Carlton Marsh

On the hottest May Day ever 32c most of our observers kept in doors, including me. However, Harold Heath and Clive Mitchell nipped down, saw the Red Fox and and photographed this lovely Damselfly.

 

Azure Damselfly (HH/CM)

 

Carlton Marsh Update 24/5/26

A Barn Owl was hunting the field on Royston Road at 21.15hrs last seen heading towards the reserve. 

Single Pipistrelle and Noctule Bats flew over the scrape at dusk and Tawny Owls called after dark during a moth session.

Using the M V lamp with Chris Parkin 15 species of macros caught up to midnight that included Green Silver Lines, May Highflyer, 6 Pale Tussock, Knot Grass, Rustic Shoulder Knot, White-pinion Spotted and Scalloped Hazel.

6 Micros were also identified. 

                                     Green Sliver Lines

                                       Knot Grass
 

                                               May Highflyer

Rustic Shoulder Knot

                                              Pale Tussock

Carlton Marsh

A Barn Owl was hunting nearby at 08.00hrs (JP).

Other wildlife today included 2 Painted Lady, 1 Red Admiral, 1 Peacock, 5 Speckled Wood, 3 Dingy Skipper, 1 Small Heath, 17 Common Blue, 2 Holly Blue, 8 Small Copper, 1m Brimstone, 5 Orange-tip, 6 Large White, 38 White species.

Also 1 Banded Agrion, 1 Emerald Damsel, 2 Broad - bodied Chaser, 40 Azure Damsel, 44 Burnet Companion, 2 Yellow Shell, 2 Mother Shipton and 6 Silver Y moths.

Fox and Rabbit was also seen (Chris Parkin). 

Carlton Marsh & South Kirkby

Carlton Marsh

2 Grey Partridges (K. Bannister). 2 Oystercatchers, 2 Lapwings, a Little Ringed Plover and a Re-legged Partridge were on the wader scrape this morning (JP).

Also present on the other scrapes 2 Tufted Ducks, a Drake Teal, 8 Greylags and 30+ Canada geese.

A fresh dead Common Shrew (KB).

 

                                 Salsify (K. Bannister)

 

Insects on the Western Meadow included 13 Burnet Companion moths, 2 Common Blue, 3 Small Copper, 1m Brimstone, 1m Orange-tip and this year's first Four Spot Chaser (CG).

South Kirkby industrial estate

2 Mute Swans, 4 Buzzards, 1 Grey Partrige, 7 Pied Wagtails and a Mistle Thrush. 

Also 8 Brown Argus, 4 Painted L:ady, 54 Common Blue, 27 Dingy Skipper, 12 Brimstone (6f), 2 Broad - bodied Chaser, 4 Four Spotted Chaser, £ Yellow Shell and 2 Latticed Heath moths.

Flowers included Bee Orchid and Southern Marsh Orchids (Chris Parkin). 

Cudworth Moths

It was a good night last night with temperatures not falling below 12c. The most colourful and interesting are featured below.

                                           Figure of 80

                                               Lime Hawk Moth

                                             Maiden's Blush

                                             The Seraphim

                                              Spruce Carpet

Carlton Marsh & Littleworth Park - Monk Bretton

2 adult Mute Swans were on the scrape with Greylag and Canada geese.

Our wildlife group was busy mowing and strimming  around the car park this morning. 

Littleworth Park

Buterflies today included 1 Painted Lady, 1 Comma, 37 Small Heath, 20 Common Blue, 2 Holly Blue and 5 Small Copper.

Also 7 Burnet Companion, 4 Silver Y and 3  Mother Shipton Moths.

8 Smooth Newts and a dead Hedgehog were found (Chris Parkin).

Carlton Marsh & Ferrymoor Flash

Carlton Marsh

Not a great deal about today aside from the usual. Cetti's and buntings were flying back and forth across the hide pond many times. Male GS Woodpecker arrived at 08:20 to the right of the hide chirping away for 5 minutes. Managed to bag a shot of a Reed warbler below. Also found a Snakefly, first time we've ever seen one. We did hear Treecreepers behind the double bench by the meadow but couldn't get eyes on them (Phil Bulpin).

