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On Wednesday 1 July the footpath/bridleway between Wharf Lane and Sheepway will be closed for one day.
Now the hides are open, it is even easier to see these waders. This oystercatcher was on the south pools but there are also a couple on the north pools island. This one was very keen to see off any gulls that wandered too near.
How appropriate to record new insect species on the reserve during National Insect Week! Portbury Wharf really is a great wetland for dragonflies and damselflies. Thanks to the Dragonfly Survey Team for their dedication and expertise.
Moths can be beautiful too!
This pair of Hawk Moths were hanging around in my garden impersonating dead leaves. I am sharing these as it is National Insect Week. So see how many insects you can find this week . . . there are estimated to be 27,000 different insect species in the UK so plenty out there.
To get involved visit www.nationalinsectweek.co.uk/get-involved.
On our own website we have also added a few insect brain teasers as well as a project sheet for children at www.portburywharfnaturereserve.co.uk/have-fun-lear…/.
Hilary
The hides are open so enjoy your visit, at the socially prescribed distance of course!
I think this is a Wide Bodied Chaser, can anyo identify it accurately ? I think the little bird very high in the Sky is a Kestrel but so far away difficult to certain. Lots of House Martins areound
Today we managed to complete the first dragonfly survey of the year on the reserve - while ensuring, of course, that we kept our social distancing!
We saw three species of Damselfly: Common Blue, Azure and Large Red and four species of Dragonfly: Hairy, Broad-bodied Chaser, Four-spot Chaser and Scarce Chaser.
As you can see from the photos, breeding is in full swing for the Azure damsels, with numerous mating and ovipositing (egg laying) pairs.
There were a good number of Hairy Dragonflies patrolling the rhynes and we found one pair of mating (not a great photo!).
The other 3 dragonfly species have only just started to emerge and the individuals we saw were pristine fresh young adults.
If the weather stays warm there should be a lot more to see on the reserve in the coming weeks!
My First walk on the Wharf for sometime. I saw lots of these Damselflies today, plus a few Dragonflies which were far to busy to catch on camera.
***FURTHER UPDATE*** - Hinkley Connection Team have been in touch to let us know that the bridleway/footpath will also be closed tomorrow morning, Thursday 14 May. They apologise for the overrun.
Hi everyone, the Sheepway to Wharf Lane bridleway will be closed for a day from this morning . . .
Portbury Wharf Nature Reserve - Hinkley Point C Connection Project
hinkleyconnection.co.uk
Work at Portbury Wharf Nature Reserve As part of the Hinkley Connection Project, we are working with Western Power Distribution (WPD) to make changes to the local electricity distribution network. Our work at Portbury Wharf Nature Reserve includes removing some of the existing pylons, replacing them...
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Last Updated: September 13, 2019 by fpwnr
Very Scarce Lesser Emperor
We are approaching the end of this year’s dragonfly season, but a few species are still to be seen. In the last week, or so, we have seen: Common Blue and Emerald Damselflies; Common and Ruddy Darters; Migrant Hawkers and a female Emperor depositing eggs on vegetation in the North Pools.
Possibly the most unusual sighting was of the very scarce Lesser Emperor. We had suspected that this rare vagrant, which has bred in the UK, was present at PWNR; but we had no photograph to confirm our suspicions. Our luck changed when we managed to photograph a Lesser Emperor. Though it is not a particularly good image it captures a Lesser Emperor attacking an egg-laying Emperor.
See also our Dragonfly and Damselfly section
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