Carlton Marsh 20/7/26 & 21/7/26

Monday 20/7/26

Great Spot Woodpecker, Goldcrest, 2 Teal, 5 Mistle Thrush.

Also 1 Small Heath, 4 Holly Blue, and 2 Migrant Hawkers (K. Bannister/L & A Corrall). 

Tuesday 21/7/26 

Kingfisher, Little Grebe 1adult 1 juv. 52 B H Gull, 3 LBB Gulls, one tried to take a mallard chick, and a Common Tern at 06.50hrs (K. Bannister) 

Insects included Holly Blue, 7 Common Blue, 1 Purple Hairstreak and 5 Painted Lady.

1m Small Red-eyed Damselfly, 2m 1f Ruddy Darter, Black-tailed Skimmer, Broad-bodied Chaser, 1m Banded Agrion and 2 Brown Hawker.

Carlton Marsh Update

32 Mallard, the males in 'eclipse', and the family of Tufted Duck. 

An additional 18 species of butterfly that included 12 Painted Lady, 34 Red Admiral, 28 Peacock, 15 Comma, 388 Meadow Brown, 206 Gatekeeper, 37 Common Blue, 6 Holly Blue, 8 Brown Argus, 12 Small Copper, 18 Large White and 108 unidentified White species.

Also 3 Ruddy Darter (Chris Parkin). 

Carlton Marsh

A male Silver Washed Fritillary was found on the embankment today by long time Carlton Martian - Peter Senior. This is only our 2nd record of it and the first since July 2021!

Storrs Mill to Ardsley Viaduct 17/7/26

20 species of butterfly included a Silver Washed Fritillary on a Buddlea, 4 Purple Hairstreak, 10 Painted Lady, 63 Red Admiral, 42 Peacock, 88 Speckled Wood, 3 Brown Argus, and 8 Small Copper. Also Ruddy Darter male and 18 Banded Agrion (Chris Parkin).

Littleworth Park - Monk Bretton 16/7/26

Excellent counts of butterflies included 8 Painted Lady, 5 Red Admiral, 676 Meadow Brown, 455 Gatekeeper, 173 Common Blue, 32 Brown Argus and 3 Holly Blue. A total of 1,600 of 17 species.

Also of note here Emperor Dragonfly and the Hornet Mimic (Volucella zonaria) (Chris Parkin). 

South Kirkby Industrial Park

Butterflies included 15 Painted Lady, 9 Red Admiral, 26 Peacock, 465 Gatekeeper, 86 Common Blue, 22 Brown Argus and 10 Small Copper (Chris Parkin).

Carlton Marsh

A Little Egret spent the day on the wader scrape and a Peregrine was seen there early morning (Neil Lunn).

Later a Goldcrest, 2 LBB Gulls, and a Yellow Wagtail with food.

Also 3m Black-tailed Skimmers, 1m Red-eyed Damselfly, 3 Painted Ladies, 3 Red Admirals and a report of a Grayling butterfly (Andrew Corrall/Melvyn White/CG).

Carlton Marsh

Yellow Wagtail, Oystercatcher, 2 Lapwing, 1 LBB Gull, juv. Buzzard calling to adults.

Insects included 2m Small Red - eyed Damselfly, Emperor, Brown Hawker, 3m Ruddy Darter, 2m Broad-bodied Chaser, 2m black tailed Skimmer, 1m Common Darter, 1 Four Spot Chaser, 2 Red Admiral, 1 Comma, 6 Gatekeeper, 60 Ringlet, c60 Meadow Brown.

                                 Ruddy Darter

 Cudworth Station 

3 Painted Lady, 37 Red Admiral, 135 Peacock, 9 Comma, 2 Holly Blue,  

 

Carlton 4 & 5 old pit yard 

12 Painted Lady, 31 Red admiral, 109 Peacock, 2 Holly Blue, 18 Large White (C. Parkin)

Carlton Marsh and Cudworth Common

7 Little Egrets were on the wader scrape at 06.51hrs (Neil Lunn), but all had left by 07.30hrs (K. Bannister).

A Yellow Wagtail was still in the potato field and a Common Tern was feeding on the scrape (K. Bannister). 

Cudworth Common 

A Green Sandpiper was feeding on the flashes there (Mick Jones). 

Carlton Marsh & Edderthorpe Flash

Our wonderful wildlife group were busy strimming part of the embankment path and the ringing rides this morning.

While doing that a Water Rail called and 2 Yellow Wagtails were seen in a nearby potato field.

Also of note 3m Small Red-eyed Damselflies and a male and female Ruddy Darter were amongst the many dragons and damsels on show. (CG/K. Bannister).

