Wildlife sightings for 5th June 2022
Garganey on main lake and Common Tern pair courting
Birds:
1 Little Ringed Plover - main lake
2 Garganey - main lake
2 Common Tern - main lake
2 Oystercatcher - main lake
1 Kingfisher - main lake
5 Sedge Warbler (3 young) - main lake
Reed Warbler (70 singing birds), Cetti's Warbler (23), Reed Bunting (7), Sedge Warbler (4), Chiffchaff (3) and Blackcap (20+) all singing around the reserve.
After spending a couple of weeks at different locations around the reserve, the Common Tern pair are courting and digging a scrape on the large raft on the main lake. This is an excellent sight and hopefully means they will be laying some eggs soon. The pair do a lot of fishing on the Sheltered Lagoon and you may see them scouring the water from above as you walk by, their lovely white feathers in contrast with the green all around the lake.
Flowering plants: Great Burnet, Salad Burnet, Bee Orchid, Southern Marsh Orchid, Pyramidal Orchid, Cut-leaved Crane's-bill, Dove's-foot Crane's-bill, Goat's Beard, Yellow Flag Iris, Yellow Rattle, Common Bistort, Jack-by-the-hedge, Bugle, Herb Robert, Ox Eye Daisy, Rowan, Dogwood, Guelder Rose, Bramble, Common Vetch, Dog Rose, Elder, Common Mallow, Birds-foot Trefoil, Grass Vetchling, Deptford Pink, Beaked Hawksbeard, Smooth Hawksbeard, Creeping Cinquefoil, Red Campion, White Water Lily.
Butterflies: Brimstone, Small White, Large White, Green-veined White, Orange Tip, Peacock, Holly Blue, Common Blue, Speckled Wood, Painted Lady, Small Heath, Meadow Brown, Red Admiral.
Dragonflies/Damselflies: Four-spotted Chaser, Norfolk Hawker, Broad-Bodied Chaser, Black-Tailed Skimmer, Hairy Dragonfly, Emperor, Common Blue Damselfly, Blue-tailed Damselfly, Azure Damselfly, Banded Demoiselle, Large Red Damselfly.
Other insects: Alder Leaf Beetle, Willow Leaf Beetle, Poplar Leaf Beetle, Wasp 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.
