Water Rail

The scrape: Water Rail (1)

The wood: Willow tit (2)

The flashes: Meadow Pipt (2), Buzzard (2)

Saturday 27th September

The scrape: Teal (1), Buzzard (2), Kestrel (1), Green Woodpecker (1), Little Grebe (1 juv), Coot, Moorhen (2), Kingfisher (1), Southern Hawker (1), Common Darter (3), Comma butterfly, Swallow (2)

Main Pool: Little Grebe (4), Tufted Duck (1), Bullfinch (2), Kingfisher (1), Gadwall (1)

The Flashes: Kestrel (1), Brimstone (1)

Rest of reserve: Comma (5), Speckled Wood (1), Peacock (1), Small Toirtoiseshell (1), Grass Snake (1 shedding skin), Meadow Pipit (1), Linnet (1), GS Woodpecker (2), Long tailed tit (8), Jay (collecting acorns)

Railway Bridge: Canada Goose (60), Buzzard (on fence post), Mute Swan, Wigeon (5)

Sedge Warbler

Sedge Warbler ( 1 late evening), Linnet (4), Reed Bunting (2), Buzzard (4), Sparrowhawk (1), LT Tits (small flock), Grey Heron, various gulls over the reserve going to roost, Cormorant (30+ going to roost @ ladywalk?), GS Woodpecker, Green Woodpecker

Grey Wagtails

Flashes: Hobby (2), Buzzard (1), Kestrel (1), Stock Dove (1)

The scrape: Willow Tit (1), Grey Wagtail (2), Goldfinch (6), Long-tailed tit (8), Goldcrest (1)

Feeding station hide: Chaffinch, Great tit, Blue tit, Robin, Jay

Speckled Wood, Red Admiral, Common Darter, Migrant Hawker, Grass Snake (2)

7th September 2008

Well, it's been a while since I contributed anything so after a quick dash to Shustoke Reservoir to see the Grey Phalarope, I didn't fancy going straight back ... I'd have had to do the washing up !! So I headed over to whitty figuring the rain would keep the midges down ... WRONG!!

Any way, tried to go to the Scrape Hide but the paths were flooded and it looks as though it was a lot worse yesterday. Heard Goldcrest singing but no sighting ( mind you it was raining heavy) so headed over to the flashes hide to be greeted a lake and 2 Wheatear






They were still there when we left ... oohhh for a longer lens!

Anyway we stayed for about an hour or so and added Sparrowhawk (2), Hobby (2), Lapwing (30+), Snipe (2), Cormorant, Gadwall, Mallard, Carrion Crow, Swallow, House Martin, Buzzard & Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Then back to the car and saw a Migrant Hawker in the car park ( I think it was trying to work out when the new pond had appeared in the car park !!)

Hobby

Railway Bridge: Curlew (5), Lapwing (10)

Flashes: Hobby (1), Kestrel (1), Stock Dove (10), Garden Warbler and Whitethroats (along path)

Scrape: Gadwall (8), Teal (5)

Woods: Green Woodpecker, GS Woodpecker, Chiffchaff

Car Park: Bullfinch (2)

Yellow Wagtails

Flashes: Yellow Wagtail (8), Hobby, Buzzard (3), Kestrel, Pheasant (4), Grass Snake (3)

Railway Bridge: Lapwing (8), Greylag Goose (3), Mute Swan (1)

Main Pool: Teal (6), Buzzard (3), Grass Snake (1)

River Pool: Little Grebe (2), Green Sandpiper (1 calling from other river pool)

The Scrape: Gadwall (2), Mallard (7), Grey Heron (1), Goldcrest (1)

Woods: Green Woodpecker (2), Chiffchaff (4)

Common Darter (3+), Meadow Brown (15), Speckled Wood (2)

Green Sandpiper

The Flashes: Green Sandpiper (2), Hobby (1), Buzzard (1)

Main Pool: Little Grebe (1), Grey Heron, Bullfinch (2), Reed Warblers

The Scrape: Sparrowhawk (1)

The wood: Great spotted woodpecker (1), Green Woodpecker (3), Goldfinch (2)

Brown Hawker (1), Southern Hawker (2), Emperor Dragonfly (1 ovipositing on scrape), Common Darter (2), Common Blue Damselflies

Meadow Brown, Small Toirtoiseshell (1), Peacock (4), Gatekeeper, GV White, Speckled Wood (4)

Curlew

Curlew (7 from railway bridge), Kingfisher (1 on main pool), Little Grebe (3), Bullfinch (2), Buzzard (1), Sparrowhawk (1), Kestrel (1), House Martin, Swift, Linnet (2)

Brown Hawker (5, 1 ovipositioning on the scrape), Common hawker (1), Black-tailed skimmer (2), Common Blue damselfly

Common Blue, Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown, Speckled Wood, Green-veined white, Large White, Comma butterflies

Friday 18th

The Johns visited on a dull, damp but warm afternoon. We noted many meadow browns, green veined white, the odd gatekeeper and a comma. The Sulphur Cinquefoil and a Skull Cap were photographed. These are firsts we think for the reserve.
We were pleased to reach the field hide before heavy rain. Swifts and Swallows were about in abundance, 3 Oyster Catchers flew from Ladywalk and landed on the scrape, we also had Heron, Reed bunting, White Throat.
Little more so we moved to the Lake Hide and there are at least 5 Little Grebe in adult plumage with 3 young, 2 families of Coot, Mallard, Teal and a Green Sandpiper which was reluctant to leave a coot nest site until the coot said go away, a Heron landed for a time.

Little Egret

Little Egret (1 flew over the flashes heading towards coton), Oystercatcher (3), Buzzard (2), Swift (2), House Martin (20+), Robin (juv), Song Thrush (juv), Green Woodpecker (2), Kingfisher (1 on main pool), Reed Bunting (several males), Reed Warbler, Mallard (+young), Little Grebe (4 + 2 young on main pool), Water Rail (1 calling in front on main pool hide)

Sulphur Cinquefoil, Small Toirtoiseshell, Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown, Large White, Common Hawker (2), Common Blue Damselflies

Sulphur Cinquefoil

Common Spotted Orchid © P.Satch

Orchids

Quite a few orchids at Whitacre Heath today, common spotted and southern marsh.

Saw one dragonfly, too quick for me to see what it was, but good numbers of common blue, azure and blue-tailed damselflies around the reserve.

Woods and Open Area
Grass snake (2), Swallow (2), Swift (1), Buzzard (1), Green Woodpecker (1 feeding a youngster), GS Woodpecker, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Reed Warbler, Reed Bunting

The Scrape:
Kingfisher (1), Little Grebe (3), Mute Swan (2), Gadwall (2)

River Pool:
Coot + 4 young, Mallard + 4 young

Cuckoo

Cuckoo (2 males), Hobby (1), Oystercatcher (2), Buzzard (1), Kingfisher (several sightings), Little Grebe (main pool and the scrape), Garden Warbler, Blackcap, Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Mistle Thrush, Song Thrush (one doing very good nightingale imitation)

Common Blue Damselflies