Wildlife sightings for 5th August 2021
Marsh Harrier hunting on the grazing marsh
1 Marsh Harrier (female) - marsh
1 Little Egret - marsh
4 Snipe - three flushed on the marsh by the Harrier, plus one on main lake
19 Shoveler - main lake, reservoir lagoon, scrape
2 Common Tern - fishing on main lake
1 Kingfisher - wildside
1 Willow Warbler - world wetlands
4 Chiffchaff - wildside, south route, world wetlands
Flowering plants: Beaked Hawksbeard, Bristly Ox-tongue, Broad-leaved Helleborine, Hawkweed Ox-tongue, Viper's Bugloss, Deptford Pink, Meadow Vetchling, Tufted Vetch, Marsh Marigold, Forget-me-not, Southern Marsh Orchid, Pyramidal Orchid, Dove's-foot Crane's-bill, Daisy, Cut-leaved Crane's-bill, Red Campion, White Campion, Green Alkanet, Common Vetch, Herb Robert, Ox-eye Daisy, Creeping Buttercup, Celery-leaved Buttercup, Jack-by-the-hedge, Bird's-foot Trefoil, Yellow Rattle, Herb Bennett, Common Mallow, Ragwort, Yellow Iris, Cut-leaved Crane's-bill, Round-leaved Crane's-bill, White Water-lily, Meadow Rue, Hemlock Water-dropwort, Amphibious Bistort, Greater and Lesser Pond Sedge, Pendulous Sedge, Cyperus Sedge, Glaucous Sedge, False Fox Sedge, Tussock Sedge, Common Spike-rush, Hard Rush, Soft Rush, Square-stalked St.John's Wort, Betony, Meadow-sweet, Self-heal, Marsh Woundwort, Yellow Loosestrife, Purple Loosestrife, Flowering Rush, Water-plantain, Fringed Water-lily.
Butterflies: (20th July survey) Comma, Brimstone, Red Admiral, Large White, Small White, Speckled Wood, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Marbled White, Small Skipper, Large Skipper, Essex Skipper, Small Tortoishell, Common Blue.
Dragonflies: (22nd July survey) Azure Damselfly, Emperor Dragonfly, Small red-eyed Damselfly, Red-eyed Damselfly, Ruddy Darter, Common Darter, Common Blue Damselfly, Blue-tailed Damselfly, Black-tailed Skimmer, Lesser Emperor Dragonfly. The Lesser Emperor has been spotted a few times in the reedbed, feeding as well as mating.