 5 Swallows, 1 Black-headed Gull, 6 Herring Gull.

Many are very interested in the nesting Common Terns – today I saw a fluffy chick on the left hand Tern raft. The right hand raft has a pair with a bird sitting on a nest. Great Crested Grebes – 8 pairs were seen either building or sitting on nests at the West end.

West End:- 8 pairs of Great Crested Grebes are either building or sitting on nests, 2 pairs of Common Terns with 1 chick on left hand raft, 1 Pied Wagtail at rafts, 1 Little Egret, 11 Grey Heron, 10 Cormorant, 1M Tufted Duck, 2 Lapwing, Chiffchaff, Garden Warbler & Reed Warbler all heard singing at Car Park.  Song Thrush & Reed Warbler heard at Whillet’s.

A moth survey at Whillet’s meadows produced 45 moths from 21 species. A Grey Arches (photo) which although common was a new moth for the reserve. Another new species for the reserve found during the survey was a Long Horn Beetle – Agapanthia villosoviridescens (photo).  The horn colouring is an impressive sight. It’s larvae breed in the stems of thistles and other herbaceous plants.

WeBS Count
All reservoir totals:- 44 Great Crested Grebe (8 nests noted), 5+7Juv Canada Geese, 30 Mallard, 2 Song Thrush heard, 3 Blackcap heard, 3 Chiffchaff heard.
Dam End:- 2 Grey Wagtail, 2 Coot, 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 1 Green Woodpecker, 1 Swallow, 15 Goldfinch.
West End:- 10 Cormorant, 1 Little Egret, 11 Grey Heron, 24 Greylag Geese, 2 Mandarin, 2 Moorhen, 1 Lapwing, 1 Herring Gull (mobbed by terns), 6 Common Tern, 1 Stock Dove, 1 Pied Wagtail, 1 Reed Warbler & 1 Garden Warbler at car park.
Whillets:-  Whitethroat and Reed Bunting heard.  A male Hairy Dragonfly (new species for the meadows) seen at Meadow Pond during survey visit. Also noted were:  4 Burnet Companion & 1 Silver Y (day flying moths).

West End:- 17 Greylag Geese, 3 Great Crested Grebe nests, 3 Mute Swans, 1 Lapwing, 1 Mandarin, 1 Moorhen, 1 Coot, 1 Little Egret came out from herony and was feeding at the waters edge, several Grey Herons still at herony.
Car Park: – Reed Warbler & Blackcap heard. Also a Hornet was seen.

Whillet’s Meadows:- 1 Male Reed Bunting, Pair of Common Whitethroats, 2 Grass Snakes, 2 Slow Worms, 1 Four-Spotted Chaser, 1 Emperor Dragonfly & 1 Beautiful Demoiselle.

Dam End: Firecrest still showing in the car park, 4 Canada Geese with broods of 5 and 2 young, 50 House Martins.
West End: 3 Great Crested Grebes nests, 9 Greylag Geese with broods of 2 and 3 young, 4 Common Terns, 1 Lapwing, 1 Coot, 10 Swallows.

West End: 2 Egyptian Geese on Pintail bank, Pair of Tufted Duck, 3 Common Tern & 1 Pied Wagtail on rafts. Nuthatch pair  & singing Garden Warbler around Car Park area.   Bullfinch heard at Whillets area.

West End: 25 Great Crested Grebes but there is still no obvious sign of any nesting yet, they are still displaying. The Heronry is still active although many of the nests are becoming vacant, as young fledge some of which can be seen around the reservoir. 8 Cormorant, 2 Greylag & 2 Canada Geese, Mandarin – 2M + 1F with 2 young ducklings, 10+ Mallard, 1 Buzzard, 1 Coot, 1 Moorhen, 3 Common Tern at rafts, 2 Stock Dove, 2 Pied Wagtail at rafts, Garden Warbler heard and Nuthatch seen at Car Park.  South Bank: 1 Kestrel & 1 Jay seen & both Mistle & Song Thrush heard.

Whillet’s: 1 Whitethroat, 1M Reed Bunting. It was noted that Beautiful Demoiselle, Large Red & Azure Damselflies are now starting to be seen on the wing. Also the day flying moth Burnet Companion and a Silver Y was seen.

We received an interesting late entry sighting report for the Dam wall for the 5th May:  14 Common Sandpiper, 1 Greenshank, 1 Little Ringed Plover.