At 8:50 a.m., I saw an unusually silent flock of c25 Canada Geese flying past my flat heading in the direction of the Gloucester Park lake.
Love nature .... act now
This morning at 10:25 a.m., I heard a "mewing" Common Buzzard and eventually located a soaring bird very high above the flats where I live.
This is only my 4th sighting of a Common Buzzard from my flat this year, the first being on 7th June 2026, although I have also seen them on my nearby St. Nicholas Church local patch site.
Summary of Common Buzzard records during the last 6 years:
2021: 11 dates involving 13 birds
2022: 26 dates involving 38 birds
2023: 8 dates involving 8 birds
2024: 3 dates involving 3 birds
2025: 16 dates involving 25 birds
2026:
4 dates involving 4 birds
Love nature .... act now
Date: 10th August 2026
Time: from 8:45 a.m.
Weather: dry, sunny, light wind, 19°C to 22°C
I had a further visit this morning to the northern section of the site, primarily to photograph butterflies. There was a large number in the Knapweed and Ragwort meadow but much reduced on the super-abundance that I saw on my last visit on 3rd August 2026.
I recorded 9 species of butterfly: Painted Lady (1), Common Blue (at least 4), Holly Blue (1), Brown Argus (at least 2), Small Heath (1), Gatekeeper (at least 3), Meadow Brown (at least 15), Green-veined White (at least 2), Small White (at least 15)
Dragonflies and damselflies continue to be very scarce this year both in terms of the number of species and abundance. Yet again, I saw none on this visit.
It was again remarkably quiet for birds with only 9 species heard and/or seen, the notable records being:
Blackcap: 2 birds heard alarm calling in the northern section of the site but none seen
Green Woodpecker: 1 heard calling in the northern section of the site but not seen
Goldfinch: a mobile flock of c.10 birds seen, presumably a post-breeding flock
With regard to mammals, I had a very brief view of a Red Fox. I think I inadvertently disturbed it basking in the open in the sun as I arrived in the northern section of the site since it quickly disappeared into dense vegetation.
Species recorded during this visit were as follows (heard only records in italics):
Here are some photos from my visit ….
Photo: Small White
Photo: Small White
Photo: Small White
Site totals for 2026 to date (2025 and 2024 totals in brackets):
Love nature .... act now
This morning at 11:50 a.m., I initially heard a "mewing" Common Buzzard and then quickly located the bird flying north, albeit very high and distantly.
This is only my third sighting of a Common Buzzard from my flat this year, the first being on 7th June 2026, although I have also seen them on my nearby St. Nicholas Church local patch site.
Summary of Common Buzzard records during the last 6 years:
2021: 11 dates involving 13 birds
2022: 26 dates involving 38 birds
2023: 8 dates involving 8 birds
2024: 3 dates involving 3 birds
2025: 16 dates involving 25 birds
2026: 3 dates involving 3 birds
Love nature .... act now
Date: 6th August 2026
Time: from 8:45 a.m.
Weather: dry, sunny, light wind, 17°C to 19°C
My first visit to the reserve in August was relatively quiet with few species seen or heard. However, I was able to add another species to my 2026 site list: Green-veined White
During my visit, I recorded 8 species of butterfly: Painted Lady (1), Common Blue (2), Brown Argus (at least 5), Green-veined White (at least 5), Small White (at least 15), Speckled Wood (1), Gatekeeper (1), Meadow Brown (at least 5)
Sightings of dragonflies and damselflies continue to be scarce but at least on this visit I did see 2 “blue” damselflies (presumably Common Blue or Azure) plus a single unidentified damselfly species and a single unidentified dragonfly species.
The notable birds during my visit were as follows:
Blackcap: 1 alarm calling bird heard but unseen
Chiffchaff: 1 calling bird seen plus 2 others heard but unseen
Green Woodpecker: 1 bird heard calling loudly between the Eastfield Road entrance and the storage shed but unseen
Species recorded during this visit were as follows (heard only records in italics):
Here are some photos from my visit ….
Photo: Brown Argus
Photo: Brown Argus
Photo: Brown Argus
Photo: Green-veined White
Photo: Green-veined White
Photo: Green-veined White
Site totals for 2026 to date (2025 and 2024 totals in brackets):
Total species list for the site:
Love nature .... act now
Date: 3rd August 2026
Time: from 11 a.m.
Weather: dry, sunny, light wind, 24°C to 27°C
I had a delayed start to my visit this morning and when I arrived butterfly activity was very evident but photography was challenging due to the hot weather. I only managed to get a few photos, especially of Painted Ladies, when they briefly landed to feed.
Nonetheless, the spectacle of the super-abundance of butterflies in the Knapweed and Ragwort meadow in the northern section of the site was amazing.
I only recorded 7 species of butterfly but the numbers of 2 of them were far higher than I ever seen in a single location anywhere: Painted Lady (at least 80), Common Blue (at least 40), Small Heath (3), Brown Argus (1), Gatekeeper (at least 15), Large/Small White (at least 10)
Dragonflies and damselflies continue to be very scarce this year both in terms of the number of species and abundance. I saw none on this visit.
It was again remarkably quiet for birds with only 9 species heard and/or seen, the notable records being:
Common Buzzard: initially heard “mewing” and then 2 birds seen soaring together high over the northern section of the site
Blackcap: 1 heard alarm calling in the northern section of the site but none seen
Green Woodpecker: juvenile seen and photographed in the eastern section of the cemetery and another heard calling in the northern section of the site but not seen
With regard to mammals, I recorded a single Grey Squirrel in the eastern section of the cemetery.
Species recorded during this visit were as follows (heard only records in italics):
Here are some photos from my visit ….
Photo: Brown Argus
Photo: Juvenile Green Woodpecker
Site totals for 2026 to date (2025 and 2024 totals in brackets):
Total species list for the site
Love nature .... act now
