Seaforth Nature Reserve, Liverpool

Yellow wagtail

Yellow wagtails are a bright, beautiful bird and a delight to see. They can be spotted running about, chasing insects on lowland damp marshes and meadows during the summer. As its name suggests, it does indeed wag its tail. 

Regular sightings contributor Tom McKibbin saw this bright wagtail on his visit to Seaforth. He said 'It's taken years to see my first Yellow Wagtail. This is one of three I have seen today at Seaforth.'

Yellow wagtails are classified in the UK as Red under the Birds of Conservation Concern 5: the Red List for Birds (2021), and are a Priority Species under the UK Post-2010 Biodiversity Framework. This makes sighting one on our reserves all the more special.

Middleton Nature Reserve, Heysham

Ruddy darter

Talented wildlife photographer Janet Packham shared her photo of a ruddy darter that she spotted at Middleton nature reserve this month. Ruddy darters are easily misidentified for other darters. The way to distinguish them from other dragonflies is by their black legs, and a black line marking extending part way down the side of its face. The male has a blood-red colouration and club-shaped abdomen.

They like well vegetated ponds, lakes and canals, and be spotted in woodlands.

Heysham Nature Reserve

Common carder bee

Regular visitor Keith Stanley shared this lovely close-up photo of a carder bee gathering pollen on a flower at our Heysham nature reserve.

As its name suggests, the common carder bee is one of our more common bumblebees, and emerges early in the spring and can be seen feeding on flowers right through to November. 

It nests in cavities, birds' nests, or in moss mats in lawns. A social insect, their nests can contain up to 200 workers! The queen emerges from hibernation in spring and starts the colony by laying a few eggs that hatch as workers; these workers tend the young and nest. Males emerge later and mate with new females who are prospective queens. Both the males and old queen die in the autumn, but the new queens hibernate.

Little Woolden Moss, Manchester

Wood sandpiper

We are delighted to have sightings of wood sandpipers at Little Woolden Moss this month. Birder and photographer Dave Steel submitted this photo of an elegant wood sandpiper stalking the mudflats at one of our northern reserves. He said ‘These birds are quite uncommon and some visit the reserve before continuing on their migration much further south'.

Unfortunately they are classified in the UK as Amber under the Birds of Conservation Concern 5: the Red List for Birds (2021), and are protected in the UK under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981.

Little ringed plover

These lovely little wading birds are a summer visitor to England and Wales. Small and rotund with beautiful eyes, the Little ringed plover nests on bare gravel around flooded gravel pits, sandy riverbanks and reservoirs. 

Like other plovers, it forages for invertebrates and crustaceans in a particular way. They stand and watch, then run forward to peck, before standing still again. They are a migrant species, arriving in this country in mid-March and leaving again in July. This one has hung around a little later than expected.

Thanks to birder Dave Steel for sharing his sighting with us. You can enjoy some of Dave's blogs about birding, and his adventures in the wild here.

Mere Sands Wood, Ormskirk

Stinkhorn fungus

True to its name, the stinkhorn has an unmistakeable and intense stench that has been likened to rotting meat. Its appearance is also distinctive. It has a phallic, white, stem-like structure, with a brown, bell-shaped head. They emerge from an egg-shaped base and can be found in woodlands and gardens, particularly around rotting and decaying wood. Jeff Gorse, a regular Mere Sands Wood visitor, snapped this magnificent mushroom on his visit this month.

They are a fascinating fungus, which you will smell before you see it. The spores of the stinkhorn are contained within the slime that covers its cap. Flies are then attracted to the offensive-smelling slime, in turn, scattering the spores.

Lunt Meadows, Merseyside

Common whitethroat

So-called because of their white throat, they are a medium-sized, long-tailed warbler of grassland, scrub and hedgerows. It is a summer visitor and passage migrant, arriving from Sub-Saharan Africa in April.

Photographer Steve Liptrot saw this one perched on a branch at our Merseyside reserve, looking straight at the camera.

Male whitethroats arrive in the UK about 10 days earlier than females in order to set up territories before their potential partners arrive.

Stoat

Kevin Mulholland had a surprising encounter with a stoat gambolling along the path at Lunt Meadows nature reserve on his visit. He said 'I visited Lunt Meadows yesterday morning, not been there since the spring. I was lucky to see this little stoat bounding along the track before it saw me and scarpered.'

The stoat is a small predator, with a long, low-slung body that makes it particularly well suited to hunting small rodents and rabbits. It can easily kill an adult rabbit, which is much larger than itself, with a bite to the base of the skull. Stoats are active by day and night, and are easiest to spot in open habitats.

Lapwing

A striking bird sporting many colours, Stephen Maddock photographed this beautiful lapwing on our Lunt Meadows nature reserve.

Lapwings can be recognised by their long crests, black and white patterns, and very broad, round wingtips. From a distance, lapwings look black and white, but up-close, the back has an iridescent green and purple sheen. Confusingly, they are also known as a 'peewit', because of the sound of its call, and is also known locally as the 'green plover'.

Lapwing is the namesake of our members' magazine. If you would like to receive our magazine packed with fascinating wildlife content and updates on our work and projects, you can become a member here.