 

Soldier Beetles

Meanwhile an Osprey was picked up at 22.00hrs last night (8/7) over Edderthorpe Flash by Mick Jones. This after one was seen flushing most of the waders on the Flash on Monday morning (6/7) (Per Alan Stonier).

Cudworth 

A Humming bird Hawk Moth was seen in  Chris Parkin's garden today. 

Carlton Marsh & Storrs Mill Monday 6/7/26

Carlton Marsh

2 Great Spot Woodpecker, Water Rail, 2 Oystercatcher, Kingfisher and Sedge Warbler.

At least 6 Purple Hairstreaks were flying around the tops of Oak last evening (CG).

 

                                            Sedge Warbler (CG)
 

Storrs Mill to Ardsley Viaduct

Red-legged Partridge,  Kingfisher, 2 Grey Wagtail, Blackcap with 5 young. 

Also 17 species of butterfly, 5 Painted Lady, 102 Red Admiral, 116 Peacock, 28 Comma, 41 Speckled Wood, 7 Holly Blue,5m Brimstone, 105 Gatekeeper, c100 Banded Agrion (Chris Parkin).

 

Carlton Marsh (Tuesday 7th July) 

2 Oystercatcher, Grey Partridge (old pit yard), Coal Tit and a pair of Yellow Wagtails with at least 1 young. Also 2 Holly Blue, Humming Bird Hawk Moth and Six Spot Burnet moth(M. Littlewood/M. White/A. Corrall).

 

Upper Cudworth

A Red Kite was circling over Pontefract Road this afternoon (Jim Finnerty). 

 

Low Cudworth 

Last night's moths in my garden included 11 Elephant Hawk. Poplar Grey, Dusky Sallow, Cloaked Minor, Ruby Tiger, Small Dotted Buff, White Satin and Broad-bodied Yellow Underwing (CG).

                                 Broad-bodied yellow Underwing

                                                Elephant Hawk Moth

                                                    Poplar Grey

                                                       White Satin

Carlton Marsh

A Little Ringed Plover visited the wader scrape this afternoon and a maturing owlet was 'branching' not far from the hide (D. Standish).

Insects included 3 Painted Lady, 2 Holly Blue, 6 Gatekeeper, 1m 1f Ruddy Darter, 3 Small Red-eyed Damselfly, 2 Common Blue Damselfly, 2m 1f Broad-bodied Chaser, 1m Banded Agrion, 1m Black-tailed Skimmer and loads of Emperor and Emerald Damselflies (CG)..

Carlton Marsh

A Goldcrest, Dabchick, a family of Tufted Ducks, 2 Mute Swans and a Kingfisher were on show today.

Also present 1 Holly Blue, 4 Red Admiral, and a male Ruddy Darter. (L & A Corrall). 

Carlton Marsh & Storrs Mill

Today was perfect weather for judging day for the Yorkshire in Bloom competition. Russ Boland, Joe Birch and Cliff gave Beatrice Myers a tour around part of the reserve including the wildflower meadow. We will have to wait until September to find out what award the reserve will be awarded. Yo can never be sure of the outcome, but Beatrice did say she loved the wild flower meadow.

The following photos were supplied by Simon Cox & Claire Griffiths 

f

From left Jo Birch, Cliff, Russ, Beatrice

Storrs Mill

2 Kingfishers, 2 Grey Wagtails, 16 House Martins,  and a Song Thrush feeding young. Butterflies included 23 Red Admiral, 5 Peacock, and 20 Comma (Chris Parkin). 

Carlton Marsh

Our wildlife group were busy mowing, strimming and painting this morning

Today's sightings included Kingfisher, 2f Tufted Duck with 9 very small young, Coal Tit and Great Spot Woodpecker (L A Corrall).

A survey of all 3 meadows and the embankment produced 2 Painted Lady, 8 Red Admiral, 1 Peacock (new brood), 8 Small Tort., 18 Comma, 410 Meadow Brown, 136 Ringlet, 15 Gatekeeper, 24 Large Skipper, 104 Small Skipper, 2 Small Heath, 2 Holly Blue, 4 Large White and 59 unidentified White species. 

On the scrape 10 Emperor, 4 Black-tailed Skimmer (C. Parkin).

In addition Oystercatcher, 1m Small Red-eyed Damselfly, 2 Brown Hawker, c20 Emerald, Damselfly, 1f Broad-bodied Chaser. 

Not forgetting a cracking Scarlet Tiger moth that alighted on a Hogweed leaf right in front of us. The latter being a new species for the reserve! (CG/Helen Todd).

Oystercatcher (CG)

 Photos supplied by Helen Todd 

                                      Small Red - eyed Damselfly

                                        Common Blue Damselfly (CG)

                                   Scarlet Tiger moth
 

Carlton Marsh

On the scrapes today 3 Lapwing, Kingfisher, Moorhen with 3 very small young, Little Grebe, 2 LBB Gull and 2 female Tufted Ducks with 9 young.

