Date: 2nd May 2025
Time: from 8:15 a.m.
Weather: dry, sunny, light wind, 16°C to 19°C
Given that the butterfly season has arrived with the warm temperatures with several species now seen at both my local patch sites, butterflies were again my main target during my visit this morning.
However, it turned out that other species were the main highlights, starting remarkably with a singing male Reed Warbler just after I had left home (see here).
During my visit to the reserve, I had 4 new site records for 2025, all at Meadow Pond: Grass Snake, Large Red Damselfly, Blue-tailed Damselfly and Black-headed Gull.
The sighting of the swimming Grass Snake was extremely brief and therefore I was unable to get any photos. There were at least one each of Large Red Damselfly and Blue-tailed Damselfly which I was able to photograph. A single Black-headed Gull flew over Meadow Pond whilst I was there.
I was particularly pleased to record Grass Snake and Large Red Damselfly since I failed to see either species in 2024.
There were possibly several Common Frogs at Meadow Pond which I did not see as they jumped into the water but the splashes were clearly made by a smaller amphibian than the much larger Edible Frogs.
I saw just 2 butterflies, a single male Orange Tip and a single Speckled Wood, both along the track to Fox Pond.
Other highlights during my visit were as follows:
Chiffchaff: at least 5 singing males (2 seen)
Blackcap: at least 5 singing males (none seen)
Moorhen: the usual pair were still on Meadow Pond but there was no sign of the 4 young juveniles seen on my last visit (hopefully they are still present and just obscured by the dense vegetation)
Mallard: male and female seen on the almost dry Fox Pond
Species recorded during this visit were as follows (heard only records in italics):
Blackcap
Grass Snake
Orange Tip
Large Red Damselfly
Here are some photos
from my visit ....
Photo: Large Red Damselfly
Photo: Blue-tailed Damselfly
Photo: male Orange Tip
Photo: male Orange Tip
Photo: Speckled Wood
Photo: male and female Mallard
Photo: male Chiffchaff
Photo: ????
Site totals for 2025 to
date (2024 totals in brackets):
Birds = 33 (38)
Total species list for the site:
Birds = 49
Love nature .... act now
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