Just outside the recording area on Royston Road, a Barn Owl was hunting a st aside field at 09.15hrs (per JP). 

 

  Snakefly species - A new species for the reserve

                                           Reed Warbler

Ferrymoor Flash  

Oystercatcher, 2 Cormorants and Great Crested Grebe (CG).

 

Cudworth Common

On the flashes 2 Reed Warblers, 2 Cetti's Warblers and 3 Willow warblers. 

Carlton Marsh Wildfowl Counts

15 Greylags and young, 72 Canada Geese, 6 Gadwall, 10 Mallard, 2 Tufted Duck, 4 Coot, 1 Mute Swan, Kingfisher, 3 Grey Heron.

Also recorded Greenfinch, Great Spot Woodpecker, Long-tailed Tit family and Red-legged Partridge. 

Carlton Marsh

Despite the cool overcast weather a few insects were found. 1 Red Admiral, 3 Peacock, 3 Common Blue, 6 Small Copper, 7 Orange-tip (2f), 3 Burnet Companion and 1 Mother Shipton Moth. 

Also 6 Smooth Newts (Chris Parkin)

                                               Small Copper

                                        Common Blue

Woolley

Although it was cool again at least 6 species of butterfly were seen. 1 Wall Brown, 1 Painted Lady, 3 Small Heath, 1 Common Blue, 1 Small Copper and 7 Orange-tips (3 females).

Early indications over the past week suggest that this year may be a Painted Lady year (Chris Parkin).

Earlier in the week a Red Kite drifted over The Grove in Cudworth on Tuesday 12th May (Bob Embleton). 

Carlton Marsh Update 7-5-26

         Cuckoo photographed by Harold Heath & Clive Mitchell

This bird has been very obliging of late. It just shows how scarce it's getting in some areas, a chap came up from Derbyshire the other day looking to photograph it, as there were none in his neck of the woods. I'm pleased to say he did get some good photos.

Carlton Marsh

 LRP and 2 Red-legged Partridge and an adult LBB Gull wader scrape area.

Also 1 Swift over, a Cuckoo sang, a Canada Goose had 4 new very small young + 38 on adjacent fields and 3 Lapwings.

Insects included 9 Peacock, 6 Speckled Wood, 18 Orange-tip, 2 Large White, 20 White sp, 5 Dingy Skipper, and 5 Small Copper. Also 4 Burnet Companion on the western meadow. (K. Bannister/C. Parkin/CG)

Carlton Marsh

 A quiet day with just Great Spotted Woodpecker, Whitethroat, Jay and Reed Bunting reported (Phil Bulpin).

 

A teneral damselfly probably Azure (P. Bulpin)

Male Kingfisher yesterday (P. Bulpin)
 

Carlton Marsh

A Common Sandpiper was on the wader scrape with broods of 7 & 2 Mallard (CG).

2 Oystercatchers flew north at 14.05hrs (Geoff Miller).

Littleworth Park - Monk Bretton

This year's first Painted Lady and Small Heath. 

Also 2 Holly Blue, 1 Small Copper and 28 Squash Shield Bugs (Chris Parkin). 

Carlton Marsh

The overnight rain raised the water levels in the wader scrape reducing the potential for wading birds, However, a Lapwing and a Common Sandpiper were seen this morning (K. Bannister).

Later a Cuckoo sang briefly, a little Egret flew north and 6 Swallows were feeding. Also present Great Spot Woodpecker, a Red-legged Partridge sang along with 3 Sedge Warblers, 3 Reed Buntings and c12 Reed Warblers (C. Parkin/CG).

 

 Bark Sac Spider (Clubiona corticalis )in the hide (CG) 

Long-jawed Orb-weaver Spider (Tetragnatha montata) on the hide (CG)

 A Fox was on the prowl in the western Meadow 

Carlton Marsh

A Little Ringed Plover, a Lapwing and a drake Shoveler were on the wader scrape with the Canada Geese (k. Bannister/M. Littlewood).

A Little Egret flew north. 

Elsewhere 12 Reed Warblers sang along with 1 Sedge Warbler, 12 Blackcaps, 6 Blackbirds, 4 Cetti's warblers, 2 Lesser Whitethroats, 4 Whitethroats, several Chiffchaffs and a Red-legged Partridge.

