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).
It was a good night last night with temperatures not falling below 12c. The most colourful and interesting are featured below.
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.
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).
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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.
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)
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).
Cuckoo photographed by Harold Heath & Clive Mitchell
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)
A quiet day with just Great Spotted Woodpecker, Whitethroat, Jay and Reed Bunting reported (Phil Bulpin).
A Common Sandpiper was on the wader scrape with broods of 7 & 2 Mallard (CG).
2 Oystercatchers flew north at 14.05hrs (Geoff Miller).
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).
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).
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
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
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
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
On the wader scrape first thing 2 LRP, Redshank, Common Sandpiper, 2 Shovelers (K. Bannister).
Later Lapwing, 2 Oystercatchers (mated), 2 Dabchicks at nest.
Elsewhere 2 Red -legged Partridges, 2 Grey Partridges (JP/Steve Grove).
Also of note Single Redpoll, Greenfinch, 2 singing Mistle Thrush, 10 Blackcaps, 9 Chiffchaffs, 2 Sedge Warblers, 4 Reed Warblers, 4 Cetti's warblers, and a Water Rail sang (CG).
This mornings wildfowl counts 49 Canada Geese, 6 Greylags, 7 Coot, 8 Gadwall, 12 Mallard, 3 Teal, 2 Little Grebe, 2 Shoveler, 2 Oystercatcher, 1 Little Ringed Plover and 2 LBB Gulls.
Also 5 singing Cetti's Warblers, 1 Sedge Warbler, 4 Reed Warblers, 5 Blackcaps, 4 Whitethroats.
A Red Kite flew over my garden in Newtown, Cudworth at 15.50hrs drifting west.
