8th July 2022 - perched high on the top of a cane in the garden, Andy M spotted a dragonfly alert for other insects that might pass by.
After sending a few photos to a knowledgeable friend (thanks Darren!), it was identified as a female Common Darter. Key features to look out for being the 'inverted J' shape on the side of the thorax, and the yellow stripes on the legs.
8th July 2022 - Andy M spotted a pretty turquoise moth resting in the bathroom overnight which, after some internet searching, he believes to be a Small Emerald moth.
7th July 2022 - at 18:05 precisely!!
3rd July 2022 - David F spotted this Gatekeeper butterfly along the ORC this week.
Adult Gatekeeper appear only during July and August, and whilst quite similar to Meadow Brown, both male and female Gatekeeper have more orange colour on their upper side wings, as well as two distinct white spots in the black 'eye-spot'. When closed, the Gatekeeper hind wings also have a distinctive uneven row of four white spots that are absent in the Meadow Brown.
2nd July 2022 - Nine ANW members joined our interesting and informative trip to Suffolk Wildlife Trust's Lackford Lakes Nature Reserve in Suffolk. The reserve mainly comprises a number of old flooded gravel workings, but apart from the obvious lakes, has a rich variety of habitats including reedbed, boggy scrub, meadow, woodland, which attract an equally good variety of wildlife.
From the many good hides and paths we saw a total of 40 bird species, several with young, 9 butterfly species and 6 species of dragonfly and damselfly, as well as a few interesting mammals and flowers.
1st July 2022 - David F spotted this juvenile Green Woodpecker and a rampant specimen of Welted Thistle along the 'Old Carriage Road' that leads from Bourn Bridge Road to the river.
June 2022
Amphibians and Reptiles
Smooth Newt – still a good number being spotted in several ponds. A dead snake was found near Sluice Wood which, despite the unusual colouration, was presumed to be a Grass Snake.
Birds
A total of 59 species were
seen or heard this month in a total of 362 reports, including 36 species reported
during the Late Spring Bank Holiday Bird Survey on 2nd-5th (blog
link). Fledglings and young birds of several species were starting to be
seen this month including Blue Tit, Great Tit, Wren, Goldfinch, Magpie, Mallard
and Mandarin Duck.
A Cuckoo was
heard calling along the Roman Road (4th), a Hobby was seen flying over a
GA garden (20th) and a Kingfisher was spotted fishing by a shallow pool
in the river near Sluice Wood (21st, blog
link), all three being the first sightings this year.
Unusually, a Little
Grebe was seen feeding in GP lake (26th, blog
link) amongst a large number of Mallard in moult. A female Mandarin
Duck and three young, and a female Mallard with five ducklings, were
also seen on GP, as were five Barnacle Goose.
A Little Egret
was reported several times along the river mid-month, as was a Grey Heron, and
a Grey Wagtail was spotted feeding along the riverbank in Lagden’s Grove.
Several Pied Wagtail were also reported from GP and the LSA.
A Barn Owl was
seen silently gliding over the fields near Grange Farm one evening (13th), and
a Tawny Owl was heard calling on 4th. Up to three Buzzard were
widely reported, as were Red Kite with four seen soaring over the village
centre on 17th. A Kestrel was spotted at a number of locations, and a Sparrowhawk
was seen hunting in a GA garden and on the LSA.
A pair of House Martin
finally returned to their nest on the shop early in the month, and young birds
could be heard calling from inside by the 30th. Swift were regularly seen
over much of the village, with 12 heard screaming over the recreation ground on
16th-17th, and 1-2 Swallow were spotted occasionally on the LSA, ORC and
Roman Road.
A Reed Warbler was
heard singing from the reeds on GP (13th, 26th), Common Whitethroat and Lesser
Whitethroat were heard along the ORC and Roman Road, and both Chiffchaff
and Blackcap were regularly heard at several sites, with a pair of Blackcap
nesting in a North Road garden for the first time. A Wren was also nesting
in the eaves of a LA house, with the young fledging on 12th.
A Bullfinch was
spotted along the Roman Road, with Chaffinch, Greenfinch and Goldfinch
(including young) all regularly seen on feeders. Loose flocks of adult and young
Blue Tit and Great Tit were also regularly spotted in gardens, with
Long-tailed Tit and Coal Tit being seen more occasionally. A male
Blackbird was seen collecting food to feed later broods in the nest.
