Reserve: Ladywalk

hello

for those interested in photography there is a Flickr site for both ladywalk and belvide reserves

ladywalk is https://www.flickr.com/groups/14667052@N22/pool/

belvide is   https://www.flickr.com/groups/14700700@N21/pool/ 

where photos can be viewed and added to - joining Flickr is free and you can add up to 1000 photos to your page and then share them to groups

ladywalk currently has 69 members and belvide 30 it is a great way of sharing your photos

This was my week to do the butterfly survey on the reserve (the survey is carried out weekly from April to September, with 9 volunteer surveyors doing each responsible for 3 weeks). This week I counted 131 butterflies of 10 species, a good total reflecting the fact that this has been a good summer for butterflies. Large Whites were most numerous, followed by Speckled Wood & Red Admiral. Other species seen were: Small White, Green-veined White, Comma, Common Blue, Small Tortoiseshell, Meadow Brown and Gatekeeper.

Ladywalk Sightings 5/7/25–17/7/25

What has been seen on the reserve during the past two weeks?

·      A Willow Tit has been seen on the feeders at A Hide. This is the first one to be seen on the reserve since 2023.

·      There are plenty of young birds about at present: a Tufted Duck was seen with 7 ducklings, while the residents Swans have a well-grown cygnet. Juvenile Lapwing, Little Egret and Treecreeper have also been spotted.

·      The late summer wader passage seems to be beginning, with sightings of a Black-tailed Godwit and 3 Green Sandpiper. A Curlew also flew through on 5/7/25.

·      Both Great White and Little Egret have been seen, with a count of 13 Little Egret roosting in the Cormorant colony.

Richard King has just released the breeding bird survey for Ladywalk reserve for 2024.

The full report can be read on our blog page here:

https://www.westmidlandbirdclub.org.uk/blog