Sudmeadow (30 July 2010, contributed by Gordon Avery)
A Hobby over Sudmeadow today at 7.12am.
Purton (30 July 2010, contributed by Andy Jayne)
At Purton this evening: three adult Mediterranean Gulls (one with green ring on left leg), six Little Egrets and a Common Sandpiper.
Witcombe (28 July 2010, contributed by Gordon Avery)
A Hobby over the reservoir at about 10.35am and 71 Tufted Duck were also present – a highish count here.
Forest of Dean (16 July 2010, contributed by Ivan Proctor)
Over the past few days, July 10th-16th, I have seen kidney spot ladybird larvae at Dark Hill and in the Cannop Valley. They have always been on the trunks of medium sized ash trees where they feed on ash scale insects and are easy to spot. They are about 3 mm long, black and, under magnification, spined. On two occasions adult ladybirds have been near by on the same tree. Ivan’s pictures show both an adult and one of the larvae.
Coombe Hill and Ashleworth (10 July 2010, contributed by Mike Smart and Les Brown)
The scrapes in front of the Grundon Hide dried out completely in the last week (for the first time since summer 2003), but there is still water in the Long Pool and good views can be obtained from the Long Pool hide. Today there were 5 Teal, 2 Little Egrets, 2 adult Oystercatchers with one chick which can just fly on rounded wings, 1 Little Ringed Plover, 6 Green Sandpipers, and about ten adult Lapwings, with half a dozen young of different sizes that had obviously walked over from the scrapes. A little song still from 1 Reed Warbler, 2 each Sedge Warbler, Blackcap and Whitethroat, also a Tree Creeper. A male Sparrowhawk sitting in the middle of the dry scrape.
Forest of Dean (3 July 2010, contributed by Andy Jayne)
A Turtle Dove ‘purring’ at Loquiers near Harrow Hill today.