Cliffe Pools - July 2010

Reporting Your Sightings

To help keep this page as up-to-date and informative as possible, please send your sightings and any pictures taken onsite (please see 'Guidelines for submissions' on the KOS Photo Gallery for details of how to resize your pics etc.) to Gordon Allison by clicking here.

The high summer month of July sees a change of emphasis at Cliffe Pools. The breeding season draws to a close for most of the reserves breeding birds with only songbirds pressing on with 2nd or 3rd broods. Subsequently the reserve becomes much quieter with much less birdsong and the end of display activity.

Now is the time that post breeding flocks of ducks, waders and gulls gather to loaf around the pools, sometimes in substantial numbers, e.g. non-breeding shelduck flocks often number over 500, and impressive roosts of 500+ avocet & 700+ black-tailed godwit can be found. July also marks the return of migrant waders heading south once again after short Arctic breeding seasons. Look out for species such as spotted redshank, greenshank and green sandpiper, usually the first of the great range of migrant wader species noted at Cliffe through the late summer and early autumn.

Although July is not the best time of year for birds it is an excellent time of year for insects. Butterflies are at their most numerous with large numbers of meadow browns and gatekeepers to be seen in grassy or scrubby areas plus the smaller essex, small and large skippers. Marbled whites can also be present in good numbers. The larger 'aristocrat' butterflies like peacock, red admiral and small tortoiseshell also have emerged once more in the month and can be seen along the scrubby tracks along the reserves eastern edge.

Grasshoppers and bush-crickets reach their adult stage in July and start to 'sing' listen in particular for the high continuous buzzing song of the roesels bush cricket  - rather like the monotonous hum of electricity cables! Dragonfly species such as black-tailed skimmer, emperor and southern hawker are present at this time and bumble bee workers emerge in number to be seen feeding on the rich mix of flowers; thistles, vetches, trefoil and clover to name but a few!