Nightingales back at Alners

Brown and white butterfly on dandelion-type flower
Dingy Skipper. Photo: Dave Law

We know we are about butterflies and moths, but the song of the nightingales at our Alners Gorse Reserve is pretty special, and there are at least three singing male Nightingales there at the moment (8 May).

If you visit Alners Gorse, you may note that there are new nestboxes around the site. These have been enabled by a very generous donation of £250 from the Hardown Society at Morecomelake, to whom very grateful thanks. They are made of “woodcrete”, which is a mixture of wooddust and cement, which we are hoping will withstand the attacks by woodpeckers, hornets and squirrels which have destroyed nearly all of the softwood boxes we put up 10-15 years ago.

Alners is a very special site for butterflies as well as Nightingales. The Grizzled and Dingy Skippers should be on the wing now, and later in the year will be followed by Marsh Fritillaries, White Admirals and (most special)

Brown butterfly with orange and white markings nectaring on a Creeping Thistle

Brown Hairstreak. Photo: Nigel Spring

Brown and White-letter Hairstreaks. If you visit and enjoy the site, please think about making a donation to us to help enable us to continue our work on this very special site.

5 thoughts on “Nightingales back at Alners

  1. JOHN David WOODRUFF

    There are also Nightingles present in Lydlynch Common as i heard them in there on Thursday 6th when looking for Marsh Fritillarys

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  2. Martin

    I can confirm the nightingales at Lydlynch common (although much traffic noise too!) – 2 singing males in the bramble/blackthorn scrub to the north of the main layby at about 8am. Also 2 singing wonderfully at Alners Gorse 6am ish – both May 10th in the wind and the showers

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  3. Shirley

    We heard at least 2 nightingales singing beautifully at Alners Gorse this evening, one at least off to the east just off the reserve towards Hazelbury Bryan, after 9pm, 5th June 2021 and also nightingales at Lydlinch Common this evening.

    Reply

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