Photo: Brown Bears in Notranjska Regional Park, Slovenia
Photo: Brown Bears in Notranjska Regional Park, Slovenia
But on to the UK and my
local patches in SS15 ….
Watching and photographing
Red Foxes on my St. Nicholas Church local patch site was as rewarding as ever.
My photos appeared in my blog posts over the past year but are also featured on my Flickr site.
Photo: Red Fox near St. Nicholas Church, Laindon, Essex
With regard to birds, my 2024
UK year list closed on 205 species, exactly the same as
2023 and 1 more than 2022.
I added just a single
species to my UK life list during 2024, namely the incredible Northern
Waterthrush at Heybridge near Maldon in Essex. This took my UK life list
to 355 species.
SS15wildlife watching: Northern Waterthrush at Heybridge near Maldon, Essex
SS15wildlife watching: Trip away from SS15 – Heybridge, Maldon, Essex – 15thJanuary 2024
SS15wildlife watching: Trip away from SS15 – Heybridge, Maldon, Essex – 19thJanuary 2024
Photo: Northern Waterthrush at Heybridge near Maldon, Essex
In SS15, I had a very
successful and productive 2024 at both my local patch sites: St.
Nicholas Church and surrounding areas and Noak Bridge Nature
Reserve.
Total number of
species recorded in 2024 across both local patch sites (+/- on 2023 in
brackets):
Birds = 51 (- 1)
Mammals = 4 (0)
Butterflies = 18 (- 6)
Dragonflies and
damselflies = 13 (- 1)
Reptiles = 0 (- 1)
Amphibians = 1 (-1)
I was able to add 5
new species and 6 new species to my all time site totals for St.
Nicholas Church and surrounding areas and Noak Bridge Nature
Reserve respectively.
Sadly, but not unexpectedly given national data and trends, the number of butterfly species that I recorded during 2024 showed a marked decrease on 2023.
St. Nicholas Church and
surrounding areas
Total species recorded
- all time:
Birds = 68
Mammals = 7
Butterflies = 25
Dragonflies and
damselflies = 14
Reptiles = 1
Amphibians = 0
Total species recorded
- 2024 (+/- on 2023 in brackets):
Birds = 49 (+ 2)
Mammals = 3 (- 2)
Butterflies = 17 (- 6)
Dragonflies and
damselflies = 11 (- 5)
Reptiles = 0 (0)
Amphibians = 0 (0)
2024 proved to be my
best year for the number of bird species since I started recording regularly
in 2021.
Again, as already noted, the number of butterfly species
that I recorded during 2024 showed a marked decrease on 2023.
I recorded 5
new species for the site during 2024:
Birds: Red Kite,
Woodcock, Common Tern (heard only), Meadow Pipit (heard only)
Dragonflies and
damselflies: Brown Hawker
Noak Bridge Nature
Reserve
Total species recorded
- all time:
Birds = 50
Mammals = 4
Butterflies = 22
Dragonflies and
damselflies = 15
Reptiles = 2
Amphibians = 3
Total species recorded
- 2024 (+/- on 2023 in brackets):
Birds = 39 (+ 3)
Mammals = 3 (+ 1)
Butterflies = 12 (- 3)
Dragonflies and
damselflies = 11 (0)
Reptiles = 0 (- 1)
Amphibians = 1 (-1)
With regard to bird
species, 2024 was the third successive year where I recorded an increase in the number of species although 44 species in 2021, when I first started recording, remains the highest
yearly total.
Again, as already noted, the number of butterfly species that I recorded during 2024 showed a decrease on 2023.
I recorded 6 new
species for the site during 2024:
Birds: Teal,
Willow Warbler, Jackdaw
Mammals: Brown Rat
Dragonflies and damselflies: Migrant Hawker, Southern Migrant Hawker
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Stay safe, stay well, stay strong, stay connected with nature
