Warton Crag, Carnforth

Slow worm

Visitor Bryan Jones managed to sight an elusive slow worm on our Warton Crag nature reserve in Carnforth! Slow worms are actually 'legless lizards', given away by the fact that they shed their tails and blink with their eyelids.

Slow worms are smaller than a snake, with smooth, golden-grey skin. Males are paler in colour and sometimes sport blue spots, while females are larger, with dark sides and a dark stripe down the back. Discover more reptiles of the North here

Brockholes, Preston

Reed warbler 

Reed warblers are a delightful summer visitor to the UK. It weaves its nest as a sling between two or three reed stems, and lays three to five eggs in it. Unfortunately reed warblers are often the victim of cuckoos, who lay their egg in the reed warblers’ nest, push all the other eggs out and rely on the reed warbler parents to raise their cuckoo chick!

Reed warblers form monogamous pairs, meaning that both parents raise the chicks, bringing them insects to eat. Regular visitor Steve Brayne photographed this reed warbler going about its business on his visit to Brockholes nature reserve this month.

Common sandpiper

The common sandpiper is a small wading bird which breeds along fast-moving rivers and near lakes, lochs and reservoirs in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Northern England. Brockholes nature reserve is the perfect habitat for them to nest, and keen wildlife photographer Steve Brayne shared this bright and beautiful shot of a common sandpiper wading at Brockholes this May. Whilst they can be difficult to identify from other sandpipers and waders, the common sandpiper is green-brown above, with a bright white belly. They have a brown rump and strong white wingbars when they fly - and they fly in a stiff-winged fashion. Common sandpipers have a short, straight, grey bill and green legs.

Lunt meadows, Merseyside

Kingfisher

This striking kingfisher was spotted at Lunt Meadows nature reserve this month, and was more than happy to be photographed by regular visitor Kevin Hall. Kingfishers nest in burrows that they dig into river banks, which can be over a metre long!

There are about 90 species of kingfisher around the world, most of which have brightly coloured plumage. The Australian kingfisher – the familiar, laughing kookaburra – is the heaviest of all the kingfisher species. Find out more about kingfishers and where you can hope to sight them here.

Greenfinch

A beautiful, olive-green bird, the greenfinch regularly visits birdtables and feeders in gardens. Look for a bright flash of yellow on its wings as it flies. As well as being found in Europe, greenfinches also live in Australia and New Zealand, where they were introduced by English settlers to remind them of home. Kevin saw this one sitting in the sun on his visit to Lunt meadows.

Classified in the UK as Red under the Birds of Conservation Concern 5: the Red List for Birds (2021). Protected in the UK under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981.

Roe deer

Roe deer are one of our star species at Brockholes, so we love it when visitors share sightings with us from other reserves in a different part of the county!

Visitor and wildlife lover Nathan Wilde shared this photo of a male (buck) and female (doe) deer enjoying a drink in the sunny weather at Lunt Meadows this month. July marks rutting season for roe deer, so it may be that these two have already paired up to get a head start!

Chat moss, Greater Manchester

Stoat

Kevin Bradshaw has spotted a couple of stoats on his last few visits to Chat Moss. This one was cheekily scampering along showing off its chocolate-orange coat

The stoat is a small mustelid, related to the weasel and otter. It has an orange-brown body, black-tipped tail and distinctive bounding gait. It can be found on grassland, heaths and in woodlands across the UK. Discover more about marvellous mustelids here

Grey partridge

The grey partridge is common in parts, but is unfortunately becoming scarce around much of the country. It is currently classified in the UK as Red under the Birds of Conservation Concern 5: the Red List for Birds (2021), which is why we are always delighted to see them doing well on our nature reserves. Another sighting by Kevin Bradshaw who kindly shares his photographs of his sightings with us.

Grey partridges are farmland birds, which feed on seeds, leaves and small invertebrates. When disturbed, they prefer to run instead of fly, but will fly low to the ground if necessary. It breeds in open scrub and farmland, close to hedges or other vegetation, laying its eggs on the ground in a grass-lined scrape.

Yellow wagtail

This bright ball of sunshine was sighted on our Chat Moss reserve in Greater Manchester. As its name suggests, it does wag its tail! Yellow wagtails are summer visitors to the UK, having migrated from their wintering grounds of Africa from March onwards. They are ground-nesting birds, and are classified in the UK as Red under the Birds of Conservation Concern 5: the Red List for Birds (2021). This is one of the reasons why it is so important to keep dogs on a short lead when visiting any nature reserve that allows dogs, so as not to disturb the vital nesting process of easily accessible, and/or declining birds. The peak time to take extra care with your canine companion is March - July. 

The yellow wagtail likes damp marshes, meadows and farmland, and spends much of its time running about on the ground, chasing insects disturbed by the feet of livestock. Thanks to Kevin for this cheerful picture.

Seaforth, Merseyside

Little ringed plover

Another summer visitor to our British isles, it's wonderful to see the little ringed plover return to our Seaforth site, which is popular for wading bird sightings. Little ringed plovers first nested in the UK in 1938 and have successfully spread through England and Wales. This colonisation is a result of an increase in their preferred gravelly habitats - man-made flooded gravel pits, reservoirs and quarries have provided them with just the right breeding grounds. Daintier than the ringed plover, the little ringed plover has a black bill, pale, creamy-brown legs, and a bright yellow ring around the eye. It is sandy-brown above and white below, with a black chest-band and black bridle markings on the head.

Heysham, Morecambe

Four-spotted chaser dragonfly

The four-spotted chaser is easily recognised by the two dark spots on the leading edge of each wing. It can be seen on heathlands and near ponds and lakes and are active insects, constantly hawking over bodies of water in search of food or to mark out their territories. Out and about from May to September, this month you may be seeing lots of freshly spawned dragonfly gracing our reserves.

Amazingly, four-spotted chasers mate on the wing (in flight). The female then hovers over the water, dipping the tip of her abdomen to drop her eggs on to vegetation below the surface.
 
Learn more about various species of dragonfly, how to identify them and where to find them here.

Wild garlic

Wild garlic deserves its place in our sightings round-up, as their starry white flowers are commonly mistaken for other types of wildflower, despite their disctintive and pungent smell. Keith shared these photos of Heysham nature reserve awash with garlic leaves and flowers on his visit this month.

Just like bluebells, wild garlic can bedazzle a whole woodland floor in a carpet of white. Also known as ramsons, the leaves and roots of wild garlic are edible and make a delcious garlic butter! Please forage responsibly.