Wildlife sightings for 18th of July 2022
Hunting kingfishers and sparrowhawks
Birds:
1 Garganey (female) - reservoir lagoon
1 Kestrel fledged brood - sheltered lagoon, overflow car park
1 Common Sandpiper - main lake
1 Kingfisher - fishing in wildside
2 Sparrowhawk - south route
4 Common Tern + chicks - main lake
2 Oystercatcher + juvs - main lake raft + island
2 Little Egret - main lake
1 Little Grebe - main lake
4 Sedge Warbler - main lake, sheltered lagoon
Breeding bird territories:- Reed Warbler (60+), Cetti's Warbler (18), Reed Bunting (6), Sedge Warbler (4), Chiffchaff (3), Blackcap (20), Song Thrush (4).
Flowering plants: Great Burnet, Salad Burnet, Agrimony, Bee Orchid, Pyramidal Orchid, Cut-leaved Crane's-bill, Dove's-foot Crane's-bill, Yellow Rattle, Bugle, Herb Robert, Ox-eye Daisy, Bramble, Self-heal, Common Vetch, Tufted Vetch, Dog Rose, Elder, Common Mallow, Deptford Pink, Beaked Hawksbeard, Smooth Hawksbeard, Creeping Cinquefoil, Red Campion, White Water Lily, Flowering Rush, Arrowhead, Knapweed, Yellow Bartsia, Meadow-rue, Yellow Loosestrife, Square-stalked St John's Wort, Betony, Cat's Ear, Pond Sedges, Club-rushes, Bristly Ox-tongue, Hawkweed Ox-tongue, Rough Hawkbit. The grazing marsh banks currently have the best display of Bird's-foot Trefoil on the reserve. Head to Wildside for the 'tall herb fen meadow' communities which include the lovely frothy flowers of Meadowsweet and the purples/pinks of Marsh Woundwort, Purple Loosestrife, Southern Marsh Orchid and Willowherb.
Butterflies: Brimstone, Small White, Large White, Green-veined White, Marbled White, Peacock, Comma, Small Tortoiseshell, Holly Blue, Common Blue, Speckled Wood, Small Heath, Meadow Brown, Red Admiral, Small Skipper, Essex Skipper, Large Skipper.
Dragonflies/Damselflies: Four-spotted Chaser, Lesser Emperor, Southern Hawker, Norfolk Hawker, Broad-Bodied Chaser, Black-Tailed Skimmer, Emperor, Common Blue Damselfly, Blue-tailed Damselfly, Azure Damselfly, Banded Demoiselle, Large Red Damselfly, Common Darter, Willow Emerald Damselfly.
Other insects: Alder Leaf Beetle, Willow Leaf Beetle, Poplar Leaf Beetle, Wasp Beetle, Yellow Longhorn Beetle, Thick-Legged Flower Beetle, Buff-tailed Bumblebee, Ruby-Tailed Wasp, Green Lacewing, Red-headed Cardinal Beetle, Cinnabar Moth, Yellow Underwing, Mother Shipton, Yellow-barred Longhorn, Silver Y, Hummingbird Hawk-moth, Mint Moth.
