Date: 25th May 2026
Time: from 7:30 a.m.
Weather: sunny, light
wind, 18°C to 25°C
On
my walk over from Asda to the reserve, I heard a singing male Blackcap,
a calling male Stock Dove and some Great Spotted Woodpecker
chicks continuing to beg from inside their nest hole.
Here is a link to the sound file for the Great Spotted Woodpecker chicks ....
Great Spotted Woodpecker chicks
This
was my first visit to the reserve since 13th April 2026 due
to birding trips to Lesvos and Wales plus other personal commitments.
Given
the very warm and sunny weather, I was expecting to see several butterfly,
dragonfly and damselfly species (more on them follows).
However,
my main target species was a singing male Nightingale which had first
been reported to me on 12th May 2026 and then subsequently by other visitors to
the reserve.
I
had no difficulty at all in locating this Nightingale which I heard singing
loudly shortly after entering the reserve and walking along the track from the
Spanish Steps in the direction of the storage shed (just past Prewer’s Pond). Typically,
however, it remained concealed in the dense vegetation. As I returned along the
same track to exit the reserve, I heard the singing male Nightingale again
but it had obviously relocated closer to the storage shed but even further into
the dense vegetation.
This
male Nightingale may continue to remain on the reserve for a few weeks in
the vain hope of attracting a female or it may decide to move on before eventually
migrating back to sub-Saharan Africa for the winter.
Essex
remains a stronghold for the much-reduced UK breeding population of Nightingales
but this is a very scarce species in the Basildon area.
I
am informed that this is only the second record of Nightingale for the
reserve after the first in 2016.
I
heard a male Nightingale singing distantly from somewhere to
the east of the path between the storage shed and the Eastfield Road
entrance on 30th April 2023. However,
frustratingly, this was outside the reserve boundary and therefore did not count
as a site record!
Here
is a sound recording of this morning’s singing male Nightingale ….
Singing male Nightingale
Here
are some photos of singing male Nightingales that I took at RSPB Canvey Wick in Essex on 9th April 2026 and at NNR Westleton Heath in Suffolk on 19th April 2026.
Photo: singing male Nightingale at RSPB Canvey Wick, Essex
Photo: singing male Nightingale at Westleton Heath, Suffolk
Photo: singing male Nightingale at Westleton Heath, Suffolk
With
regard to butterfly, dragonfly and damselfly species, it was a relatively
disappointing visit in terms of numbers seen but I did manage to add the following
to my 2026 site list: Holly Blue (1), Speckled Wood (1), Large
Red Damselfly (2 plus 2 mating pairs), Blue-tailed Damselfly (2), Common
Blue Damselfly (2)
I
also added Edible Frog to my 2026 site list with 2 calling males
heard but unseen in Meadow Pond.
Apart
from Nightingale, I was also able to record 2 further additions
to my 2026 site list: Starling and Black-headed
Gull
The
notable bird records during my visit were as follows ….
Nightingale: 1 singing male as described above
Starling: 6 seen flying over the
track between the Spanish Steps and the storage shed
Black-headed
Gull:
3 seen flying high over Meadow Pond
Blackcap: at least
3 singing males heard but none seen
Chiffchaff: at least 3 singing
males heard but none seen
Great
Spotted Woodpecker:
1 heard calling in the woodland behind Willow Pond
Collared
Dove:
2 seen flying over Meadow Pond (second record of the year after my first on my
last visit)
Moorhen: 1 heard calling briefly
from the back of Meadow Pond
Species
recorded during this visit were as follows (heard only records in italics):
Nightingale
Starling
Black-headed
Gull
Blackcap
Chiffchaff
Great
Spotted Woodpecker
Collared
Dove
Moorhen
Blue
Tit
Great
Tit
Robin
Wren
Blackbird
Woodpigeon
Magpie
Carrion
Crow
Moorhen
Holly
Blue
Speckled
Wood
Large
Red Damselfly
Blue-tailed
Damselfly
Common
Blue Damselfly
Edible
Frog
Here
are some photos from my visit ….
Photo: Large Red Damselflies
Photo: Large Red Damselflies
Photo: Large Red Damselfly
Photo: Common Blue Damselfly
Photo: Common Blue Damselfly
Photo: Common Blue Damselfly
Photo: Blue-tailed Damselfly
Photo: Blue-tailed Damselfly
Site totals for 2026 to date (2025 and 2024 totals in brackets):
Birds = 28 (34) (39)
Mammals = 1 (3) (3)
Butterflies = 3 (17) (12)
Dragonflies and damselflies = 3 (7) (11)
Reptiles = 0 (1) (0)
Amphibians = 1 (1) (1)
Total species list for the site:
Birds = 50
Mammals = 5
Butterflies = 23
Dragonflies and damselflies = 15
Reptiles = 2
Amphibians = 3
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