Also present Sparrowhawk, Goldcrest, 2 juvenile Great Spot Woodpeckers, at least 3m Cetti's Warblers.

Insects included 2 Painted Lady, 1 Red admiral, 4m Small Red -eyed Damselfly, on the dike (near hide), 1m Ruddy Darter, 1 Brown Hawker, 1m Black-tailed Skimmer, 2 Four Spot Chaser, lots of Emperor and Emerald Damselfy (L & A Corrall/CG).

Cudworth

A Humming Bird Hawk Moth was feeding on jasmine in Geoff Miller's garden and 2 Holly Blue were in my garden. 

 

Carlton Marsh & Littleworth Park Monday 29/6/26

Carlton Marsh

An adult Spoonbill left the wader scrape as I arrived at 18.05hrs.

A ringing session provided a a surprise newly fledged juvenile Goldcrest, and a re-trapped male Reed Warbler from July 2018 was the second oldest ever ringed here. As it was an adult when ringed in 2018 that means that it is at least 9 years old having made at least 9 journeys to south of the Sahara and back to the same ringing ride (CG).  

                                          juvenile Goldcrest (CG)

 

 juvenile Robin (CG)

                                      Adult Reed Warbler (CG)

Littleworth Park - Monk Bretton 

1,200 butterflies of 16 species included 1 Painted Lady, 6 Red Admiral, 5 Small Tort., 6 Comma, 645 Meadow Brown, 253 Ringlet, 34 Small Heath, and 2 Banded Agrion damseleflies (C. Parkin).

 

Cudworth, Carlton Marsh & South Kirkby

Cudworth (27th/28th of June 2026)

Some lovely looking macro moths in my garden trap last night that included c10 Box Tree Moths, 6 Swallow-tailed, a White Satin and a cracking Scarlet Tiger moth, which was new for me.

                            Scarlet Tiger (Callimorpha dominula)
 

 

Box Tree Moth

Carlton Marsh

Yesterday Chris Parkin was fairly sure he had seen a long long waited Red-eyed Damselfly. So I went to check today and sure enough a male Small Red-eyed Damselfly was resting on fallen leaves in the dike near the hide. It occasionally took short flights. Needless to say this is a first for the reserve.

However, there was no sign of yesterday's Red-veined Darter (CG).

 

                    Small Red-eyed Damselfly (Erythromma viridulum) (CG)

 

                                  Emperor female ovipositing (CG)

 

                                        Ruddy Darter (CG)

 

South Kirkby Industrial park

17 species today and over 900 butterflies that included 1 Painted Lady, 2 Red Admiral, 10 Small Tort., 4 Comma, 32 Marbled White, 27 Gatekeeper, 1 Holly Blue, and 2 Black-tailed Skimmers (Chris Parkin). 

 

Carlton Marsh

On a slightly fresher less oppressive sunny morning, the British Naturalist Group visited the reserve. A walk around the western meadow saw lots of Ringlet, Meadow Brown, Small Skipper and the odd Large Skipper and Common Blue. 

The highlight of the morning though was the discovery of the highly migratory Red-veined Darter (male) (Sympetrum fonscolombii) on the largest pond.. This was only our 2nd record of it. The first, also a male, was way back in early July of 2002 found by Peter Senior. This one showed no sign of moving on and showed very well.

Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii) photos by Kevin from British Naturalist Society

In addition a Small Heath butterfly was found later on the northern meadow (Chris Parkin) 

Carlton Marsh & Woolley & Cudworth

On yet another record breaking very hot June day, the temperature peaked at 34c in my Cudworth garden, 34.2c at Weston Park, Sheffield, and 37.3c at Santon in Suffolk was the highest ever recorded June temperature.

Carlton Marsh

A very big thanks to Waite's Company Volunteers for staining most of the wooden infrastructure in the car park area over the past 3 days in extremely difficult conditions to work in!

2 Painted Ladies were seen this morning just before the rain storm (K. Bannister). 

 

The following photos were kindly supplied by Harold Heath and Clive Mitchell.

 

Juvenile Kingfisher

Common Toad

Female Emperor Dragonfly

Small Skipper

Woolley

I found 16 species of butterfly today. The building going on nearby doesn't seem to be affecting the Marbled Whit's as 87 were counted. Also 2 Painted Lady, 2 Red Admiral, 186 Meadow Brown, 214 Ringlet, 100 Small Skipper,  and 2 Gatekeeper. It could be the last year for Small Blue as its food plant, Kidney Vetch, is fast disappearing (Chris Parkin).

 

Cudworth

A Humming Bird Hawk Moth and a Wasp Beetle (Clytus arietis) was found in Le Corrall's low Cudworh garden.