Wildlife found on the reserve

Wildlife found on the reserve

On the following pages are listed the plants, birds, butterflies, moths and other creatures that have been seen on the reserve and the neighbouring Centenary Fields. We hope to add a general invertebrate survey later and, once the pond and wetland have become established, a fuller list of amphibians and reptiles.

Most of the recent observations have been made by our survey team, led by John Madden. We are grateful to all its members for their contributions.

The first year (2002) was a practice year, to get us all into the routine. Subsequent records go to a county records centre, part of the National Biodiversity Network, along with thousands of others. These observations will help build up a regional and national picture for the year.

This data gathering is repeated every year, creating a detailed set of observations that spans the years and the country. From these statistics comes the information on species distribution and trends that scientists use in their work. This is an important activity nationally as well as for us, and we are pleased to be able to contribute to it.

Please email John Madden here or call him on 01342 835698 if you would like more details of our observations or suggestions on where to find a particular species. If you would like to help make those observations, John would be even more pleased to hear from you.