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Latest Sightings May 2012

Click on the link to send in your sightings [email-masked]

For previous months sightings see Archive

The "Area Seen" refers to the 10
sections that the Brook has been split into for monitoring purposes (see
Wildlife page under Monitoring ). .

All sightings unless stated are from personal observations by Eddie Napper

Birds

Click on any picture to see a larger image

30/05/12 Once the early mist had cleared
along the Emm it was more of the same today. In Area 5 a Buzzard was being harrased by a
Herring Gull and 2 Carrion Crows Blue Tits
were paying frequent visits to my Area 5 garded fat feeder.

27/05/12 At 05:50 this morning in Area 5
behind Morrisons a Cuckoo was calling. 3
Canada Geese flew S and a Whitethroat was down by Ripplestream Bridge. A
total of 31 species were seen today.

26/05/12 Swifts
numbers have increased with 16 seen swirling over Area 5 this
afternoon . Raptors including Red Kite and
Sparrowhawk were seen this afternoon.

In Area 4 it would appear that
the 9 Mallard ducklings have all escaped the
grasps of potential predators

23/05/12 The first male Nightjar of the year was seen and then heard
"churring" in Area 1 (Gorrick Woods) at 21:40 this evening. This brings
the years bird total to 68 species .

22/05/12 Whilst checking the moth trap in
Area 5 at 21:30 a Canada Goose flew over
calling.

20/05/12 In Area 5 this morning at 06:50 2
Cormorrant were seen flying W.

16/05/12 It would appear that the Swifts are back in Area 5. A small group of 4 were
seen feeding overhead at 19:30 this evening.

12/05/12 Much of the same birding wise over
Area 4 & 5 today, highlight was a Grey Heron
heading S calling.

11/05/12 2 Swifts
were heading N this morning over Area 5.

08/05/12 On the walk to work this morning
through Area 5 at 07:30 an adult Mistle
Thrush was seen feeding 2 very attentive juveniles.

07/05/12 In Area 5 this morning the sun
was shining before09:00, this male Blackcap
was seen with a female on the banks of the Emm. Quite large
groups of noisy juvenile Starlings were
around Ripple Stream Bridge and 2 Greylag Geese
flew W over Morrisons.

05/05/12 In Area 5 this morning at 07:00 a
male Whitethroat was seen moving through the
bushes. 6 Swifts were heading W over
Morrissons and a Swallow was seen flying N.
In the flooded Balancing Pond a Coot appears
to be building a nest. In Area 10 (Dinton Pastures) a Lesser Whitethroat was seen in the bushes on the
bank of the Emm approx 75 m upstream of the Sailing Club jetty by
Richard Marsh.

03/05/12 In Area 4 a Common Tern was seen flying N at 07:30 by Paul
Bright Thomas. Evidence of succesfull breeding was seen today as a
juvenile Starling was seen begging for food
from its parents at my Area 5 feeders and the shells of Blackbird eggs were found in Area 4.

01/05/12 In Area 1 (Gorrick Woods) a Tawny Owl was heard calling at 21:00 by I.D. Paine.
In Area 5 a quick look skywards this afternoon produced approx 40
unidentified Gulls soaring very high on
thermals before just as quickly dissapearing.

Insects/ Spiders

Click on any picture to see a larger image

26/05/12 The warm weather continues. When
the sun shines Nettles are allways worth checking out. There would
appear to have been an outbreak of 7 spot
Ladybirdsat the moment . Damselflies were sunning themselves this
morning with Beautiful Demoiselle and Common Blue sitting on riverside vegetation in Area
5.

22/05/12 The afternoon sun lured Butterflies
out in Area 4 . A male Orange Tip a Holly Blue and the first
Speckled Wood of the year were around the Balancing pond in
Smiths Walk.

16/05/12 The first Damselfly of the year
was seen today in Area 2. The Large Red Damselfly
( Pyrrhosoma nymphula) with its distinctive red and black
markings is usually one of first to be seen in Spring. It can often be
seen perched on waterside vegetation. Click on the photo to enlarge and
zoom (Its worth it).

12/05/12 In Area 2 this afternoon a male and
a female Orange Tip butterfly were seen. Also
seen was a Holly Blue .

0805/12 In Area 5 this afternoon adjacent to
Tesco's 2 male and a female Orange Tip
butterfly were seen.

07/05/12 This day flying moth is a fairly
common species in England. This female Adela
reaumrella was seen in Area 5 resting on Nettles. The males have
long, whitish antennae, the females shorter, both sexes having bronzy or
metallic greenish forewings. The moths fly in the daytime during May and
June, sometimes occurring in swarms.

05/05/12 In Area 5 the first Oak Apple of
the year, these are seen between May and June. They are home to the
larvae of the Oak apple gall wasp (Biorhiza
pallida). The female lays her eggs in the leaf bud causing
the oak tree to produce this apple-like growth. The gall itself is about
4cms in diameter, and inside there are around thirty chambers each
containing one wasp larvae. If you cut an old one in half you can see
the tunnels where the larvae chewed their way out.

02/05/12 On my walk home from work today
through Area 5, I was alerted to something happening in the Brook side
grass by Starlings flying vertically out of the grass and snapping their
bills shut. What I had stumbled on was an emergence of St Mark’s Fly (Bibio marci) . These black
flies are named as they often appear around St Mark’s Day on 25 April.
They are abundant for a short time, maybe only a couple of weeks, flying
with their long dangling legs hanging down.

Plants/Trees

30/05/12 The Elderberry
along the Brook is now in full flower.

03/05/12 Along the banks of the Emm in Area
5 Crosswort (Bibio marci) can now be
seen

Other Wildlife

Click on any picture to see a larger image

Fungi

05/05/12 Not technically a fungus but the
slime mould Lycogala terrestre was
seen in Area 5. This spherical pinkish puff ball is usually found on
dead wood in clusters

Mammals

29/05/12 In Area 5 a Red
Fox was seen playing with a kebab box in a neighbours front
garden

23/05/12 In Area 1 (Gorrick Wood) Pipestrelle bats were on the wing at dusk.

08/05/12 In Area 2 this afternoon a female
Roe Deer was seen strolling around the fields
by Tesco's at 15.45.

05/05/12 In the mud around Area 5 the clear
hoofprints of a Roe Deer were seen.

Molluscs

02/05/12 Although a common slug this Dusky Slug Arion subfuscus was a first for
me. It was seen in Area 5.

Amphibians

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