A male House Sparrow was seen this morning on the Lower Path, close to the river. This is a very rare sighting now at the lagoons. Also heard or seen were a Cuckoo, Green Woodpecker and Grasshopper Warbler along with four Brimstones, five Green Hairstreaks, ten Common Blues, four male Orange-tips, two Green-veined Whites, a Peacock, a Large White and a Latticed Heath. SC/PG.
Also seen this morning were three Hobbies, two Buzzards and a mass of gulls and terns catching flying ants. PS.
This morning at least three Green Hairstreaks were seen around the north end of the Deep Pit, laying eggs on the Bird’s-foot Trefoil. A Brimstone was also seen egg-laying on the Alder Buckthorn by the Pumphouse. Three to four Hobbies were seen hawking insects over the site. (One seen stooping briefly at the Hobbies looked suspiciously like a Merlin, but was very distant.) PS.
This morning there were two Blackcaps singing, six Sand Martin’s by the bridge on the river, ten singing Chiffchaff and two Mistle Thrushes, three Lapwing and three Shelduck on the Eco Park area. Also lots of butterflies;
1 Small White,
10 Small Tortoiseshell.
11 Brimstone
10 Peacock
Also 2 Toads and 3 Roe Deer. SC/PG.
This morning a female Goosander was seen swimming upstream on the Trent. A Shelduck was on the Slurry Lagoon.
During the Butterfly Walk fourteen species of butterfly were found, including Small, Essex and Large Skippers, Brimstone, Holly Blue and about fifteen Commas. PS.
This morning there were plenty of insects about, especially bees. An Orange-tip was seen on the Lower Path as well as three Commas, two Peacocks, a Brimstone and several Small Tortoiseshells. A Sand Martin was seen near the railway bridge and three Oystercatchers were on the flooded field across the river. PS.
This morning, two male Brimstones were seen, one on the Causeway and one at the dry end of the Slurry Lagoon. PS.
This morning three Willow Warblers, a Whitethroat and two Sedge Warblers were singing as well as plenty of Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs and a Lesser Whitethroat was singing as it passed through. At least four Water Rails were calling from the Slurry Lagoon reedbed and two Oystercatchers flew noisily over. Butterflies seen included Brimstone, Orange-tip, Green-veined White, Peacock, Comma and Speckled Wood. PS.
This morning, at about 10.30, there were five Mediterranean Gulls on the Slurry Lagoon. DG/PG. There were lots of Black-headed Gulls going through on passage as well. On the Lower Path there were Brimstones, Commas, Small Tortoiseshells and Peacocks. PS.
This morning two Ravens crossed and recrossed the reserve, calling the whole time. Two Brimstones were seen and a Small Tortoiseshell. PS.
In the evening a Wheatear was seen on the ploughed field. JDn.
This morning a male Redstart was seen in the Plantation, near the Causeway end. A Sedge Warbler was singing down the bank and at least five Willow Warblers were singing around the site. Up to fifteen Chiffchaffs were singing and two Blackcaps, and a Swallow was with the Sand Martins by the railway bridge. At least two Wheatears were still on the ploughed field beyond the Wader Scrape and there was still one Goldeneye on the Large Gravel Pit. A Small Tortoiseshell and a Brimstone were seen in flight. PS.
There was also a report of a distant view of a Red Kite, towards Carlton.