Tice's Meadow Nature Reserve: June 2025

Tice's Meadow JUNE 2025

Rushmoor Lottery

We have launched our page on the Rushmoor Community Lottery. Tickets cost £1 per week - we will receive 50p per ticket (and other local good causes 10p). You could win up to £25,000! Scan the QR code below, or click this link to go to our page. Thank you for your support.

https://www.rushmoorlottery.co.uk/support/tices-meadow-bird-group

Volunteer Work Parties

Surrey County Council are now running all volunteer work parties at Tice's Meadow with the help of the TMBG - see below for details.

Coming up in July, do not miss the -

Tice's Meadow Bird Group and Surrey County Council

Our big annual event, the Tice's Meadow Community Day (formerly the BioBlitz) is scheduled for Saturday the 19th July 2025. Fun for all with lots to see and do.

Previous Community Days

June Overall Bird Count

The bird year list now stands at 114 species (excluding 2 escape species). It was 125 in 2024.

25 bird species were recorded during June.

Thank you to everyone who reports their sightings.

For the most up to date information, click on the link below and Follow.

TMBG

Sunday 1^st June

4 Cormorant, 19 Gadwall, 16 Great Crested Grebe, 9 Lapwing, 14 Little Egret, 2 Reed Bunting, 2 Shoveler

Part of a flock of eleven Little Egret - © Kevin Duncan

Monday 2^nd June

7 Mute Swan, 2 Shoveler, 25 Swift

Coloured ring Lapwing - © Kevin Duncan

New species found at Tice’s Meadow – Shining Fungus Beetle (Scaphidium quadrimaculatum) and Chequered Weevil (Liophloeus tessulatus)

Shining Fungus Beetle - © Kevin Duncan

Chequered Weevil - © Kevin Duncan

Tuesday 3^rd June

4 Common Tern, 24 Gadwall, 13 Lapwing, 9 Little Egret, 7 Mute Swan

Wednesday 4^th June

14 Greylag Goose, Hobby, 5 Little Egret, 12 Mute Swan

Thursday 5^th June

141 Coot, 18 Gadwall, 13 Great Crested Grebe, 18 Little Egret, 61 Mallard, 2 Shoveler, 53 Swift

Friday 6^th June

Buzzard, 31 Gadwall, 10 Mute Swan, Shoveler, 32 Swift

Saturday 7^th June

12 Crested Grebe, 68 Mallard, 5 Mute Swan, Shoveler

Sunday 8^th June

No reported sightings

A pair of Common Terns are nesting on the roof of the flooded hide with at least two eggs.

Common Tern with egg - © John Hunt

There were eighteen volunteers attending the work party, including the team from Surrey Choices. We were expecting inclement weather, therefore the scheduled task was changed to litter picking. As it turned out, the skies were clear and sunny. A new map of the reserve was put up in the shelter on the mound.

Monday 9^th June

Little Egret, Shoveler

Tuesday 10^th June

139 Canada Goose, 3 Cetti’s Warbler, 6 Common Tern, Green Woodpecker, 5 Little Egret

There is a good amount of Bee Orchids (Ophrys apifera) in the meadow at Tice’s. The flowers mimic the appearance of a particular species of female bee, fooling the male into trying to mate and thus pollinating the orchid instead. In the UK the particular bee the orchid is designed to attract is not present, therefore it relies on self pollination.

Bee Orchid (Ophrys apifera)

Wednesday 11^th June

No reported sightings

Back in April 2021, seed of Kidney Vetch (Anthyllis vulneraria) was scattered on the eastern side of the meadow in an attempt to try to introduce the plant into the reserve. Kidney Vetch is the sole foodplant for the caterpillar of the UK's smallest resident butterfly, the Small Blue (Cupido minimus), which is declining in most areas. The female Small Blue lays her eggs one at a time on the flower head and the developing larvae feed on the anthers and seed. The adults do take nectar from other plants such as Bird's-foot-trefoil, but it has to be in the vicinity of the Kidney Vetch. As you can see from the photograph below, the seed took hold and the vetch is thriving.

Kidney Vetch (Anthyllis vulneraria)

Thursday 12^th June

127 Canada Goose, 8 Great Crested Grebe, 15 Little Egret

Friday 13^th June

2 Grey Heron, Little Egret

Saturday 14^th June

6 Cormorant, 12 Little Egret, Redshank, Shoveler, 2 Tufted Duck

Sunday 15^th June

Goldcrest, Green Sandpiper, 2 Greenshank (112^th bird species for 2025), 34 Little Egret (site record count), Mistle Thrush, 4 Shoveler

Greenshank - © Kevin Duncan

Monday 16^th June

Kingfisher, 2 little Grebe, Redshank (colour ringed), Shoveler, Teal

Tuesday 17^th June

7 Little Egret

Wednesday 18^th June

143 Canada Goose, 192 Coot, 5 Grey Heron, 58 Mallard, Teal

Thursday 19^th June

2 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 14 Greylag Goose, 6 Little Egret, Whitethroat

Friday 20^th June

142 Black-headed Gull, 17 Little Egret, Teal

Saturday 21^st June

155 Canada Goose, 3 Great White Egret, 873 Jackdaw, Kingfisher, 22 Little Egret, c200 Starling

Sunday 22^nd June

2 Cetti’s Warbler, 4 Common Tern, Greenfinch, 14 Greylag Goose, Hobby, Kestrel, Redshank

Surrey Choices joined us for a volunteer work party (18 in total) in the scorching sun. We cut back the vegetation along the path to and through Tice’s Wood. Once that was done, we set back for lunch and on the way trimmed the path between the bridges.