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.

Carlton Marsh

 2 Common Terns were feeding over the scrape at 08.30hrs (K. Bannister/R.J. Boland).

Cudworth Moths 22nd & 23rd of June 2026

The extreme heat saw lots and lots of macro moths to my MV lamp in the garden last night. At least 22 species that included 3 Coronet, 6 Swallow-tailed, Pebble Hook-tip, Common Emerald, Fan-foot, Clouded Border, Blackneck, Light Arches, 3 Poplar Hawk, 20 Elephant Hawk, Clouded Silver, Common Footman and Spectacle.

Also of note c25 Box Moths.

                                         Blackneck

                                        Box Moth

                                                Coronet

                                                    Elephant Hawk Moths

 

Grey or Dark Dagger 

Pebble Hook-tip

 

Poplar Hawk Moth 

 

Ash-bark Knot-horn (Euzophera pingulis)

 

A Barn Owl was hunting beside the River Dearne at Darfield yesterday evening (Ben Parkin) 

Carlton Marsh & Brocadale

This morning Goldcrest, LRP, Kestrel, 2 Great Spot Woodpeckers, 2 Kingfisher, 3 Mistle Thrush.

Also 3 Large Skipper, 4 Red Admiral and a Cinnabar moth (A. Corrall/M. White).

 

Fox  (J. Finch)

Brocadale Nature Reserve 

4 Silver Washed Fritillary, 1 Dark Green Fritillary and c300 Marbled White (C. Parkin).

Carlton Marsh & Storrs Mill

Carlton Marsh

3 juv Grey Heron, Kingfisher, LBB Gull, Gadwall with 10 young, juv. Great Spot Woodpecker.

Butterflies included 16 Ringlet, 15 Small Skipper, 50 Meadow Brown, and 4 Common Blue.

Also 1 Narrow bordered 5 spot Burnet Moth and 1 Burnet Companion. All on the western meadow.

There were 2m Broad-bodied Chasers and several Emperor dragonflies.

Storrs Mill - Ardsley Viaduct 

2 Grey Wagtail, Buzzard, Heron. 

13 species of butterfly included 2 Painted Lady, 6 Red Admiral, 18 Small Tort., 25 Speckled Wood, 1 Brown Argus, and lots of Peacock larvae. 

There were c100 Banded Agrion, and 6 day-flying Chimney Sweeper moths (Chris Parkin). 

Carlton Marsh Moths

Last night seemed to perfect for moth catching as it was very warm and humid, However, in the 2 hrs Chris Parkin and I were there we only managed 15 species of macro moth. These included Ghost Moth, Barred Straw, Light Emerald and Small Fan Foot.

As we were catching a trio of Tawny Owl owlets constantly called from the trees around us in the darkness.

A Common Tern was present again and more Kingfisher photos were taken by Harold Heath & Clive Mitchell from the hide this morning.

 

Insects included 1 Painted Lady, 6 Small Tort., 73 Meadow Brown, 26 Ringlet, 12 Large Skipper, 21 Small Skipper, 5 Common Blue, 2 Brimstone, Common Darter and a Black-tailed Skimmer (C. Parkin/K. Bannister).

South Kirkby Industrial Park

A pair of Mute Swans had 5 cygnets.

14 species of butterfly today included 2 Gatekeeper, 4 Painted Lady, 46 Marbled White, 106 Meadow Brown, 72 Ringlet and 28 Small Heath,. Also present Common Darter (C. Parkin).

Carlton Marsh 17/6/26

 1 adult & 1 juvenile kingfisher and a Common Tern (Amy Lomas).

                                        Common Tern (Amy Lomas

 juvenile Kingfisher photos by Clive Mitchell & Harold Heath