Wood Lane in June 2008

Although not exactly flaming, the first few days of June made a pleasant visit to the Wood Lane Nature Reserve near Ellesmere.  Foxgloves growing through the low hedges and the appearance of elder and bramble flowers told of the advancing season.

Grey squirrels are sometimes seen feeding at the bird feeding stations unusually on this occasion a squirrel had managed to entwine its back legs around some light alder branches whilst gripping the nut dispenser with its fore feet.  The animal was therefore precisely upside down.

Coincidentally at the Shelduck feeders exactly the same activity was taking place.  Do grey squirrels become short of food at this time of year?  Certainly the only nuts they will find will be peanuts.  Across the shallows was the welcome sight of two mute swans as well as a grey heron and good numbers of tufted duck and mallard.

The sixth - another fine day and the number of mute swans at Wood Lane had grown to six.  With much farmyard honking a greylag goose took flight and left the reserve.  Summer flowers are coming into their own.  St. John's Wort with its ancient medicinal connections blooms by the side of a fishing pool, the shallows are ringed by yellow iris and here and there that import from North America , monkey flower, with its bright yellow blooms can be seen.  Common orchids are appearing in quantity where the shallows have dried out.

On the inside of a hide window an attractive moth rested its wings widespread to reveal the intricate patterns thereof.  Just outside the hide the first common blue damselfly of the summer floated lazily around some blooms of monkey flower.

The thirteenth of June and little water means more mud and half a score of young moorhens were seen to be taking full advantage.  A dozen or so mute swans were present in the shallows but being no friends of mud they confined their activities to clean water.  A careful look alongside the trout pool yielded sight of just a single bee orchid among more common species, nearby birdsfoot trefoil was starting to pod.

Under the Shelduck hide feeders an immature though nearly full grown moorhen "saw off" the presence of an adult mallard drake.  A good party of juvenile great tits were making use of the hanging feeders.

A few days later and many birds busy with family matters tho' the great tits feeding at the Shelduck hide were lucky to avoid the hostile intentions of a sparrowhawk which hurtled through the willows with speed and in silence.

Mid-summer flowers are now appearing in modest quantity - ragged robin by one of the fishing pools, scarlet pimpernel pushing gamely through pebbles, a few red poppies growing through a broom bush, creeping cinquefoil creeping wherever it can and three bee orchids growing among their common brethren

A little warm sunshine on the morning of the 20th persuaded the first red admiral of the season to make the rounds of the Wood Lane car park.  Later a speckled wood appeared but seemed to be taking care to remain in shadow.

Three very small damselflies possibly male green lestes (Lestes sponsa) with a powder blue segment at either end of their almost non existent body hovered among nettles and great willow herb adjacent to the concrete path.

Near the Lapwing hide one or two interesting things were going on - a green woodpecker ground feeding on dead grass and two great spotted likewise making use of both nut dispenser and table and sometimes engaged in gentle argument with the local grey squirrel.  

A rather untidy tree sparrow sought spillage on a little bare earth.  Titmice both young and old, great and blue, were present as were a pair of dunnocks and a very smart cock chaffinch.

Out on the shallows a dozen or more mute swans remained and on the main island a grey heron kept a watchful eye on all around him.

The 24th was a warm and sunny day - a day perhaps more favourable to insects than birds. A natural sun-trap amidst some brambles is always an attraction to various insects, the sweet nectar of some white flowers being well liked by bumble bees also by ringlet butterflies of which three or four were present.

At the edge of the fishing pool grow several stands of that murky and mysterious plant - figwort - with its strong square stems and brownish purple flowers now seriously battered by the winds of the 22nd.  It is said that the main pollenator of the tiny flower is the wasp but on this occasion plenty of other insects were employed in this essential task.

A brief visit to the reserve on the 27th - a cool and windy and the main interest a large brown rat clinging to a nut dispenser at the Shelduck hide and thereafter moving steadily along a horizontal branch into the willow bush.  Its amazing how quickly undesirable species locate an original food source for magpies are making like uncomfortable for the juvenile titmice at the Lapwing hide.  Along the pathway the small pink blooms if common centuary are visible.

Stanley Horton
30th June 2008