Warnham LNR - Chilly Spring!

Bullfinch - C. Hardware

The spring has felt like it has finally sprung and we have many summer migrants starting to take up their respective territories around the Reserve. It is now commonplace once again to hear the melodic Blackcap and repetitive Chiffchaff as you amble though the Bluebell full woodlands in Millpond Plantation. There are often Swallow, House Martin and Sand Martin hawking insects over the lake and the Mute Swans are incubating their eggs, everything somehow has now clicked into breeding mode!

If you have been into the Visitor Centre lately you might have seen the live Robin nest we have a camera on. Sadly on the night of the 17th April the nest was abandoned after a mystery predator ate three of the five eggs she was incubating. This is a real shame as it was fascinating watching the male Robin coming in every hour or so to feed the incubating female. I suspect the culprit of the egg-snatch was a Brown Rat as a corvid such as a Magpie or Jay would have inflicted serious damage to the nest but also eaten all of the eggs rather than leaving a couple.

On a much brighter note in the Centre you might have had the chance to meet our new chicks, they are yet to have named but having survived the ferocity of Storm Katie I am sure they will be named something storm-based! They are currently chirping away and causing havoc in the main centre so do pop in and have a look at they as they wont be small, cute and fluffy for very long!


Millie the Mallard - J. Everitt

Mallard eggs - J. Everitt

On the nesting front however we do have some better news that 'Millie' the Mallard Duck is still incubating her eggs underneath the plastic bucket in the garden. Her eleven eggs are due to hatch in the next week, so we are keeping our fingers crossed we manage to catch the hatching on camera! There is also plenty of activity in the nest boxes with a mixture of Great Tit and Blue Tit taking up residence but I will save that for another day. Elsewhere around the Reserve we have had up to two Common Sandpiper which are spring migrants, stopping over with us a for a few days on their long migration northwards. They are very often on the muddy scrapes in front of Tern Hide if you want to see these fantastic passage waders.


Common Sandpiper - C. Hardware

We are still waiting and excuse the pun, for the Common Tern's to turn up! Hopefully they will be back in the next few days as there have been a number of birds seen around the county so I am sure within the next week we will hear the tell-tale scream signifying their safe arrival from Africa. Whilst on the subject of screaming, I predict that within the next week the first Swifts will appear in Horsham so keep your eyes to the skies and turn your ears to pick up on their high pitch screams overhead!

On the butterfly front there have been a number of species now seen around the Reserve. Brimstone are a regular feature in the sightings diary now and we are starting to get the Orange-tip numbers building as the Cuckooflower really bursts into life. Remember you can keep up to date with the species of bird, butterfly, dragonfly and moths which have been recorded at Warnham in 2016 by clicking on the links tab at the top of the page.

Large Red Damselfly - J. Everitt

This week has also seen the first sighting of a Large Red Damselfly, this is always the first species of odonata seen in Great Britain and flies from April until September and are a common feature around the dipping ponds and lake edges throughout the summer months. It won't be long now until we start to see Broad-bodied Chasers and Hairy Dragonflies too, then you know summer really is here!