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Recent visitors to either Lodmoor or Radipole may have been wowed with some wonderful wildlife in the past few weeks. There was a spectacular purple heron at Radipole a few weeks ago, looking a bit wacky and alternative. These relatives of the grey heron are ever so slowly moving up into the UK and have...

Invertebrate life must have taken a bit of pounding during the recent rains and flooding – anything that couldn’t fly or crawl to a dry refuge quickly enough would presumably have met a premature and soggy end. With this in mind it was heart-warming to see the evidence of one uninterrupted...

Another colourful point of interest for those who peer into the lower tiers of greenery, as well as scan the skies and trees for the slightest movement, has been the emergence of some spectacular moths along the start of the hide path at Radipole. Over the last couple of weeks, the translucent papery...

With all the exotic and rare birds we have had knocking about of late it struck me that we have neglected to acknowledge the common - but often no less attractive or appealing - fare that are the reserve's bread and butter. The humble moorhen is just one such example. Since my early days as a...

Hot on the heels of Radipole's ibises, Lodmoor is now playing host to a scarce exotic of its own, (from the same Threskiornithidea family) in the unmistakably cartoonish shape of a spoonbill. We are accustomed to having one or two spoonbills drop in from time to time and on one occasion we had five...

A certain sign that spring is in the offing is the return of great crested grebes to the lake, having spent the deepest winter as coast dwellers. A quick stroll around Buddleia in this evening's dying light revealed no fewer than eight individuals - each bedecked in their striking summer finery....

There has been much avian interest to savour of late on the Weymouth reserves with most attention understandably directed towards our unusual and exotic glossy ibis, which has now – we can gladly report - been joined by a second individual. Luke caught up with the dazzling duo in one of the recently...

Let us introduce you to Lassie. She lives in our bathroom, just inside the slightly ajar top window to be precise, from where she has a commanding view of all who come and go as their ablutions and bodily functions require. We’re most likely to notice her at night when she emerges from her favourite...

After reed flowers (when the seed heads turn purple) we are able to begin lowering Radipole's water levels by gradually removing sluice boards at Westham Bridge – thus explaining the recent unveiling of mudflats outside the Visitor Centre. Through spring and summer we raise water which helps...