A Green Woodpecker
was reported again on Granta Park, and 1-2 Great Spotted Woodpecker including
a juvenile continued to be seen in a Cambridge Rd garden.
Skylark were regularly heard above both the ORC and Roman Road, with Yellowhammer, Linnet and Meadow Pipit also seen there. Jay and Goldcrest were also occasionally reported.
Butterflies and other insects
In June, five
butterfly species were reported for first time this year, as the total number
of reports increased again, after a dip last month. During June, a total of 148
records were received (butterflies 117, odonata 8, bees 8, other 15).
Butterflies: Butterfly
species first reported this year during June: Marbled White (from 12th, 7
reports), Meadow Brown (from 14th, 13 reports), Small Skipper (15th,
1 report), Large Skipper (from 16th, 8 reports) and Ringlet (from
24th, 5 reports).
Small Tortoiseshell and Meadow
Brown in particular were seen in good numbers, as were Ringlet and Large
Skipper along the Roman Road and ORC. Reports of Comma and Small
White were also up again. Conversely, the numbers seen of Holly Blue,
Brimstone, Peacock and Green-veined White all dropped, as might
be expected in June/July, when a gap between broods occurs for these species.
There were no reports of Orange Tip or Peacock for the same
reason. Red Admiral, Speckled Wood, Small Heath and Painted
Lady continued to be reported in similar numbers to May. Very few reports
of Common Blue so far this year.
Numbers of Butterfly reports: Small
Tortoiseshell 25, Meadow Brown 16, Small White 11, Comma 11, Large Skipper 10,
Marbled White 8, Brimstone 7, Red Admiral 6, Ringlet 6, Painted Lady 5,
Speckled Wood 5. Others: Green-veined White, Holly Blue, Large White, Small
Heath, Small Skipper, all 1 or 2 reports.
Odonata: Emperor Dragonfly were reported from
11th (2 reports, ORC), several Azure Damselfly from 6th (3 reports, three
sites), and both Large Red Damselfly (2 reports) and Broad-bodied Chaser
(1 report) were seen in LA.
Other: Hummingbird Hawkmoth (7 reports), Red-tailed, White-tailed and Buff-tailed Bumblebee (8 reports in total), and Two-spot, Seven-spot, Fourteen-spot and Harlequin Ladybird (1-2 reports each) were all seen, as well as single reports of a number of beetle species.
Mammals
Bat – regular sightings throughout the month over gardens in Cambridge Rd and Bourn Bridge Rd regularly, and one seen over Lewis Cres on 24th.
During the Bat Safari on 29th, run on GP by Iain Webb from the Wildlife Trust, Common Pipistrelle and three Serotine bats were seen above Lagden’s Grove, and single Noctule and Daubenton’s bats were spotted near the river and lake.
Fox – one heard
regularly along the ORC, and one young female was recorded regularly on a trail
camera in a Bourn Bridge Rd garden.
Hare – 3 to 4
young seen in a rough meadow on GP on 26th.
Hedgehog – two spotted
in a Lewis Cres. garden on 20th, and two regularly seen in a Bourn Bridge Rd garden.
Muntjac – one
in a Cambridge Rd garden during the afternoon of 9th, and one in Lagden’s Grove
on GP on 26th.
Badger – one dead reported.
Flora
The Protected Road
Verge along Bourn Bridge Rd was looking particularly splendid this month.
The following wildflower species were reported in bloom at various sites around the village this month: Greater Knapweed, Mullein, Hedge Bedstraw, Lady’s Bedstraw, Knapweed Broomrape, Scabious, Common Storksbill, Ragged Robin, Bird’s Foot Trefoil, Viper’s Bugloss, Field Poppy, Bladder Campion, Ragwort, Marjoram, Wild Mignonette, Wild Parsnip, Common St John’s Wort, Tufted Vetch, Red Dead-nettle, Creeping Thistle, Oxeye Daisy, Cow Parsley, Common Centaury, Pyramidal Orchid, Stonecrop, Himalayan Balsam, Mallow, Black Medick, Nodding Thistle, Buttercup, Lucerne, Bramble.
Weather
Yet another arid month with only 30.5 mm
of rain, most of this (21.5 mm) falling in the first week! The highest
temperature was 31.8 degrees C on the 19th, with the lowest being 4.1
degrees C on the 1st. Overall, temperatures were about average, but there were
quite a few very breezy days with winds variable in direction.
