This time of the year on the reserve is all about migration, emerging from hibernation, or in the case of many insects a pupa or larva. It’s always an exciting time to see the first of the year.
The chiffchaffs are in the full song and the blackcaps and the newly arrived willow warblers are tuning up their pretty songs on the reserve. Several were recorded on the Breeding Bird Survey last weekend. Single swallows have been seen. Lesser whitethroats are by the A1 lakes. My favourite sighting was something I had hoped to see myself, when I walk across the meadow. The water table levels are staying high, and the vegetation has changed, making it very suitable for Snipe. Not only one was flushed but over 10 on the survey. What a sight it must have been!
The Bat group were also in at the weekend surveying the boxes. They were really pleased to find the rare Nathusius pipistrelle. They were hoping to ring it to take part in a research project to look at its’ habits, but unfortunately it was tucked away in one of unopenable boxes. These pips are known to be long distance migrators, up to 2000 kms, but some don’t. They are hoping to answer that question!
The bats wake up to feast on the emerging insects. My garden is full of bees of all sorts in this sunny weather. One day it was all mason bees on our Lonicera fragantissima, which has been flowering since early January, (it’s a great shrub for attracting the early insects). Then a couple of evenings ago the hoverflies (Eristalis pertinax) and the solitary bees (mainly Andrena fulva) were using the leaves to clean themselves from the stickiness of the flowering bay tree above them. The hovers have only recently emerged from, I like to think, the rotting vegetation in our pond. At this point they are called “rat tailed maggots”. Worth a google!
Become a Hoverfly Hero. This year the Wildlife Trust have a campaign to highlight them: Wild About Gardens | Wildlife Trust for Beds Cambs & Northants . Follow the link to get your guide.
Grass snakes are waking up from their brumation. I saw one recently sliding into Hayling Lake for a feed.
Overwintering butterflies, such as Brimstones, Peacocks and Comma have been waking up and enjoying the sunshine on the reserve. The one I haven’t seen is a small tortoiseshell. A butterfly becoming rarer each year and no-one really knows why. Ed Pollard, Cambridgeshire County Butterfly recorder gave an excellent talk last week at the Visitor Centre. Each year he receives about 25000 records. He wants more! There is now an easy-to-use irecord butterfly app. It gives pictures of the likely ones to be seen where you are at the time. Download it and help the research on our disappearing species.
Our speciality the grizzled skipper is due out any day now. They have already been seen elsewhere in the UK.
It is the same with our beloved nightingale. Migrants are arriving later than last year. This year the first ones were seen in Waterford, Ireland on 7th April. I am hoping someone is going to say they have heard their first one on the reserve very soon.
There are lots and lots of dark edged bee flies around this year. I feel sorry for the solitary bees, which are parasitised by them. The female bee-fly coats her eggs with sand, soil, or gravel to protect them, camouflage them, and make them easier to flick into the nests! I watched one today keeping an eye on 2 ashy mining bees by Hayling Lake.
I haven’t mentioned dragonflies or damselflies, as I haven’t seen any yet. Please let me know when you do and any other interesting sightings on friends@paxton-pits.org.uk
Best wishes
Ann
Ann Thomas 8.4.25