With beneficial insects from butterflies to bees buzzing all around taking advantage of a myriad of wildflowers, there’s so much wildlife to savour in high summer.
One of the special features of the UK countryside is the fact that our relatively mild climate provides great conditions for a wide range of bird species to breed – with many choosing to travel thousands of miles to breed here. One of the reasons many species choose to breed here is that our comparatively mild climate produces an abundance of insect species, from midges and mosquitos and all manner of flies to juicy butterfly caterpillars and larger prey such as dragonflies. This surfeit of insects provides vital sustenance for lots of species of bird – including many seed eating species which require insects to feed to their chicks.
As we reach July, chicks from early broods will already have fledged but many species will now be rearing second or even third broods. This gives wildlife watchers the opportunity to see chicks at all stages of development, from fluffy bundles that have just left the nest, to older chicks which look more like their parents. The rate of growth and development, powered by the perfectly packaged protein parcels that insect-prey provides is something to behold.
Wetland sites such as our Besthorpe reserve north of Newark, Skylarks at Holme Pierrepont and of course, Idle Valley near Retford, as well as Attenborough south of the city, are great places to enjoy seeing chicks develop. Many will have hatched last month and will now be growing fast and their adult plumage will be appearing ahead of fledging later this month.
As chicks become independent and literally ‘fly the nest’ this provides opportunities to see fast developing chicks of species including of lapwing, oystercatcher, redshank, common terns, smaller species such as sedge and reed warbler, plus late clutches of ducks such as mallard.
Whilst this year’s chicks will be growing into their adult plumage and become more readily recognisable, some adult birds, particularly migrant species that need to prepare for long flights back to their winter territories and many species of ducks and geese keen to replace their feathers ahead of winter, can be less easy to identify. Most birds undergo a moult, the process of replacing their feathers, once a year. Whilst some species do this gradually over weeks or months, others, particularly some ducks and geese, do it much quicker. When birds moult, they can look duller or drab – particular male birds which will more closely resemble females that usual – but for some species, this understated look is more than just a by-product of replacing their colourful plumage.
Birds such as ducks and geese tend to replace all their primary flight feathers at once – meaning they undergo a flightless period leaving them more susceptible to predators. It is thought that the more non-descript nature of feathers during moult helps them blend into the background – providing natural camouflage at a vulnerable time.
Details of all Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust wetlands sites visit can be found at www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org/nature-reserves.
Image: Sophie Bell