Early July at Blacktoft

 I spent the first 3 days of July on duty in reception at Blacktoft. A mixture of weather, heat, cool, wind, heavy rain showers and thunderstorms. Despite the weather and my limited chances to birdwatch I managed to get58 different birds on my list, which shows what a great place the reserve is, a view many visitors told me over the weekend. Plenty of visitors calling in on their way to or from Bempton, most of whom said that they would return to Blacktoft.

Water levels are slowly going down on some lagoons in order to provide a suitable habitat for waders on their journey south. Other lagoons are still home to lots of duck families as tufted and gadwall broods can now be seen feeding, while mallards are having their 2nd or 3rd broods.

Marshland lagoon has attracted wood and green sandpipers, ruff, redshank, snipe and avocets with their young.

the barn owl family are ready to leave the box

water rails are walking around the lagoon, although some distance from the hide.

Young herons are very visible from most hides

There are about 10 active marsh harrier nests on the reserve and their food drops etc have enthralled lots of visitors, many of them have never seen a marsh harrier so close before.

a cuckoo has often been seen as it hunts for the large hairy caterpillars.

Over the 3 days as I walked on to the reserve I was greeted by a sedge warbler singing away, there are several to be seen as you walk along the paths.

the reed warblers and sedge warblers like other birds are busy feeding young.

Comments from visitors suggest that sedge warblers seem to be everywhere this year and the numbers seem to have increased. A chiffchaff is still singing

a whitethroat remains near Singleton hide.

young bearded tits can be seen either feeding on insects on the mud at Marshland lagoon or in the reeds from other hides.

Egret numbers are increasing. At least 3 great whites on Singleton lagoon

the little egrets are often seen chasing each other from lagoon to lagoon, there is a family group moving between 1st and Townend.

a magpie family are staying close to the hides and footpaths

a few butterflies about

In a previous post I mentioned the mute swan family that was feeding in the ditch and the plight of one cygnet. The family are back in the ditch but this time only the adults climbed out of the ditch.

It is now possible for visitors to walk through the flower meadow on a path cut by the team, it is well worth a visit.