Following the brief flurry of excitement last month after the crops in Flora Field were harvested, it’s been a relatively quiet period on the reserve. Whilst temperatures have gradually fallen back to something more like normal, we have still had very little rain indeed so the reserve is parched. Still, there have been a few different avian visitors to the reserve with first sightings of Cormorant, Kestrel and Bullfinch this spring / summer. And I did see something at Fairfield Nature Reserve which I can confidently predict won’t be seen again until 2081, a partial eclipse covering more than 90% of the sun. A few of us witnessed this from the boardwalk at the eastern edge of Big Meadow. Sadly, it clouded over slightly, just before the peak of the eclipse, but we were still able to view it safely through a pair of eclipse glasses.
- Flora Field is once again much quieter, post-harvest, although there are quite a few Pheasants on show, with 16+ being in the field on 16th, roughly half of them being this year’s young. A Linnet was seen overhead on 2nd, the first record since mid-April. 2 Cormorants flew west over the reserve on 8th, with another seen flying east on the same day. A female Kestrel flew low over the field on 16th, landing in trees on the far side. A Moorhen was heard calling from Flora Ponds on 8th.
- Pony Wood has hosted Great Spotted Woodpecker, Jay, Long-tailed Tits and Nuthatch over the first half of the month. A Bullfinch was also calling there on 16th.
- Stock Dove was seen over West Field on 8th and 2 Chiffchaffs were in the Long Pads hedgerow on 16th.
- The orchard has attracted Jay (8th) and a female Blackcap (16th). Nuthatch was calling nearby on the latter date. A Linnet was seen over Big Meadow on 2nd.
- Hay Meadow played host to a female Bullfinch and a Moorhen on 8th plus a Grey Heron on 16th.
- Along the canal, Ripley Field had a maximum of 27 Black-headed Gulls on 8th, 12 Mallard and 2 Grey Herons on 16th.
- Butterflies were plentiful in the warmer, earlier part of the month with Wall Brown and Painted Lady both easy to spot on the fringes of Flora Field near the road.