June 21st to 24th 2018

June 21st:  Third Thursday Walk on Meadow Trail:
                  Blackbird, blackcap, b-h gull, blue tit, buzzard, crow, chiffchaff,
                  common tern, coot, cormorant, dunnock, gadwall, g-c grebe, garden warbler,
                  goldfinch, great tit, green woodpecker, greenfinch, heron, house sparrow,
                  jackdaw, lesser b-b gull, magpie, mallard, moorhen, mute swan, reed bunting,
                  reed warbler, robin, song thrush, stock dove, swallow, tufted duck, whitethroat,
                  willow warbler, wood pigeon, wren, hobby, collared dove, Cetti's warbler,
                  Norfolk hawker, southern hawker, four spotted chaser. (D. Wilson)

Scarce chaser, male.

June 22nd:  Heron on the meadow trail. (PP/IG)
                   Kingfisher, g-c grebe, mute swan, heron, common tern, cormorant, magpie,
                   swallow, tufted duck, wood pigeon, mallard, moorhen, grey squirrel, muntjac,
                   blackbird. (G McV)

June 24th:  Little ringed plover (Island Pit), blackcap x 12, chiffchaff x 5,
                   Cetti's warbler x 2, kingfisher x 2, garden warbler, willow warbler x 4,
                   common tern x 58, goldcrest x 2, reed bunting x 5, song thrush x 4,
                   sparrow hawk, reed warbler x 3, yellowhammer x 3, whitethroat x 2,
                   lesser whitethroat, sedge warbler. (Terry Brown.)

Grass snakes were seen by many visitors. This one was seen swimming across Heronry North lake.

In this period the variety of dragonflies and damselflies on the wing was spectacular, but no-one sent us their records. Norfolk and southern hawkers were on the wing, brown hawkers emerged, four spotted and scarce chasers were joined by black tailed skimmers and the first common darters. Emperors were the most dramatic fresh dragonflies followed by the first brown hawkers. Damsels included red-eyed, variable, common blue, blue tailed, small red and the spectacular, metallic banded demoiselles.

Female common blue.

Butterflies were also plentiful with commas, ringlets, meadow browns, speckled woods, green veined and large whites, and common blues sighted.  Large skippers were plentiful and the first small skippers were seen.

Plant-wise, the first great dodder was found at the river viewpoint and there was a spectacular show of bee and pyramidal orchids for those with the interest to seek them out.

Jocelyn Gale found a new record for the Reserve at the beach on Cloudy Pit in the form of hound's tongue. (It is still there but has gone to seed now.)

Anyone looking for spiders will not be disappointed, though no wasp spiders have been found yet.

PLEASE SEND US MORE RECORDS, ESPECIALLY FOR NON-AVIAN SPECIES.

June 1st to June 13th 2018

June: time for dragonflies!

3rd  Turtle dove heard in the car park.

4th  Cuckoo at river viewpoint yellow hammer at quarry, nightingale at moorings (M&P Smith)

6th  Scare chaser and four-spotted chaser, speckled wood. variable, red-eyed, blue-tailed
       damsels on the meadow trail, black tailed skimmer on the heron trail.
       Whitethroat (LC Smith from Kent)
       Nightingale at moorings (GR)

7th  Banded demoiselle ay moorings (JMcD)
       Norfolk hawker on the Hayling Pit and more emerging. Variable, blue-tailed, red-eyed,
       common blue damsels, 4 spotted chaser, black-tailed skimmers and emperor dragonfly.

10th Hobby (Carol Baker)

Hobby.

13th Orchids: Bee orchid, pyramidal and spotted orchids along roadside and Sailing Lake. (JS)
        Barn owl, kingfisher, cuckoo, blackcap, whitethroat, sedge warbler, g-c grebe,
        buzzard, chiffchaff. on the meadow trail. (AH)
        Speckled wood, meadow brown, common blue butterflies. Cinnabar and silver y moths
        plus catterpillars of the mullein moth. (JS)

Horseflies are pretty fierce on the Meadow Trail this month.

May 22nd to 29th 2018

22nd  Cuckoo male at the beach. (SM) Cetti's warbler x 4 (Meadow Trail). Nightingales
          singing x 2 at moorings. (TG)

24th  Nightingale at moorings, many blackcaps and garden warblers, reed warblers at
         Washout. Willow warbler. chiff chaff, whitethroat. (RSB)
         Norfolk Hawker near allotments ovipositing. (Guy Taplin)

28th  Whitethroat x 4, lesser whitethroat x 2, cuckoo x 2, chigffchaff x11, blackcap x 12,
          reed warbler x 8, willow warbler x 2, garden warbler x 2, sedge warbkler x 1,
          reed bunting x 5, yellowhammer x 2, goldcrest, common tern x 29. (Terry Brown)
          Nightingale by education centre. (GB)

29th  Blue tit, robin, baby sparrow, blackbird, squirrel, great tit, in garden. (Lucy Thomson)
         House sparrow, woodpigeon. (Kathryn and Amie)

Norfolk Hawker by Peter Wood.