Wildlife sightings for 14th April 2012
2 Mandarin - flew from sheltered lagoon to main lake 7 Redshank - wader scrape, grazing marsh 1 Jack Snipe - grazing marsh 7 Snipe - grazing marsh, sheltered lagoon 1 Wheatear - wader [...]
2 Mandarin - flew from sheltered lagoon to main lake
7 Redshank - wader scrape, grazing marsh
1 Jack Snipe - grazing marsh
7 Snipe - grazing marsh, sheltered lagoon
1 Wheatear - wader scrape
1 Yellow Wagtail - wader scrape
12 Sand Martin - wader scrape, grazing marsh
1 Swallow - grazing marsh
Recent bird highlights: Peregrine, Red Kite, Buzzard, Curlew, Black-tailed Godwit, Jack Snipe, Redshank, Green Sandpiper, Little Ringed Plover, Sandwich Tern, Common Tern, Short-eared Owl, Swallow, Yellow Wagtail, Wheatear and Linnet.
With spring in the air the Cetti’s Warbler are becoming more vocal with at least 8 birds to be found across the reserve. Many Chiffchaffs have arrived along with smaller numbers of Willow Warbler, Blackcap and Garden Warbler. Goldcrests can be heard singing away by the Trappers Lodge cabin in World Wetlands along with many other common songsters like Blackbird, Wren, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Song Thrush and Chaffinch.
Lapwing are scraping out nests on the main lake shingle islands and grazing marsh fields, and performing territorial flight displays. Great Crested Grebe and Little Grebe are displaying regularly on the sheltered lagoon. The first few Sand Martins have also arrived (mid-March).
The marsh will remain wet through early spring to attract a host of visiting waders and other wildfowl as well as early Wagtail species. The wader scrape will now start to be drained and wetted on a weekly basis to also attract feeding waders
Moths: (early April) Common Quaker, Hebrew Character, Chestnut, Clouded Drab, Esperia sulpurella, Epermenia chaerophyllea, Powdered Quaker, Light Brown Apple Moth, Early Grey.
Flowering plants: Cowslip, Cuckooflower, Cow Parsley, Hawthorn, Blackthorn, Wild Cherry, Wood Anemone, Ramsons, Common Mouse-ear, Field Wood-rush, Marsh Marigold, Snake’s Head Fritillary, Red Dead-nettle, Primrose, Oxford Ragwort.
Water Voles: 5 seen in world wetlands, waterlife and wildside
Butterflies and insects: Comma, Brimstone, Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell, Orange-tip, Holly Blue, Speckled Wood, Small White, Common Bee-fly, 7-spot Ladybird.
Reptiles: 75% refugia on the western side of the reserve had a Slow Worm underneath. 8 adult and 2 juv Common Lizards recorded from 8 locations in waterlife, wildside and pond zone area.
