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.