West Park Local Nature Reserve - Species

Just before Christmas, I wrote about the species that I have observed in the Hempstead Meadow Nature Reserve. Now it's West Park's turn.

Amphibians and Reptiles

I've not observed any amphibians or reptiles in West Park but plenty of people have seen frog spawn near the pond.  iRecord shows two records for Common Lizard in 2015.

Birds

Goldfinch - 9 April 2017

We (The Uckfield Nature Reserves Supporter's group) have gone on a number of bird walks, led by David. I have recorded the following species but we saw and heard more.

Common name	Species
Sparrowhawk	Accipiter nisus
Swift	Apus apus
Grey Heron	Ardea cinerea
Buzzard	Buteo buteo
Goldfinch	Carduelis carduelis
Blue Tit	Cyanistes caeruleus
Great Spotted Woodpecker	Dendrocopos major
Robin	Erithacus rubecula
Pied Wagtail	Motacilla alba subsp. yarrellii
Great Tit	Parus major
House Sparrow	Passer domesticus
Chiffchaff	Phylloscopus collybita
Magpie	Pica pica
Dunnock	Prunella modularis
Bullfinch	Pyrrhula pyrrhula
Goldcrest	Regulus regulus
Nuthatch	Sitta europaea
Wren	Troglodytes troglodytes
Blackbird	Turdus merula
Song Thrush	Turdus philomelos

On one of our walks last year, David pointed out Bluetits going in and out a hole in a tree. I am so used to seeing them in nest boxes, it is strange to see them using a natural nesting place.

Flowering Plants

Bluebells and Oak - 14 May 2017

There are many flowering plants in the reserve including many blossom trees such Blackthorn, Hawthorn and Wild Roses.  I've only recorded a handful and have taken beauties such as the Oak and Bluebells, shown in the photo above, for granted. Looking at iRecord, it is clear that a much more detailed survey was done in 2015 by Ben Rainbow, which yielded over a hundred species including those two.

Mystery tree - a pear? - 9 April 2017

During the 9 April 2017 walk, we found an intriguing blossom tree.  The flowers were familiar but too big for one of the trees we expect to find flowering in April.  Scouring our books didn't really help and it was only when I found a very similar tree in Leatherhead that I began to suspect that it might be an ornamental pear. I didn't find any pears in the Autumn but I may have missed them.

Fungi

Velvet Shank - 22 October 2017

Many of the fungi that I have recorded in West Park were observed by a group that did a fungi hunt on the 22nd of October 2018

Common name	Species
Jelly Ear	Auricularia auricula-judae
Clouded Funnel	Clitocybe nebularis
Shaggy Inkcap	Coprinus comatus
Blushing Bracket	Daedaleopsis confragosa
Velvet Shank	Flammulina velutipes var. velutipes
Clustered Bonnet	Mycena inclinata
Birch Polypore	Piptoporus betulinus
Common Earthball	Scleroderma citrinum
Turkeytail	Trametes versicolor
Candlesnuff Fungus	Xylaria hypoxylon

Insects

Peacock butterfly - 25 March 2017

West Park is home to all sorts of insects, from tiny beetles to showy butterflies and dragonflies.  I found several different types of insect feeding on the glorious Blackthorn blossom in March last year.

Honeybee nest entrance - 28 Jan 2017

One of my favourite finds was a natural Honeybee nest in one of the old trees.  On one of the Autumn walks, David pointed out a Hornet's nest. Fortunately these large, wasp-like creatures are much more laid-back than their smaller, waspy, cousins.

Common name	Species	Taxon group
Cream-spot Ladybird	Calvia quattuordecimguttata	insect - beetle (Coleoptera)
Harlequin Ladybird	Harmonia axyridis	insect - beetle (Coleoptera)
Peacock	Aglais io	insect - butterfly
Small Tortoiseshell	Aglais urticae	insect - butterfly
Orange-tip	Anthocharis cardamines	insect - butterfly
Brimstone	Gonepteryx rhamni	insect - butterfly
Small Copper	Lycaena phlaeas	insect - butterfly
Comma	Polygonia c-album	insect - butterfly
Red Admiral	Vanessa atalanta	insect - butterfly
Emperor Dragonfly	Anax imperator	insect - dragonfly (Odonata)
Honey Bee	Apis mellifera	insect - hymenopteran
Large Red-tailed Bumblebee	Bombus (Melanobombus) lapidarius	insect - hymenopteran
Early Bumblebee	Bombus (Pyrobombus) pratorum	insect - hymenopteran
Common Carder Bee	Bombus (Thoracobombus) pascuorum	insect - hymenopteran
Plain Gold	Micropterix calthella	insect - moth
Cinnabar	Tyria jacobaeae	insect - moth
Meadow Grasshopper	Chorthippus parallelus	insect - orthopteran
	Panorpa communis	insect - scorpion fly (Mecoptera)
St Marks Fly	Bibionidae	insect - true fly (Diptera)
Dark-edged Bee-fly	Bombylius major	insect - true fly (Diptera)

Mammals

The only mammals that I have seen are rabbits but there is clear evidence of the presence of larger creatures.

Spiders

Crab spider - 14 May 2017

With all those insects around, we are bound to find a few spiders. I am not very good at identifying them but was able to record this colourful crab spider.

This is a very brief round up of my own observations. There are many more out there including those from formal surveys and all the people who walk through  the reserve.