Well we certainly have had a big turn around in the weather over the last couple of days and I am back in my shorts! All of a sudden dragonfly and damselfly larvae are leaving the ponds around the reserve and taking to the wing as newly emerged adults! one of the most common species about at the moment is the large red damselfly so keep an eye out for them on your walk.
This spring it seemed unusually quiet for ospreys on the reserve with many flying straight through to their nesting sites but today we had a couple of sightings. First off one was seen flying in the direction of Hartland moor with a fish in its talons and then was spotted latter on flying just off of Shipstal point. This is a bit late for ospreys to be in the harbour so fingers crossed that this is a young bird that may hang around for a bit longer.
Last weekend we held a series of reptile show and tells when we showed visitors some of Arnes incredible snakes and lizards and in the the last few days they have been fairly easy to spot around the reserve. Male sand lizards have been seen basking on a lot of the sandy heathland paths and a small amount of patience can been rewarded with some great views of the second rarest reptile in Britain. In fact the rarest British reptile has been spotted out and about as well. Although there are plenty of smooth snakes on the reserve they are very elusive and rarely seen out in the open but a couple of days ago a visitor to this picture of one slithering across the path on Coombe heath! You can clearly see the understated black marks all the way along the back of the snake and it lacks the distinctive diamond pattern of the adder.
Photo by Jenny Millard
It is the time of year that Nightjars are returning to Britain from Africa and I have been out onto the heath a few times in the last couple weeks to try and locate some with out much success but last night - Bingo! I was hoping that the warm weather was going to bring out more flying insects and encourage more nightjar activity and I wasn't disapointed. At about 9:30 I heard the first male churring and as I walked in that direction I got some great views of one flitting across the top of a small ridge before settling on a small bush to churr! It was brilliant seeing my first ever nightjars when I arrived at the reserve last year but to be honest it was just as exciting seeing them again this year.
We still have spaces on the first 'Creatures of the Night' walk this Saturday so if you would like a chance to see some early nightjars along with some of the bats that live on the reserve then book today! http://www.rspb.org.uk/events/details.aspx?id=tcm:9-308782
There are lots of linnets and meadow pipits on the heath and I got some great views of a singing Dartford warbler the other evening. There are up to 5 spoonbills still around and I watched 3 feeding along the Middlebere channel at a rising tide yesterday evening!
Finally a quick reminder to come along to the first spider Sunday of the year this weekend and find out more about the the life of spiders on the reserve. http://www.rspb.org.uk/events/details.aspx?id=tcm:9-308783
Things have been hotting up on our live kestrel cam whch is making exciting viewing. We have still got four very hungry chicks which seem to be growing before our very eyes! Both parents are out hunting for food a lot now and are bringing in all sorts of the reserves wildlife. On the warmer days lizards seem to be a favourite and it is funny watching the chicks tackle a still wriggling slow worm! Even the smallest chick which hatched a few days after the others is getting a good in of the food! http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/a/arne/webcam.aspx
The duck sitting on the buzzards nest appears to have finished laying now and is incubating so I am wondering how long it will be before a handfull of fluffy ducklings have to make the plunge out of the tree tops?
Hobbies are still putting in good shows over Coombe heath and I was lucky to see my first of the year perched on the top of a dead tree right by the road as I drove to work yesterday. The nicer weather in the last couple of days have been better for Dartord warblers and there are still plenty of wheatears about! Cuckoos are being heard all over the reserve and, lots of lizards have been seen (and not just in the kestrel box) and a few large red damsel flies have begun to emerge - these are easy to spot because they are large and red!
On the feeders in the car park siskins are still regular visitors and great spotted woodpeckers have been coming a bit more recently - perhaps they are busy feeding young?
This time of the year is when a lot of our regular events start up again so here is what is coming up over the next couple of weekends!
If you want to have a good chance of seeing some of the reptiles on the reserve then why not pop down to our reptile weekend this Saturday and Sunday! The morning walks are fully booked already but between 12 and 4 pm on both days we are running free reptile show and tells every hour on the hour. One of our guids will be on hand to show you some of the lizards and snakes that are found at Arne and tell you about thier amazing lives! http://www.rspb.org.uk/events/details.aspx?id=tcm:9-308779
Photo by Peter McSweeney
Saturday the 26th of May see's the return of our popular creature of the night walk which is a great chance to see the reserve when most other visitors have gone home and Arne turns into a very different place!This is the time of the year when nightjars have just returned and the begin chirring to mark their territories and to find a mate. These walks are great fun and along with nightjars we try to track down some more of Arne's nocturnal wildlife, from glow worms and moths to owls and bats and of course the screeching sika deer, who knows what we will see! Booking is essential for this walk but there are still plent of spaces to if you fancy something a bit different then follow the link for more information! http://www.rspb.org.uk/events/details.aspx?id=tcm:9-308782
Nightjar by Dom Greves
Finally the 27th May at 2pm is the first of monthly 'Spider Sunday' of the year. Arne is not only a special place for birds and reptiles but there is an amazing variety of invertebrates too. From raft and wasp spiders to some of the more hidden inhabitants of the heath our resident spider expert Tony Sheridan will take you on a journey into the fascinating world of spiders . And remember Tony famously claims that there isn't a question he can't answer on spiders so come along and test him out! http://www.rspb.org.uk/events/details.aspx?id=tcm:9-308783
Raft spider by Sandra
With all these events going on there is plenty to see and do at Arne - So don't be shy, give them a try!!
