Blimey! It’s
been a sizzling June! With recent temperatures soring over 30oC it’s
been a lovely time to be on the reserve.
The month
started with a boom, a Bitten boom that is! Repeated sightings have led to
rumours of a breeding pair however our observations thus far have been
inconclusive.
It
has been a good year for small birds. The lovely Bearded Tits at Overy
have successfully reared at least 13 broods, a great success considering the
size of the reedbed! The biggest surprise to me however was finding a Pied
Wagtail nest in the woodpile in the work yard. Despite the odds the diligent
parents raised 3 out of the 6 chicks (I watched the 2 become Barn Owl
food!).
Bearded Tits are funny looking birds!
The males
have black 'moustaches' and they are
very noisy
and distinctive 'ping' call.
The Kingfisher
has been darting up and down in front of Washington Hide from the pool to the
dyke. The Crossbills have been very lively in the pine woods and a number of
out-of-season Siskins continue to pass through the reserve. Sea birds were
making quite a show as well this month with both Max Shearwaters and Gannets
passing through.
Kingfishers fly quick and low over
slow
moving water and hunt fish from
riverside perches such as reeds.
Occasionally
they even hover over
the water's surface.
Rare
sightings this month.
The most
exciting rarity this month was a Woodchat Shrike. We found it while conducting
a lapwing count at the start of the month. The Shrike was observed making a
larder in a nearby blackthorn bush but moved on soon after.
The prey caught by the Woodchat Shrike
was taken to a larder where it was impaled
on a thorn or wedged in a fork and saved
for later.
was taken to a larder where it was impaled
on a thorn or wedged in a fork and saved
for later.
A
personal highlight for me this month was the Turtle Dove, an increasingly rare
sight. This was my first sighting of this very distinctive bird. Although protected in Britain they are
aggressively shot in Malta during migration. Turtle Doves have declined more than 90% between 1997 and 2010 and are now a red listed bird facing
the threat of extinction.
The hot
sunny weather brought an explosion of invertebrates with large numbers of
moths, butterflies and dragonflies. We had one of our most productive trapping
days yet. Here are some of the highlights:
Butterflies have
been adding lots of colour to the day, but they are best seen in the mornings.
The highlights are:
Dark Green Fritillary
Fingers
crossed this lovely weather continues and you can come and see the reserve in full bloom!
Happy birding!
Jonathan Holt
Warden