Wildlife sightings for 26th July 2021
Juvenile Mediterranean Gull on the main lake, with Peregrine hunting over the grazing marsh.
1 Garganey - wader scrape (p.m.)
1 Whinchat - grazing marsh (p.m.)
1 Common Sandpiper - wader scrape (p.m.)
1 Little Egret - wader scrape
1 Mediterranean Gull (juv) - main lake
2 Oystercatcher - main lake
1 Peregrine - hunting over grazing marsh
1 Common Tern - grazing marsh
15 Teal - wader scrape, main lake, sheltered lagoon
1 Shoveler - main lake
1 Kingfisher - Wildside
32 Lapwing - main lake
20+ Swift - feeding low over main lake
Additional sighting from the 25th:
1 Common Snipe - main lake (in front of Headley Hide)
Flowering plants: Beaked Hawksbeard, Bristly Ox-tongue, Rough Hawkbit, Viper's Bugloss, Deptford Pink, Meadow Vetchling, Grass Vetchling, Tufted Vetch, Marsh Marigold, Forget-me-not, Bee Orchid, Southern Marsh Orchid, Pyramidal Orchid, Dove's-foot Crane's-bill, Ragged Robin, Daisy, Cut-leaved Crane's-bill, Red Campion, White Campion, Green Alkanet, Common Vetch, Herb Robert, Ox-eye Daisy, Creeping Buttercup, Celery-leaved Buttercup, Jack-by-the-hedge, Bird's-foot Trefoil, Yellow Rattle, Herb Bennett, Common Mallow, Ragwort, Yellow Iris, Cut-leaved Crane's-bill, Round-leaved Crane's-bill, White Water-lily, Meadow Rue, Hemlock Water-dropwort, Amphibious Bistort, Greater and Lesser Pond Sedge, Pendulous Sedge, Cyperus Sedge, Glaucous Sedge, False Fox Sedge, Tussock Sedge, Common Spike-rush, Hard Rush, Soft Rush, Square-stalked St.John's Wort, Betony, Meadow-sweet, Self-heal, Marsh Woundwort, Yellow Loosestrife, Purple Loosestrife, Flowering Rush.
Butterflies: (20th July survey) Comma, Brimstone, Red Admiral, Large White, Small White, Speckled Wood, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Marbled White, Small Skipper, Large Skipper, Essex Skipper, Small Tortoishell, Common Blue.
Dragonflies: (22nd July survey) Azure Damselfly, Emperor Dragonfly, Small red-eyed Damselfly, Red-eyed Damselfly, Ruddy Darter, Common Darter, Common Blue Damselfly, Blue-tailed Damselfly, Black-tailed Skimmer, Lesser Emperor Dragonfly. The Lesser Emperor has been spotted a few times in the reedbed, feeding as well as mating.
