Time for the monthly wildlife round up again! A few exciting sightings this month:

Birds:

• Barn Owl – one has been spotted using one of our nest boxes on site, after finding signs of them nearby last month.
• Hobby – spotted chasing the Sand Martins and hunting over the lakes.
• Goosander - spotted in Ferry Meadows, including some juveniles.
• House Sparrow - now a rarity, spotted at the feeding station in Centre Point.
• Common Terns - still around feeding on the lakes.
• Stock Dove.
• Tree Creeper – they work their way up tree trunks feeding on insects in crevices in the bark. Once they reach the top of the tree they usually fly down and start from the bottom of another tree.
• Common Sandpiper
• Oystercatcher

Butterflies:

• Purple Hairstreaks - showing well on a couple of species specific surveys. Watch the tops of the large Oak trees between Oak and Coney Meadows, especially in the evenings, to spot them flitting between the leaves.
• Brown Argus
• Small Copper
• Meadow Brown
• Gatekeeper
• Brimstone – second brood is just hatching out.
• Skippers – Small, Large and Essex all seem to be doing well.
• Painted Lady – a couple have been seen, most likely ones that have hatched here rather than migrated judging by their condition.
• Marbled White – good numbers spotted on the Rural Estate and one recorded in Ferry Meadows.
• Unfortunately no sign of the White Letter Hairstreaks yet this year, with little time left in their flight season. These are a little butterfly that is found almost solely on Elm, so is at real risk due to the spread of Dutch Elm Disease and loss of Elm trees as a result.

Other sightings:

• Common Lizard – spotted in the SSSI field at Castor while the green hay cut was being taken.
• The otter has been seen a couple of times, mainly around Ham Cut and Lynch Lake.
• The common seal has been seen basking in the sun (when it appears!) a couple of times at Thorpe Meadows.
• Common Toadflax, one of my favourite wild flowers, has been popping up – probably the easiest to find is in the Wildlife Garden next to the Visitor Centre.

As ever, please keep us informed if you spot anything exciting on your August walks and share your photographs with [email protected]. A massive thank you to the volunteers who are my eyes on the ground most of the time!