Meadow Trail: Cuckoo singing on east side of Cloudy Pit; Cetti's Warbler singing on Hayling Pit, plus at least 1 Norfolk Hawker patrolling Soldier Weed on Hayling also.

Island Pit: 3 Hobbies hawking insects over northern end of pit, plus singing Cetti's Warbler.

Hayling Pit: Norfolk Hawker showing around Soldier Weed again today. See an excellent photo by Matthew Rodgers, here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/aves-and-more/9119214710/in/set-72157625164915244/

Meadow Trail: Cetti's Warbler singing along east side of Hayling Pit. Lots of Common Spotted Orchids along the meadow (with a particular abundance around the area just before the steps that lead to Hayling Pit & allotments).

Sailing Lake: Hobby over.

Hayling Pit: 4 Norfolk Hawker dragonflies viewable this morning from fishing peg at NW end of pit.

Rudd Pit: singing Cetti's Warbler, plus Cuckoo singing around Meadow Trail.

Heron Trail: 2 Nightingales singing still this evening, plus 1-2 Cuckoo's singing also.

Heron Trail: juvenile Coal Tit (reasonably scarce on the reserve) trapped and ringed in the sanctuary area this morning. Still 3 Nightingales singing around the trail.

Island Pit: Cetti's Warbler singing still on west side of pit, plus Cuckoo singing along river adjacent to Island Pit. 2 Hobbies in a brief grapple at height over the pit this afternoon, before one bird flew off north with the other heading off in the opposite direction.

Fledge fledge fledge

The trails and paths are generally good; however the Meadow Trail, near the allotments still has a deep muddy puddle).

reed bunting, great tit, blue tit, chiffchaff are some of the fledglings you can see...

***Norfolk Hawker is on site***

nightingales are calling along Heron Trail with sightings almost daily. 

garden warbler, blackcap, whitethroats, lesser whitethroats, willow warblers, chiffchaff, reed warbler and sedge warbler, cetti's warbler, grasshopper warbler and spotted flycatcher are on site.

hobbies are hunting on Heronry Lake and the meadows.

turtle doves have bred on the Ouse Valley Way

1 male red crested pochard on sailing lake

treecreeper have bred in Rory's Wood and on Riverside

Pair of Goldcrests with recently fledged young around Wray House Garden today.

kingfisher are still feeding young viewed from Public Footpath to Diddington; also you will get great views of the sand martin colony

common tern are often seen carrying food in flight across the reserve

cuckoos are still very flighty on the hunt for caterpillars 

red kite are a regular site now soaring over the reserve

 

Thousands of dragonfly and damselflies are now out and can be seen all across the reserve. Click on the link below to view what species you can see.http://www.paxton-pits.org.uk/dragonflight.htm

It is always worth walking the public footpaths around the reserve (maps can be obtained from the Visitor Centre). From Stirtloe Lane (off Ouse Valley Way) you can watch the latter stages of tern and wader passage and you never know what you might see.

A little tern was spotted recently...

Visit Lammas Meadow (only 5 minutes drive away) and view the Marsh Orchids http://www.huntingdonshire.gov.uk/SiteCollectionDocuments/HDCCMS/Documents/Parks%20and%20Open%20Spaces%20documents/green_corridor_leaflet%20(2).pdf

http://common-land.com/lands/view/6399

Heavy Works Vehicles are using the Haul Road to and from the Gravel Pit so please stick to the paths and take care.

Please call us with any sightings on tel: 01480 406 795 or pop into the centre and write them into our sightings book. All sightings are useful for monitoring the site.

What is life like for the Ranger of Paxton Pits? Jim Stevenson keeps you up to date on his own blog, the inside-track on life in charge of cows, sheep, birds and volunteers.

http://www.paxton-pits.org.uk/ranger.htm

Join The Friends and you will be helping to make Paxton Pits Nature Reserve a better place for wildlife and people, for now and the future.

http://www.paxton-pits.org.uk/friendsjoin.htm

Boughton Lodge Farm/Island Pit: Spotted Flycatcher commuting between the small wooded area south of the farm and the SW end of Island Pit mid morning. 3 Banded Demoiselles along east side of Island Pit.

Visitors' Centre: 3 Hobbies together above the car park early afternoon.

Heron Trail: drake Red-crested Pochard, Kingfisher, juvenile Mistle Thrush & 3 singing Nightingales.

Meadow Trail: Lots of young birds around the trail, including a Long-tailed Tit family, recently fledged Robins and Dunnocks, plus Great Spotted Woodpeckers still busy feeding noisy young at their nest by the river (south of Cloudy Pit). Kingfisher at Rudd Pit & Cuckoo singing near the Great Meadow.