July Wildlife Round-Up

July has been very warm and dry with a welcome bit of rain at the end. It has also seen Sandwich Tern chicks hatching on the tip of Blakeney Point known as Far Point.

Breeding birds

This year, on Blakeney Freshes, good numbers of young Mallard and Lapwing have been recorded as well as two broods of Little Ringed Plovers. Stiffkey experienced the best Black-headed Gull breeding season in many years, with two dozen young fledging. The establishment of this colony gives us hope that more terns may be attracted to breed there in the future; three Common Tern pairs prospected here this year. On Blakeney Point, thanks to successful large gull deterrence efforts early in the season, Common Terns have experienced very good chick survival with over 100 juveniles fledging from 103 pairs. This is the highest productivity since 2001. Sandwich Terns nesting on Far Point were seen flying in with small fish throughout the month, indicating the presence of chicks. At the very end of the month, larger chicks started to become visible by boat. Unfortunately, like many other sites across the country, Little Terns have struggled this year. Whilst sad for us, they are long-lived birds and we will be doing all we can to help protect them in 2019. Oystercatchers appear to have had a good breeding season, with numerous well-grown young observed across the Point. A brood of Grey Partridges was observed in the sand dunes on the Point on 18^th July and a pair with flying young was observed on the Freshes on 30^th – always lovely to see.

Migrant birds

Late July saw the first autumn migrants arrive on Blakeney Point, approximately eight weeks after the last spring migrants of early June. These were a Pied Flycatcher and a Garden Warbler on 27^th July. We expect to see Willow Warblers and Wheatears appearing on the Point very soon. On several occasions throughout July a lone Roseate Tern was seen on the Point making it possible to see five tern species together on the end of the Point (Sandwich, Common, Little, Arctic and Roseate).

Seals

Low tide seal counts on Stiffkey West Sands were as follows – note the high count of Common Seals on 24^th:

Date	Grey Seal	Common Seal
27th June 2018	304	90
2nd July 2018	309	107
18th July 2018	264	233
24th July 2018	289	429

Invertebrates

Our butterfly transect counts have recorded relatively low numbers. Moth trapping, on the other hand, has produced high moth numbers and diversity with highlights including Garden Tiger, Poplar Hawkmoth, Pine Hawkmoth, Privet Hawkmoth (pictured below), Eyed Hawkmoth, Buff Tip and Buff Arches.

Privet Hawkmoth (Carl Brooker)

Reserve management

This year, there has been significantly less Ragwort (plant, toxic to livestock) on Blakeney Freshes than 2017. This is a reflection of our persistent pulling efforts; big thanks to our volunteers who have helped us with Ragwort control. Dry weather impeding grass growth, combined with cattle grazing, has resulted in much of Blakeney Freshes being the ideal height. We will also be mowing throughout August and into autumn to create optimum habitat for our overwintering geese.

Carl and Ajay "Ragworting" on the Freshes (Val Mac-Fall)

Looking ahead, a date for your diaries is the Blakeney Point beach clean on Saturday 15^th September at 10am from the Norfolk Wildlife Trust’s Cley Beach car park. This is part of the Marine Conservation Society’s Great British Beach Clean weekend.

Ajay Tegala,

Ranger