Insects included 2 Holly Blue, 1 Dingy Skipper and at least 3 Green Longhorn Moths (Adela reaumurella) which are new for this site (CG).

 

Green Longhorn Moth (Adela reaumurella) CG

 Watch on full screen 

Carlton Marsh

2 Avocets, 1 LRP and 2 Red-legged Partridges at wader scrape 08.15hrs (K. Bannister).

A Sparrowhawk was caught on camera bathing in one of the western meadow ponds (H. Heath/C. Mitchell)

Photos of male Sparrowhawk by Harold Heath & Clive Mitchell 

  

Storrs Mill, Cudworth

A Red Kite drifted south towards Edderthorpe Flash at 12.20hrs, and earlier 10 Swifts were flying around Stanley Street, Darfield Road, Cudworth (CG).

 

South Kirkby Industrial Estate

Coot with 3 young, Mallard with 3 young.

 

Also 41 Dingy Skipper, 17 Brimstone, 2 Small Copper, 2 Holly Blue, , 26 Orange-tip and 4 Mother Shipton moths (Chris Parkin), 

Carlton Marsh

2 Oystercatchers and 1 LRP were on the wader scrape at 07.00hrs (K. Bannister).

Also of note a Kingfisher hovered over the scrape, a female Great Spotted Woodpecker called and a this year's first Broad -bodied Chaser was on the wing (Phil Bulpin). 

All photos by Phil Bulpin 

                               Broad-bodied Chaser

                               Broad-bodied Chaser

                     Last year's juvenile Blackbird feeding young

 

Great Spotted Woodpecker female

 

Storrs Mill Wood to Ardsley Viaduct via River Dearne 

Kingfisher, Cormorant, Mallard nest with 9 eggs and a female with 4 young.

11 Species of butterfly included my first Red Admiral of the year, 29 Peacock, 22 Speckled Wood, 2 Holly Blue, 10m Brimstone and 65 Orange-tip.

2m & 2f Banded Demoiselles added colour to the scene and a Grass Snake was basking in the sun (Chris Parkin).  

 

Cudworth

2 Swifts were back at Beech Avenue today (Geoff Miller).

 

Holly Blue is enjoying a very good spring. They are turning up in local gardens in good numbers. 2 were seen on Carlton Marsh this morning (CG).

Carlton Marsh

 2 Avocets, 2 LRP's, 2 Oystercatchers and a Little Egret at 06.50hrs (Keith Bannister).

Insects included 18 Peacock, 15 Speckled Wood, 4 Dingy Sipper, 5 Small Copper, 18 Holly Blue, 1m Brimstone, 38m Orange-tip and this year's first Burnet Companion!

Also on the wing 2 Blue-tailed Damselflies, 1 Azure Damselfly, and a Green Shield Bug (Chris Parkin).

Geoff Miller also reported 4 holly Blue's in his upper Cudworth garden, so it looks like a very good year for them.

Photos taken by Harold Heath & Clive Mitchell 

                                       Avocet

                                      Coot family

                                        Fox

Carlton Marsh

Sightings on the wader scrape over the past week or so have included up to 2 Little Ringed Plovers, 2 Avocets, 2 Oystercatchers, 2 Common Sandpipers, a Little Egret, Green Sandpiper and 2 Sand Martins.

Also of note Cuckoo, Kingfisher, 2 Grey Partridges, 4 Swallows, Sedge Warbler, 6 Reed Warblers, Wheatear and 30 Redpolls.

A Large Red Damselfly was found on 22nd. 

On the 24th 6 Holly Blue, 29 Peacock, 23 Speckled Wood, 38 Orange-tip were counted.

Mammals included a fresh dead Common Shrew, 2 Foxes and a stoat

My thanks to JP, Phil Bulpin, Simon Cox, Keith Bannister, John Finch, Neil Lunn, Andrew Corrall and Chris Parkin. 

Photographs by Phil Bulpin 

 

 Blackcap 

                                            Little Ringed Plover 

  Cuckoo 

                                         Large Red Damselfly