SS15 wildlife watching: Visit to St. Nicholas Church and surrounding areas

Date: 23rd June 2024

Time: from 8:15 a.m.

Weather: dry, sunny/cloudy, light wind, 15°C to 18°C

Following my visit to Noak Bridge Nature Reserve on 21st June 2024 which was very productive for butterflies, dragonflies and damselflies, I expected the same this morning given the very warm temperatures.

I had a very successful visit with 4 new records for the site for 2024: Marbled White, Small Heath, Emperor Dragonfly, Common Blue Damselfly.

In addition, I saw a female darter species in the northern section of the site which I was unable to identify specifically to Common Darter or Ruddy Darter and c.5 small-medium dragonflies in the southern section of the site and along Hilly Road which may also have been darters.

I walked the complete site and recorded the following:

Northern section including the grassland and pond: Emperor Dragonfly (2), Four-spotted Chaser (1), Blue-tailed Damselfly (2), Azure Damselfly (at least 20), Emerald Damselfly (3), Large Skipper (5), Holly Blue (1), Meadow Brown (at least 20)

Church cemetery: Meadow Brown (at least 5)

Southern section grassland bordering St. Nicholas Lane: Marbled White (3), Small Heath (2), Large Skipper (1), Meadow Brown (at least 10)

Having eventually recorded my first Common Whitethroat of 2024 for the site on 8th June 2024 and again on my last visit on 13th June 2024, the singing male was again present this morning, singing regularly and showing very well.

Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps are still very evident across the site and, although I didn’t see any, I heard at least 5 singing males of the former and at least 3 singing males of the latter. I saw a Great Spotted Woodpecker at the top of the tall trees adjacent to the access track from Larkins Tyres and heard another calling bird in the northern section of the site. I also heard a calling Stock Dove as I walked home through the wooded area in the southern section of the site.

After many weeks and several unsuccessful visits to the site, I finally saw an adult Red Fox in the eastern section of the cemetery and was able to get my first photo since 21st April 2024.

Species recorded during this visit were as follows (heard only records in italics):

Common Whitethroat

Chiffchaff

Blackcap

Blue Tit

Great Tit

Long-tailed Tit

Robin

Wren

Song Thrush

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Jay