11 Aug 23

Lodmoor RSPB Reserve

Dawn left her work glasses at home, so out of the kindness of my heart I drove 10 miles to drop them off for her. And of course it would have been a shame not to have had a walk around Lodmoor, seeing as I was right next to the reserve, when I dropped them off.

Main highlights were 3 Cattle Egrets, my first this year. Unfortunately the Great White Egrets seen here this morning were nowhere to be seen.

On the migrant front there were 11 Dunlin, 4 Common Sandpipers, 5 Sandwich Terns, 3 Swifts, 15+ House Martin/Swallow, 1 Blackcap and 2 Chiffchaff/Willow Warbler

Mammals Recorded:
1 Grey Squirrel
Evidence of Badgers

I can't say I've ever seen a Grey Squirrel, let alone.............

................the latrine of a Badger on the reserve before.

Birds Recorded:
2+3 Great Crested Grebe
3 Cormorant
3 Cattle Egret
6 Little Egret
10 Grey Heron
4 Mute Swan
20+ Canada Goose
3 Shelduck
Mallard
Teal
Moorhen
1 Oystercatcher
2 Lapwing
11 Dunlin
4 Common Sandpiper
Black-headed Gull
Mediterranean Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
5 Sandwich Tern
Wood Pigeon
3 Swift
15+ House Martin/Swallow
Dunnock
Robin
3 Cetti's Warbler
1 Blackcap
2 Chiffchaff/Willow Warbler
Magpie
1 Rook
Carrion Crow
Starling
House Sparrow
Goldfinch
Greenfinch

One of the two adult Great Crested Grebes and 3 offspring

And my first 3 Cattle Egrets of the year. Hopefully in months to come they will be easier to see.

And having kept still for several minutes this Little Egret.......

...........decided to.........

..............have a wander.

Instead of swimming away, this juvenile Moorhen actually swam towards me. I have a feeling it has been watching the Mute Swans, which were below me, being fed by passerby's and was trying its luck for a tit-bit as well.

In the foreground an Oystercatcher has a good scratch, whilst a Lapwing is sat behind the green plastic box.

Another Lapwing having a stretch

In the centre are 11 Dunlin, to their right is a Common Sandpiper and to their left are 2 Mediterranean Gulls

The 11 Dunlin

Here is another Common Sandpiper

One of the five Sandwich Terns over the reserve

A lone Rook heading south over the reserve

Dragonflies and Damselflies Recorded:
2 Emperor Dragonfly
5 Common Darter
1 Blue-tailed Damselfly

10+ dragonfly sp

A female Common Darter and............

..............two........

.............males.

Butterflies Recorded:
Large White
Small White
Green-veined White
30+ Speckled Wood
6 Gatekeeper
5 Red Admiral
1 Comma
20+ Holly Blue

A Green-veined White

And one of the many Holly Blues around the reserve

Moths Recorded:
Common Nettle-tap (Anthophila fabriciana)

A Common Nettle-tap (Anthophila fabriciana)

Bees Recorded:
Honey Bees (Apis mellifera)
Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
Common Carder (Bombus pascuorum)

A Common Carder (Bombus pascuorum)

And another Common Carder 

Wasps, Ichneumon Wasps, Parasitic Wasps and Gall Wasps Recorded:
German Wasp (Vespula germanica)
Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris)

The posts alongside the reserve are very popular with these Common/German wasps below

Hoverflies Recorded:
Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)
Dead Head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea)
Hornet Plumehorn (Volucella zonaria)

A Dead Head Hoverfly on Hemp Agrimony (Eupatorium cannabinum)

And a Hornet Plumehorn

General Photos:

At the top of the reserve (to the north) the stream appears to have been contaminated with an oil slick on the surface and some kind of red substance on its bed!

Ted:

Well he did start to run past me and then decided to walk.