Recent Sightings
July 2008
Apart from the odd straggler, July effectively saw the end of the breeding season for our important seabirds in 2008. At the main colony on Ternery Pool around 400 fledged Sandwich Tern (below), 75 fledged Common Tern and 50 fledged Mediterranean Gull were produced, while the reserve’s Black-headed Gull were as prolific as ever, producing several thousand scruffy, squeaking fledglings!
Plenty of evidence of passage movement during July, including up to 10 Black-tailed Godwit, seven Green Sandpiper, six Common Sandpiper and six Greenshank, as well as small numbers of Knot, Ruff, Snipe and even a small number of Golden Plover! The pick of the bunch however was a Wood Sandpiper at Castle Water on the 22nd. At Castle Water 36 Little Egret left the traditional roost on the 31st, while a Red-crested Pochard was present on Long Pit on the 20th. Offshore there was relatively little action, with up to 75 Gannet and a couple of Arctic Skua the only notable sightings. Also seen this month were small numbers of Little Tern, and a Roseate Tern at Ternery Pool on the 14th, while the highlight, and one of the most notable birds recorded on the reserve this year was an adult
White-winged Black Tern (above) which was present from the 14th to the 20th of the month, the first record of this rare vagrant here for over 10 years. Plenty of passerine action during the month, including over 500 Swift on the 9th and 150+ Sand Martin on the 4th, as well as several sightings of Raven, with three on the 16th. At Castle Water regular sightings of Bearded Tit included a total of 15 on the 10th, while on the Beach Reserve of Yellow Wagtail and Wheatear were present throughout the month. Raptors included regular Marsh Harrier, with two over the Beach Reserve on the 23rd, and the occasional Hobby and Peregrine.
Hot weather during July really brought out the invertebrates, with several notable records. In the Lime Kiln Cottage moth trap the highlights were a Bedstraw Hawk-moth on the 17th, only the third area record and the first for the reserve, and the rare micro-moth Monochroa palustrella on the 29th, while other notable species included Viper’s Bugloss Moth, Sulphur Pearl, Rosy-striped Knot Horn and Crescent Striped. July also saw further records of Downy Emerald, while other interesting invertebrates included several Roesel’s Bush-cricket (above) on the Beach Reserve late in the month, a species only recorded twice on the reserve before this, further sightings of Marbled White at Castle Water, and several records of Great Silver Water Beetle. Plants in flower this month included Marsh Helleborine(below), Fleabane, Marshmallow and Red Hemp-nettle.
