Date: 13th August 2020
Time: from 9:15 a.m.
Weather: dry, sunny, light wind, 22°C to 27°C
This was my first visit to the reserve in 2 weeks and, whilst I had an enjoyable walk, it was the poorest in terms of wildlife watching since I first began visiting in March 2020. That is not wholly surprising since both July and August are generally quiet in the wildlife calendar. The hot temperature and high humidity probably didn't help either.
However, I did have some notable sightings during
my visit.
The highlight was watching a superb Emperor
Dragonfly for 10 minutes or so as it hawked over and around Puckles Pond
(albeit a non-pond due to the almost complete absence of any water). It was
still flying in the same area when I returned. Unfortunately, it didn’t land on
a single occasion and this, and its fast and erratic flight, meant I was unable
to get any photos. I was able to get some exceptionally close views since it flew to within touching distance several times.
In addition, I briefly saw a single red male Darter
species but I could not identify it as Common Darter or Ruddy
Darter since it too failed to land.
After the abundant diversity and numbers of
butterflies in recent weeks, today was very disappointing with only 4 species
recorded and all in low numbers: Holly Blue (1), Gatekeeper (6), Speckled
Wood (3), Small White (3)
The most notable record was a fresh Holly Blue
from the second summer brood which I managed to photograph.
With regard to birds, it was exceptionally
quiet with very few birds seen and only sporadic singing and calling and as
such there is a very short list of species recorded.
The only notable records were a single calling Green Woodpecker plus a briefly alarm calling Blackcap, neither of which I actually saw.
The only notable records were a single calling Green Woodpecker plus a briefly alarm calling Blackcap, neither of which I actually saw.
I saw 2 Grey Squirrels chasing each other in the trees around Fox Pond (another non-pond) and there was a very obliging Roesel’s Bush-cricket along the eastern boardwalk which allowed a very close approach to enable photos.
Species recorded during this visit were as follows (heard only records in italics):
Blackcap
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Long-tailed Tit
Robin
Wren
Blackbird
Green Woodpecker
Jay
Woodpigeon
Magpie
Holly Blue
Gatekeeper
Speckled Wood
Small White
Emperor Dragonfly
Here are some photos from my visit:
Here are some photos from my visit:
Photo: Holly Blue
Photo: Common Fleabane
Site totals to date:
Birds = 35
Mammals = 2
Butterflies= 18
Dragonflies and damselflies = 9
Reptiles = 1
Amphibians = 0
💚🦆 🦉🦋🐝🦊🦡🌼 🌳💚
Stay safe, stay well, stay strong, stay connected with nature
No comments:
Post a Comment
If you feel like commenting on my blog, you can contact me by completing the comment form below. I will respond to all comments and enquiries and constructive criticism will always be welcomed.