Date: 23rd May 2026
Time: from 7:45 a.m.
Weather: dry, sunny, light wind, 20°C to 23°C
This was my first visit to the site since 12th April 2026 due to birding trips to Lesvos and Wales plus other personal commitments.
Given the very warm and sunny weather, I was expecting to see several butterfly, dragonfly and damselfly species.
It turned out to be relatively disappointing although I did see my first Holly Blue (3 in the immediate vicinity of the church) and Speckled Wood (1 in the wooded area in the southern section of the site) of the year.
At the main pond in the northern section of the site, I saw 6 dragonfly larva attached to reed stems. I believe that these were Hairy Dragonflies, my first record of this species for the site.
I walked the complete site this morning and recorded 17 species of birds including a further rather belated addition to my 2026 site list: Common Whitethroat
The notable bird records during my visit were as follows ….
Common Whitethroat: 1 singing male seen in the northern section of the site, 1 singing male seen in the central section of the cemetery and another singing male heard but not seen in the western section of the cemetery
Blackcap: at least 10 singing males heard across the site but none seen
Chiffchaff: at least 5 singing males heard across the site but none seen
Green Woodpecker: 2 individuals heard calling in the northern section of the site
Great Spotted Woodpecker: 1 heard calling and then seen seen in trees adjacent to the church car park
In addition, I saw 8 Grey Squirrels, 1 in the wooded area at the end of the access track from Larkins Tyres, 1 in the northern section of the site, 3 together in the eastern section of the cemetery and 3 together in the grassland area between the bottom of Hilly Road and St. Nicholas Lane
Species recorded during this visit were as follows (heard only records in italics):
Grey Squirrel
Here
are some photos from my visit ….
Site totals for 2026 to date (2025 and 2024 totals in brackets):
Total species list for the site
Love nature .... act now
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