Friends of Tring Reservoirs Nature Reserve: July 2016

WE NEED YOUR WILDLIFE SIGHTINGS PLEASE

Any and all wildlife. You can send them by e-mail here. Photographs are very welcome

Reminder: It is a criminal offence to disturb any nesting bird.

Please be extra vigilant around the reservoirs during the breeding season.

Fancy helping out?

We’ll be cutting back the reed in front of the hide at Wilstone Reservoir on 16th August 2016.

If you’d like to come along and lend a helping hand, please contact our Reserves Officer at

laura.baker@hmwt.org

Sunday 31st July 2016.

Dave Hutchinson -Wilstone Today.

Southern Hawker by David Hutchinson

Hornet Mimic Hoverfly by David Hutchinson

Wednesday 27th July 2016.

Pat and Rob Stonier - Just thought you may like to know that, on Monday 25th July, we were walking from Little Tring along the Wendover arm,(Grand Union Canal), towards the silos at the mill.
We turned down the steps on the footpath signposted Tringford Reservoir, just before the silos. On these steps we saw 4 otter cubs who played on the steps at our feet for a couple of minutes before disappearing into the undergrowth to our left. They had come from the stream on the right.
Unfortunately we didn't have a camera with us.

This was a once in a million experience which I doubt we'll ever see again, they weren't afraid of us, but we did stand very still watching in amazement at the cubs investigating my husband's shoes. They showed no signs of being afraid of us.

A unique experience.

David Hutchinson - Emperor Dragonfly at Wilstone today.


	Emperor		Dragonfly by Dave Hutchinson

Sunday 24th July 2016.

David Hutchinson - Spotted Flycatcher this morning in trees bordering grassland behind hide at Wilstone Reservoir

Emperor Dragonfly by Dave Hutchinson

Songthrush by Dave Hutchinson

Spotted Flycatcher by David Hutchinson

Thursday 21st July 2016.

Sally Douglas - Attaching photo of the female Clouded Yellow at Pitstone Hill on 21 July. Amongst the 100's and 100's of butterflies in the glorious flower chalkland meadows, this was the only Clouded Yellow I saw.

Clouded Yellow Butterfly by Sally Douglas

Tuesday 19th July 2016.

James Heron - A few shots from a very hot Wilstone.

Grey Heron by James Heron

Barnacle Goose by James Heron

Grey Heron by James Heron

I have no idea, by James Heron

Barnacle Goose by James Heron

Barnacle and Greylag by James Heron

Tuesday 12th July 2016.

Roy Hargreaves - As far as I can tell none of the Oystercatcher young survived. The three Black-headed Gulls fledged, but still return to the nest at times, and the two Lesser black-backed Gull young have been swimming round quite some distance from the tern raft but also return to it. The young Little Egrets all seem to flying now and it looks like a good year for them.

The Barnacle Goose is still about and I frequently see it under or by the small bush between the large clumps of bushes directly out from the hide at Wilstone. I have also been seeing one or two Common Sandpipers about the reservoirs and a female Mandarin on Marsworth.
On Saturday I went along the Aylesbury Arm by Wilstone and managed to see the Scarce Chasers.
Today I found a dead immature gull by Wilstone jetty, with a BTO ring on it, and I have submitted the details to the BTO. I also saw a Little Owl by the Dry Canal again and also a Tawny Owl was revealed by mobbing birds by the Hide Meadow. The sunny weather first thing seemed to have triggered a mass emergence of Ruddy Darters and I must have seen more than forty along the hedges between the cressbeds and the Dry Canal.

Ruddy Darter by Roy Hargreaves

Scarce Chaser by Roy Hargreaves

Wednesday 6th July 2016.

Sally Douglas - Wilstone 28 June 2016 - not sure what the present news is of the Oystercatchers but took these very distant photo's of the raft occupants, and nesting Little Egrets, before dashing off to Scotland last week.