Despite the much gloomier weather this month compared to June, we’ve still had some great wildlife spots across our reserves, such as roe deer, who are now in rutting season until the middle of August!

We’ve also had some incredible flora and fauna spots, some of which have less than 3,000 recorded sightings in the UK, which shows just how important the work we do on our reserves is.

Here is a small selection of the sightings recorded this month!

Osprey – Brockholes

Some of our visitors were lucky enough to spot a majestic osprey soaring high overhead at Brockholes! It’s a great time of year to see them - grab your binoculars and head down to the reserve for a chance to witness these incredible birds as they migrate to Africa over the coming months. They can cover as much as 430km in a single day!

Roe Deer – Middleton Nature Reserve

Janet Packham took this great shot of a roe deer staring right back at her at Middleton Nature Reserve! The roe deer tends to be solitary at this time of year, then loosely groups together in the winter months. Rutting season has just begun for roe deer and will continue for another couple of weeks, so bucks will be quite aggressive now.

Labyrinth Spider – Heysham Nature Reserve

Most of us are familiar with the typical spider’s web that can be found in the back garden, but what about funnel-shaped webs that are home to the labyrinth spider? Their webs are full of complicated hidden passages and chambers within their tunnels, which are needed to capture their bulkier prey of crickets and grasshoppers.

Spoonbill – Lunt Meadows

There was one spoonbill in particular that loved all the attention it got this month! Several people tagged us in photos and videos of this spoonbill on 21^st July. It’s fascinating to watch them hunting for fish in their elegant side swoops, which Kevin Hall took a brilliant video of (view the tweet here – the video actually isn’t sped up!). Did you know they can be found on every continent except Antarctica?

White Letter Hairstreak – Brockholes

The elusive white letter hairstreak is only with us in its butterfly form for a mere three weeks of the year as there is only one brood annually.  The name originates from the thin streak of white on the underside of their hind wings, which forms the 'W' shape. They can be quite difficult to spot as they fly around treetops.

Goosander – Middleton Nature Reserve

A goosander, or common merganser, was spotted at Middleton Nature Reserve. Its long, serrated bill makes it the perfect hunter of fish, and makes it part of the sawbill family. They are gregarious birds, forming flocks of thousands in some parts of Europe!

Broad-leaved helleborine, Dune helleborine and Green-flowered helleborine – Wigan Flashes

Green-flowered helleborine (Epipactis phyllanthes), Broad-leaved helleborine (E. helleborine) and Dune Helleborine (E. dunensis) are in flower at the Wigan Flashes. Both the green-flowered and dune helleborine are extremely rare, with less than 3,000 records in the UK. These species are mostly found in or on the edges of lightly shaded woodland areas.

What will you spot at our reserves in August? Don’t forget to tag us on Twitter or Instagram or send us a message on Facebook for a chance to be featured in next month’s roundup!