For most people the RSPB is synonymous with birds, but in fact they only make up around 20 percent of the wildlife found on our reserves.
And this time of year is a great time to go out and discover everything else on offer at Newport Wetlands.
Many orchids are now out in full flower, providing a brilliant splash of colour throughout the reserve. These include pyramidal, southern marsh and common spotted orchids. The rare bee orchid has also been spotted on the reserve in the past couple of years so fingers crossed it will re-appear this year.
Being a wetlands reserve there are also plenty of dragonflies and damselflies. Recent sightings include hairy dragonfly, broad bodied chaser, blue tailed damselfly and emerald dragonfly and as these insects are the food of choice for hobbies, these small but perfectly formed falcons can often be seen over the lagoons.
Another much-talked about insect is the shrill carder bee. This once common species has declined dramatically since the 1970s and South Wales is now one of only a handful of populations left in the UK. Fortunately it can often be seen at Newport Wetlands at this time of year and sightings are already coming in.
But the best sightings have come courtesy of a juvenile marsh harrier. This bird of prey is always impressive but the swooping displays over the environs outside the Visitor Centre have had us all standing at the window with binoculars glued to our eyes!
What level of protection do the bee orchids have?