The arrival of severe heavy rain throughout January temporarily closed the reserve to visitors, however this inconvenience did little to discourage the wildlife present at Brockholes. To start the month a resplendent little egret was observed gliding above the waters of Number One Pit. Additionally, a group of goldeneyes were viewed wading upon Meadow Lake, these delightful birds with their domed heads and vibrant yellow eyes provided a much-needed splash of colour out on the reserve at this time of year.
What was seen in January
What a month January has been! The weather has thrown everything imaginable at the reserve, including snow, rain and ice. In spite of these testing conditions, the presence of a diverse selection of wildlife has remained constant at Brockholes.
Ged Gill
Lynne Booth
Remaining, with our eye-catching visitors for a moment longer, the ever-popular kingfishers have regularly been sighted whistling around the extremities of the reserve. Similarly imposing in nature, a buzzard was captured perched upon a fence post by Lynne Booth. To conclude highlighting just some of the fabulous wildlife viewed at Brockholes this month, the much-loved bittern was seen skulking amongst Brockholes numerous reed beds towards the end January.
January, did not just provide a remarkable selection of wildlife out on the reserve, there was also a surprising number of beguiling fungi still present. One particularly exciting find was made by Pat Aitchison, as he stumbled upon the fascinatingly intricate jelly ear fungus.
Here is a selection of just some of the wildlife sightings recorded this month:
- Roe deer
- Wren
- Heron
- Kestrel
- Bullfinch
- Grey wagtail
- Red shank
- Stonechat
- Long-tailed tit
- Nuthatch
- Canada goose
Leslie Price
Pat Aitchison
Phil Coyle
Richard Cousens
Lynne Booth