In this month’s Gosforth Nature Reserve Journal, Christopher Wren, NHSN Naturalist, shares a fascinating glimpse into spring on the reserve, from booming Bitterns and singing Cetti’s Warblers to trail camera footage of otters, goslings and a rare visiting Redstart.
News from Gosforth Nature Reserve
This is an exciting time of year in the reserve with new life with the resident birds and animals and the arrival of our summer visitors. There is plenty to see but the trail cameras have the advantage that they are watching all the time, so they see things that would otherwise be missed, and they show us normal behaviour in a natural environment.
The Bitterns have caused great excitement over the last few months and hopes are high that they will breed in the reserve this year for the first time. They spend most of the time hidden in the reeds but this one (probably a female) did venture out past the cameras.
Another resident of the reedbeds that is heard more than seen is the Cetti’s Warbler. This is a fairly recent arrival but is now a regular breeder.
Reed Buntings are resident birds that are a bit easier to see, especially at this time of year when the males are singing from the willows or the tops of the reeds. The male has a handsome black head and white collar while the female’s colours are more subtle for better camouflage.
A recent visitor that would otherwise have passed through unseen was a male Redstart that briefly triggered two cameras. It was presumably on its way farther north to its breeding grounds in old upland woodlands. This is a rare record for the reserve.
Spring sees the appearance of ducklings, cygnets and goslings in the reserve, especially popular with our younger visitors. They spend a lot of time in front of the cameras and use up a lot of memory space and battery power. This is brief extract of a prolonged visit from a Greylag Goose family.
The trail cameras’ main aim is to keep an eye on the otters. The cubs are now nearly full grown and will soon be dispersing to find their own territories but the cameras still have the capacity to surprise. The dog otter recently went past carrying an eel that was nearly as long as he is – both cameras are at ¼ speed in the video. Eels are the most cryptic of animals so it is good to have confirmation that specimens of this size are living in the lake. Who knows what else is lurking in the depths?
You can get more updates on local wildlife from Christopher Wren on his own TrogTrogBlog. You can discover the wildlife of Gosforth Nature Reserve here.