Windmill Farm Nature Reserve

Here's the new blog, created by Dougy, the warden: http://windmillfarmgates.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/well-here-i-am.html?showComment=1354997572652#c5407549418597226459

http://wfarmnaturereserve.blogspot.com/2012/12/new-windmill-farm-blog.html

After 11 years as voluntary warden of the reserve, I've decided to stand down and let my natural successor, Dougy Wright, take over. Dougy loves the place as much as I do and I've no doubt it wil...

http://wfarmnaturereserve.blogspot.com/2012/11/a-new-broom.html

There was a noticeable influx of the large hoverfly Helophilus trivittatus evident at the farm yesterday. I counted 30+ and they far outnumbered the resident Helophilus pendulus. These are almost...

http://wfarmnaturereserve.blogspot.com/2012/08/hoverflying.html

Cornish Heath (Erica vagans) grows only on the Lizard peninsula Bell Heather (Erica cinerea) Mixture of Bell Heather and Cross-leaved Heath (Erica tetralix) Mixture of West...

http://wfarmnaturereserve.blogspot.com/2012/08/have-you-seen-erica.html

Well the weekend's BioBlitz was a great success, with twenty or so attendees (some of whom stayed all night, studying moths etc in between short bouts of sleep), plenty of sunshine and only a lit...

http://wfarmnaturereserve.blogspot.com/2012/07/bioblitzed.html

We're holding a BioBlitz at the farm on 28th/29th July, starting at 2.00pm on the Saturday and ending 2.00pm Sunday. A BioBlitz is to wildlife recording what the Le Mans 24hr is to motor racing a...

http://wfarmnaturereserve.blogspot.com/2012/07/bioblitz.html

Usually when I'm away something good turns up at the farm, e.g. Buff-breasted Sandpiper or Woodchat Shrike. This year I was abroad from mid May to mid June and it appears that I've missed precise...

http://wfarmnaturereserve.blogspot.com/2012/06/thin-pickings.html

A few nice birds have called in over the last few days. Not for the first time, some of them were seen along the approach road.  On Thursday Ian Griffiths saw a Turtle Dove on the wires just by ...

http://wfarmnaturereserve.blogspot.com/2012/05/may-birds.html

With blue skies and a hint of warmth in the easterly breeze, it felt like Spring today (for the first time since the end of March).  It was a nine warbler day at the farm: Grasshopper, Reed, sev...

http://wfarmnaturereserve.blogspot.com/2012/05/at-last-touch-of-spring.html

I'm rather glad that month's over. April is one of my favourites - normally - but that was the worst I can remember. The legacy is as much standing water and mud on the reserve as I have ever see...

http://wfarmnaturereserve.blogspot.com/2012/05/april-showers-and-rest.html

The warm sunshine of the last week has brought lots of adders out to bask. Chiffchaffs and Willow Warblers have arrived in numbers, but further migration is likely to be suspended as th...

http://wfarmnaturereserve.blogspot.com/2012/04/catching-some-rays.html

The last few days of warm south-easterly winds have seen an exceptional number of early Spring migrants arriving at the farm, culminating in our fifth Hoopoe in as many years this morning.  This...

http://wfarmnaturereserve.blogspot.com/2012/03/hoop-hoop.html

Here's a photo (courtesy of Cornwall Wildlife Trust) of the nine new ponds at the farm. They were created in conjunction with Pond Conservation and also funding by Biffa Waste Services through t...

http://wfarmnaturereserve.blogspot.com/2012/03/biffa-ponds_20.html

At last - a new blog entry!! I've been entering the records for the farm for 2011 onto my MapMate program and have set out below some highlights.  It was a very good year indeed.  Firstly the b...

http://wfarmnaturereserve.blogspot.com/2012/02/review-of-2011.html

There was plenty of activity at the farm yesterday. As I arrived in the car-park, a large flock of Redwings, which I estimated at 120, were flying low towards the Lizard village.  Following on ...

http://wfarmnaturereserve.blogspot.com/2011/11/thank-heaven-for-little-gulls.html

The last few weeks have seen an unprecedented influx of American waders into the county. For this we can thank Irene and Katia for creating havoc in the north Atlantic weather systems. Almost eve...

http://wfarmnaturereserve.blogspot.com/2011/10/finally-piece-of-action.html

Spotted Redshank on the Plantlife pond this morning.

http://wfarmnaturereserve.blogspot.com/2011/09/poser.html

Participants in a recent dragonfly workshop at the farm collected lots of dragonfly exuviae from around the ponds and brought them up to the information centre for examination. In case you're not...

http://wfarmnaturereserve.blogspot.com/2011/08/bring-your-own-snacks.html

Following the extremely rare Vagrant Emperor dragonflies that turned up at the farm in late April, and with the "bog-standard" Emperor a common resident species, we completed a 2011 hat-trick thi...

http://wfarmnaturereserve.blogspot.com/2011/07/third-emperor.html

Here are a few photos of our 12 acres of arable fields, where we have the best show of wild and cultivated seed-bearing plants that we've had for several years. These will become a gigantic bird-...

http://wfarmnaturereserve.blogspot.com/2011/07/farming-for-finchesand-why-its-not.html

Here are a couple of the strange creatures that inhabit our ponds. The first is a Water Stick Insect, shown with the remains of the beetle it was eating before it was rudely interrupted. They app...

http://wfarmnaturereserve.blogspot.com/2011/07/strange-critters.html

On Saturday, ERCCIS (Environmental Records Centre for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly) held a Surveying for Dragonflies Workshop on the reserve. The emphasis was on identifying dragonflies by th...

http://wfarmnaturereserve.blogspot.com/2011/07/busy-weekend.html

On Sunday 10th July, there will be a guided, leisurely walk around the reserve, starting at 1.00pm and finishing around 4.00pm and led by Dougy Wright. He'll be on hand to show you dragonflies, b...

http://wfarmnaturereserve.blogspot.com/2011/06/date-for-your-diary.html

Steve Rogers paid a visit to the reserve last week and has kindly sent me these photos. Those of you who follow Steve's blog (here ) will be aware of the very high standard he maintains and I've ...

http://wfarmnaturereserve.blogspot.com/2011/06/guest-photographer.html

Yesterday's warm sunshine persuaded a few insects to wait patiently whilst I took their pictures: Male Clouded Buff moth. Most of the recent Cornish records have come from the Lizard peninsula....

http://wfarmnaturereserve.blogspot.com/2011/06/yesterdays-posers.html