Carlton Marsh & Ferrymoor Flash

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).

 

  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

Carlton Marsh

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).

                                        Cuckoo Flower (CG)

                                          Dog Violet CG)

Carlton Marsh

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. 

Carlton Marsh

Today's sighting included 2 singing Reed Warblers, Sedge Warbler, 3 Cetti's Warblers, 2 Little Grebes.

On the wader scrape 2 Swallows, 2 Sand Martins, 2 Shovelers and an Oystercatcher (M. White/L & A Corrall). 

Rabbit Ings  

First Cuckoo of the year singing this morning and again at 15.00rs (phone record shot by Sara Finnerty) 

 

Cudworth Common 

At least 4 Whitethroats, several Willow Warblers all singing.

And a profusion of the Green Longhorn micro moth on Birch and Hawthorn.

 

                            Green Longhorn (Adela reaumurella) (CG)

Storrs Mill to Ardsey Viaduct (via River Dearne)

4 Lapwings, Cormorant, 2 Buzzards, 3 Red - legged Partridges, 2 Swallows, 5 House Martins, 8 Sand Martins (nesting in river bank), 2 Grey Wagtails, and 4 singing Blackcaps.

Insects included 46 Peacock, 12 Small Tort., 7 Comma, 44m Orange-tip and 3m Brimstone. also Green and Sloe Shield Bugs. 

And a Grass Snake (Chris Parkin). 

                                    Storrs Mill Wood Bluebells

                                                 Orange -tip

Carlton Marsh

The Avocet, Common Sandpiper and 2 Oystercatchers were all still present on the wader scrape, the latter mated before leaving south at 19.15hrs (et al).

Also present 5 Teal, a pair of Shovelers, 2 Little Grebes, Red-legged Partridge and 3 Swallows.

A Buzzard flew over the wader scrape carrying a small prey item. 4 Cetti's Warblers sang. 

All photos by courtesy of Simon Cox 

                                              Avocet

                                           male Blackcap

                                               female Blackcap

                                                Common Sandpiper

                                                Shoveler pair

Carlton Marsh

On the wader scrape this morning Avocet at 06.30hrs (Neil Lunn), Common Sandpiper, 2 Oystercatchers, and a pair of Shovelers (Keith Bannister).

A little later Snipe, 3 LBB Gulls, 4 Herring Gulls, and this year's first Little ringed Plover (JP).

A Goldcrest sang and towards mid-day 3 Swallows were feeding over the main scrape, and a Red Kite drifted over the Car park (Phil Bulpin).

This afternoon the Common Sand and Avocet were still in situ and an additional Oystercatcher came in and was quickly chased off leaving the original 2 to mate (CG).

                                   Kestrel (Phil Bulpin)

                                   Red Kite (Phil Bulpin)

Dearne Valley Park

Grey Wagtail, 14 Greylag Geese, Mute Swan pair, the female on a nest. 2 Pairs of Moorhen had 2 + 3 young.

Also 3 Holly Blue, 30 Peacock, 1m Brimstone, 14m Orange-tip and loads of Frog tadpoles (Chris Parkin).