Saturday Walk Paxton

The theme for yesterday's monthly public walk at Paxton Pits was 'Conservation at the Reserve'. Mike and Carina took the party into one of the restricted conservation area and explained very clearly the work that needs to be done constantly to maintain the breeding areas for small birds, including the Nightingale, and to create new habitats for birds and insects etc. While walking round, I photographed any insect activity, which was restricted to a resting Red Admiral butterfly, hoverflies, Honey bees, a few small solitary bees and still a large number of Common Darters with smaller numbers of Migrant Hawkers and Willow Emerald Damsels. I called in at the hide on the way back and was rewarded with a late-migrating Hobby (in the distance!!) and a delightful trio of Great Crested Grebes (plus young Coot).

Paxton Pits Work Party

15 Paxton Pits volunteers spent 3 hours clearing willows and brambles from an area valuable for its invertebrate banks -ridges of sand left from gravel workings in that area in previous years. The banks were found to have a very rich invertebrate population when surveyed a few years ago but have now become quite overgrown. As well as vertical banks we also found a valuable small pond and an area which perhaps we will avoid in surveys as warns of quicksands