Nature Fact

Young Pipistrelle bats start catching insects in August. The females leave the nursery to find males for mating.

Nature Watch

May ended with with cool, wet weather but June was warm and sunny - good news for emerging insects and birds dependant on them to feed their young.

SIGHTINGS

Plants in flower: Hairy Tare, Smooth Tare, Common Vetch, Birdsfoot Trefoil, Cut-leaved Geranium, Meadow Buttercup, Beaked Hawk's Beard, Foxglove. Common Helloborine has been in flower for several weeks.

Reptiles/Amphibians: Slow Worms, Common Lizards, Grass Snake, young Frogs. Adders have emerged with the warmer weather, usually seen in the early morning sunshine.

Butterflies: Speckled Wood, Holly Blue, Small and Large Whites, Brimstone, Peacock, Red Admirals, Common Blue. Large numbers of Silver Studded Blues emerged in late June/July.

Insects: Horse Fly, Leafhopper Cicadellidae, Ichneumon Fly(Lissonota setose).

Dragonflies/Damselflies: Four Spot Chasers, Broad Bodied Chasers, Large Red, Azure.

Mammals: Roe Deer, Pipistrelle Bats, Wood Mouse.

Birds: Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Wren, Robin, Blackbirds, Sing Thrush, Dunnocks, Jays, Jackdaws, Crows, Black Headed Gulls, Green/Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Buzzards, Sparrowhawks, Siskins, Tree Pipits, Stonechats, Heron. A pair of Canada Geese have been recorded flying over the Reserve on several occasions. A flock of Swift on the wing are feeding on the plentiful supply of insects. The sound of a Nightjar has been heard at dusk throughout June and July.

A very large bird flew up from the ground in the Hazelwood West area. This was probably a Buzzard as they do look large when viewed in close proximity. Sightings of a Buzzard have been recorded in the past flying about a metre above the ground, following the route of the path, for quite some distance.

NATURE FACTS

Adders or Vipers are our only venomous snake and will usually seek cover in the nearest vegetation when vibrations of walking feet approach.

Nature Watch

The past 4/5 weeks have seen very mixed weather conditions. Two weeks of fine, warm weather turned to overcast days with cold winds, scattered showers and night frosts.

SIGHTINGS: Brimstone/Peacock/Speckled Wood butterflies, Great Spotted/Green Woodpeckers, Jackdaws, Common Snipe, Buzzards, Magpies, Wood Pigeons, Chaffinches, Green/Goldfinches, Siskin, Wrens, Coal/Blue/Great/Long Tailed Tits, Robins, Blackbirds, Song Thrush, Mistle Thrush, Tree Pipits, Grey Heron, Canada Geese in flight, Whirlygig Beetle, Green Tiger Beetle, Water Boatman, Pond Skater, Buff-tailed Bumble Bee, Wool Spider, Ant Beetle, Mirid Bugs, Pine Cone Bug, Crab Spider, Wolf Spider, Bark Beetles, Leaf-hoppers, Gorse Shield bugs, Grey Squirrels, Common Lizards, Grass Snakes, Slow Worms. Plants in flower include Cornsalad, Ground Ivy, Common Field Speedwell, Hair Bittercress, Lesser Celandine, Gorse.

Nature Fact

Wolf Spiders are common on dry sunny ground where they jump on their prey. The female attaches her bundle of eggs to her spinneretes and carries it with her

Nature Watch

The end of March and early April provided cool and wet weather conditions. This changed in the second week of April to sunny days and cool nights. With the more favourable weather conditions, the creatures on site have been showing well and insects are more abundant.

SIGHTINGS : Pond Skaters, Buff-tailed Bumble Bees, Brimstone/Peacock/Red Admiral Butterflies, Ladybirds, Raft Spider, Wolf Spider, Common Lizard, Frog Spawn, Common Frog, Palmate Newt, Buzzards, Jays, Crows, Heron, Wood Pigeon, Great Spotted/Green Woodpeckers, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Bullfinch, Blackcap, Coal/Blue/Great/Long-tailed Tits, Nuthatch, Wrens, Robins, Blackbirds, Song Thrushes, Goldcrests, Siskin, Chiffchaff, Stonechats, Common Snipe, Woodcock, Pipistrelle Bats, Slow Worm, Roe Deer. Plants in flower included Common Field Speedwell, Hairy Bittercress, Lesser Celandine, Primrose, Gorse.

Song Thrushes are very evident along Hazelwood, delivering their distinctive song. Very early fledgling Blackbirds have been spotted in Hazelwood. Chiffchaffs have returned from their Winter feeding grounds. Generally, paired birds are busy with nest building.

The onset of warmer weather in early April saw the first reading of Pipistrelle Bats being active at dusk.

Nature Fact

Water has a surface film providing two great advantages as a habitat for Pond Skaters; relative freedom from predators and a superabundance of food in the form of innumerable small aerial insects that fall on to the water and cannot get off again. The Pond Skater, with its short front pair of legs, seizes its prey and sucks out the body fluids of its victim using its sharp rostrum or beak.

Nature Watch

The weather during this period has been very mixed with persistent heavy rain followed by dry days with sunshine and cold frosty nights.

SIGHTINGS : Jackdaws, Crows, Gulls, Green/Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Buzzards, Magpies, Jays, Heron, Redwing, Mistle Thrush, Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Blackcaps, Bullfinch, Siskin, Brambling, Stonechats, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Song Thrush, Goldcrests, Wrens, Dunnocks, House Sparrow, Blackbirds, Robins, Blue/Great/Coal/Long-tailed Tits, Roe Deer, Frog spawn.
A Heron has been seen collecting wet leaves and twigs for nest construction.
A large number of Snipe have been visiting the Reserve during this Winter period with 10 to 12 seen at any one time.
A pair of Bullfinch are resident in Hazelwood West hopefully to breed here in the Spring.
A pair of Blackcaps remained for the Winter in Hazelwood West, again, hopefully to breed in the Spring.
March will be the last chance to spot Redwing, Brambling, and the Winter resident Siskin before they depart for the North and Scandinavia.

Birds are now visiting the nest boxes on site to establish ownership for breeding. A Robin has already built a nest on the fence line of Hazelwood West and laid one egg in the second week of March. It is believed that birds will only lay as many eggs to produce chicks that they can provide food for. Obviously food is not plentiful enough at present to support a larger brood.