Just a quick notice to tell visitors that a small section of path in the Shipstal area will be closed for at least the next couple of weeks from Tuesday May 15 to improve access on the reserve.
The section of board walk between the dragonfly ponds and the double decker hide will be removed and new permanent paths will be layed. This is to improve the access and prepare it for a 'TRAMPER' mobilty scooter that will be available to hire out in the near future (details to follow). There will still be access to the double decker hide via the path that starts at the disabled car park.
We apologise for any inconvenience that this may cause and we will endevour to keep disruption to a minimum. The paths around the rest of the reserve will be open as normal.
Please come along to the visitor centre for further information about the closures or call the reserve on 01929 553360.
We thank everybody for their patience during this time
Michael
The day started with an early morning at Arne when we broadcasted the reserves dawn chorus live on the internet. We picked up chiffchaffs, willow warblers, black caps, chaffinches, and greenfinches amongst others. It was great to wake up to and thanks to Paul for coming along to provide commentary.
We had a little bit of excitement when a marsh tit appeared on the feeders for the first time in over a year! These were regular visitors at one time but disappeared after the very cold winter of last year. There call is a loud ‘pit-chu’ which according to Rob sounds a bit like a ‘wild west’ gun fight!
Marsh tit - Ben Hall (rspb-images.com)
There are some interesting waders about at the moment with quite a few whimbrels passing through and a number of smart summer plumage grey plovers on the Middlebere channel. There are at least 3 spoonbills about and as it is a bit late for them to still be here they are probably immature non-breeding birds so there is a chance that they may stay in the harbour over the summer.
After a chilly grey start it soon warmed up and turned in to a really sunny day and with ith the warm weather we got a lot of reports of sand lizards on Coombe heath. This is the time of year when the smart green males display and fight for territories and females and can be quite easy to see.
This brilliant male sand lizard was seen on Coombe heath today by pudweena (Mr)
Talking of reptiles remember Our reptile weekend on 19 and 20 May - We are running bookable guided walks on both mornings (spaces still available for Sunday) and then will be giving hourly show and tells after 12pm to show you some of the amazing lizards and snales that call Arne there home! http://www.rspb.org.uk/events/details.aspx?id=tcm:9-308779
Back at the visitor centre the kestrel cam has been compulsive viewing with a fourth chick hatching yesterday and lot of food being brought in by the male today. It was amazing the range prey being caught including a bank vole, a slow worm, a common shrew and finally a common lizard which was still alive when it arrived! At least the chick won’t get bored with a lack of variety!
The feeders at the back of the visitor centre are still alive with birds including siskins, nuthatches, goldfinches and greenfinches but if you cast your eyes to the ground you are likely to spot the bank voles and wood mice that live under the building and dart back and forth picking up discarded seeds that have fallen in their paths!
One of the visitor centre bank voles taken by wormsmum - This species is a favourite of our kestrel family!
It has been a pretty interesting couple of days at Arne, not only have we got new kestrel chicks which are doing well at the moment we have also got a live blue tit cam with at least 5 eggs in the nest and you can see this on the large screen in the centre!
Out on the reserve there seems to be a lot happening and things are getting going again after the period of heavy rain we had! We have had long lists of sightings in the last two days with highlights including the hobby that has been around for a week or so and the short eared owl that is still putting in the occasional appearance. There are two spoonbills about and they been seen feeding along the Middlebere channel on a number of occasions. Migrant wise cuckoos have been seen and heard on the reserve, there are still plenty of wheatears on the heath and whitethroats are also being spotted. The first early swifts are here and I did see a couple flying over the heath last weekend.
Today was a good one for common lizards which are taking advantage of the warmer drier weather and judging by kestrel cam there are plenty of slow worms about too (one of their favourite foods at the moment)! I have led a few walks recently and I have been struck by the amount of Minotaur beetles about. These large black beetles are fairly scarce heathland specialists which feed on the dung of rabbits and deer. They dig burrows in the sandy soil and drag the dung into a nest cavity where they will lay their eggs. When the larvae hatch they are sustained by the dung that has been provided for them! Minotaur beetles are so named because of the protruding horn like structures on their thorax which is reminiscent of the mythical creature from Greek legend! The 'horns' are used by the males to defend their burrows! So if you haven't seen these impressive beetles keep your eyes on the heathland paths as you walk around Arne!
Minotaur beetle by pochard
Also on the invertebrate front one of the first dragonflies of the year was seen today. This photo was taken by nikon4Pete and although the wings are at an angle I am pretty sure that it is an immature female 4 spot chaser (but I am happy to be proved wrong). This is a little bit early as they usually first start to emerge from ponds at the beginning of June!
Finally remember to tune in on Sunday to our live 'Dawn Chorus' webcast for a unique opportunity to hear the early morning bird song at Arne. For more informationsee my earlier blog 'Wake up to Dawn at Arne!' and go to http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/a/arne/dawnchorus.aspx on the day to listen in!