SS15 wildlife watching: Visit to Noak Bridge Nature Reserve

Sunday 3 July 2022

Visit to Noak Bridge Nature Reserve – 3rd July 2022

Date: 3rd July 2022

Time: from 8:30 a.m.

Weather: dry, sunny, light wind, 14°C to 18°C

My walk down from the flats where I live to the main road produced a calling Green Woodpecker and a calling Great Spotted Woodpecker.

As on my previous visit to Noak Bridge Nature Reserve on 2nd June 2022, I was hoping to see and photograph butterflies, dragonflies and damselflies.

After walking through to the eastern end, I spent most of my time at Meadow Pond where it was the Edible Frogs and a single Grass Snake which provided the main highlights. I saw at least 5 Edible Frogs, which were mostly very vocal and, whilst I was watching one of these, I noticed a swimming Grass Snake come into view which fortunately stopped for a few minutes to allow a few photos. The Grass Snake was rather small so I presume it was a juvenile. The Edible Frog certainly did not seem at all anxious at the presence of a potential predator although maybe the Grass Snake was still too small to take it.

Photo: Grass Snake and Edible Frog

Photo: Grass Snake

Photo: Edible Frog

Whilst at Meadow Pond, I looked out for dragonfly and damselfly species. However, I only saw around 15 Azure Damselflies and/or Common Blue Damselflies (the former species was definitely present given the photos that I took but I suspect that the latter species was also present) plus at least 2 Blue-tailed Damselflies.

Photo: Blue-tailed Damselfly

Photo: Azure Damselfly

Around the site, I recorded 8 butterfly species: Essex Skipper (1), Large Skipper (4), Comma (3), Red Admiral (1), Common Blue (1 male), Speckled Wood (1), Small White (c.5), Large White (c.5), Meadow Brown (c.15)

Essex Skipper was my first record for the reserve, bringing my total to 21 species.

Large Skipper, Common Blue, Small White and Meadow Brown were all first records for 2022, along with Essex Skipper, bringing my total to 15 species for the year.

Photo: Essex Skipper

Photo: Large Skipper

Bird activity and bird song was significantly reduced compared with my spring visits but there were a few highlights: Common Buzzard (a single calling bird whilst I was at Meadow Pond which I failed to see), Blackcap (3 males still singing intermittently but all unseen), Chiffchaff (1 male singing intermittently but unseen), Moorhens (both the adults and the juveniles still very vocal on Meadow Pond)

With regard to mammals, I saw 2 Common Shrews, both in the eastern section of the reserve and both sadly dead. However, this was a first record for the site, bringing my total to 3 species. In addition, I saw 2 Grey Squirrels together in the wooded area just along from the Spanish Steps.