Birds Comments

Mute Swan
Canada Goose
Mallard
Teal
Gadwall
Shelduck juveniles only
Tufted duck
Great Crested Grebe five on the Swale
Little Grebe
Cormorant
Grey Heron
Little Egret
Marsh Harrier several hunting across the reserve
Kestrel pair hunting around the hides
Hobby taking dragonflies around the cottage; allowed close approach
Merlin seen by Mary near the exit from the farm yard
Moorhen
Coot
Oystercatcher a few on the Swale
Curlew numbers already building >100
Lapwing ditto
Golden Plover one smallish flock near sea wall
Grey Plover large nos. on the Swale; some still in breeding plumage
Ringed Plover a few on the Swale
Redshank
Turnstone one on the Sale with plovers & redshank
Black-headed Gulls ubiquitous
Herring Gull
Greater Black-back Gull one on the Swale
Woodpigeon
Collared Dove
Barn Owl seen once quatering grassland at dusk
Little Owl two around the famr yard; noisy!
Skylark only one or two
Swallows constant passage; migration in full swing
Pied Wagtail
Meadow Pipit
Raven one on a pylon beyond the old school
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
Magpie
Starling nos. beginning to build
House Sparrow
Goldfinch
Reed Bunting a pair disturbed from feeding near the sea wall

Lepidoptera - butterflies
Small White
Red Admiral
Painted Lady one next to Spithead hide
Small Heath numerous still on the wing

Lepidoptera - moths Trap set in three locations
General observation: only two non-Noctuids - no Geometridae, for example. Surprising!
Orange Swift - Triodia sylvina single specimen; trapped at disabled car park
Agriphila tristella grass veneer micro-moth; small numbers
Flounced Rustic - Luperina testacea abundant
Large Wainscot - Rhizedra lutosa single specimen; trapped at farm yard edge
Common Rustic - Mesapamea sp. single specimen; trapped at farm yard edge
Lunar Underwing - Omphaloscelis lunosa quite numerous
Bright-line Brown-eye - Lacanobia oleracea single specimen; trapped next to cottage
L-album Wainscot - Mythimna l-album small numbers
Square-spot Rustic - Euxoa obelisca quite numerous
White-line Dart - Euxoa tritici small numbers
Large Yellow Underwing - Noctua pronuba small numbers
Setaceous Hebrew Character - Xestia c-nigrum small numbers

Dragonflies
Migrant Hawker Numerous
Common Darter Numerous

Mammals - bats detector only used near to cottage
Noctule
Brown Long-eared
Nathuis's only one pass
Common Pipistrelle most common of those recorded
Soprano Pipistrelle

Mammals - terrestrial
Brown Hare
Rabbit
Stoat short video of egg-rolling sent to you by Mary
Fox barking from near old school one night