Another Day - Paul McCartney

The air temperature at ‘lighting up time' on Saturday (21:30), yes we’ve fallen behind a little, 

was a whacking +28°C and as dawn cracked, it still hadn’t dropped below +18°C. Anticipation of the Moth Traps rounds was heavy in the air but didn’t result in the expected glut!

 The resultant First for Year Moths included

 GOLD SPOT

 always 'great' to see the first iof these little beauties.

TWIN-SPOTTED WAINSCOT

a little duller while duller still is

 CURRENT PUG

but they all count!

 Additionally,

 DEVIL'S COACH

 HORSE BEETLE

serenaded by the only 'vocal'

 COAL TIT

 to have been heard in the garden.

Pleasant enough just watching this

 GREENFINCH

catching the first rays of the new day while just a little further north

the first

 REED BUNTING

which is the firt one noted since the small influx

of early Spring which could well be the next usually

Breeding Species

to abandon the Recording Area?

 HEATHER

is starting to look good even though a little backward by comparison woth 2019

but still some way to go and as far as other plant-life is concerned

 The Fern is as high as a Galloway's eye and

it looks like its climbing clear up to the sky!

All we need now is a catchy tune and we may well go speeding up the charts??

Both species of

 BANDED DEMOISELLE

(female) and

 (male)

along with

 male

 BEAUTIFUL DEMEOSELLE 

female

were on the wing and looks every bit like the latest to meet its

Waterloo is

WOOD PIGEON

Black-winged Stilts breed in Somerset

A pair of Black-winged Stilts has successfully hatched two chicks at WWT Steart Marshes for the very first time – the only known breeding of the species in Britain this summer. The waders have settled in a secluded area of the wetlands, building their nest on a small island of mud within the freshwater area to deter predators. The chicks hatched yesterday [Thursday 9 July] and will be attended to by their parents until they fledge.

This is the only known pair of stilts to have staged in the UK this year. Previous breeding efforts have generally only taken place in south-east England - indeed, it is thought that this is the furthest west Black-winged Stilt have ever nested.

Alys Laver, Site Manager at WWT Steart, welcomed the news. She said: "We were thrilled to discover a pair of rare Black-winged Stilts nesting by the muddy areas in the freshwater marsh. They are very unusual visitors to this side of the country and it shows how valuable this developing marsh is to waders.

"By acutely managing water levels throughout the year, we can make sure that the mud is moist and teeming with juicy invertebrates for the birds to feast on with those large, pointy beaks, as well as help to protect the nest. It's all about getting the swamp community just right.

"The Steart Marshes are just six years old, and it goes to show how quickly new wetlands can support amazing wildlife. If you create it, they will come!"

The birds have picked a sheltered part of the reserve which is fenced off, surrounded by deep water with plenty of cover overhead from wetland plants. Reserve staff have also covered posts with bird deterrents close to the nest to help stop predators potentially targeting their young. In 2014, a clutch hatched in North Kent, 30 years after the previous British breeding attempt. Then, in 2017, 13 stilts are known to have fledged in southern England.

Alys continued: "It's early days and we don't want to get ahead of ourselves. However these birds are faithful to their breeding sites, so who knows, one day we might have a small population at Steart. In the meantime we’ll be doing all we can to make sure Steart is an attractive a home as possible for this striking water-bird as well as other wetland animals.                                                    

 We thank John Gifford for passing on this intersting document.