DRAKELOW NATURE RESERE: W/E 2nd September. Following the heavy rain of the 26th August the week was relatively quiet weather wise with some bright spells with all the puddles now dried up. As is usual for the time of year birds of note were few and far between and most songsters subdued with Robin, Wren and Cetti’s Warbler the exceptions although things began to happen on the 2nd. Several Green Sandpipers are still around and Little Egrets were seen daily. A Greylag Goose was with the Canada’s most dates and three Wigeon were still present on the 1st. One or two Kestrels have been reported from the vicinity of the solar farm with a Buzzard regularly around the RWPH area. Some summer migrants still around included Reed Warbler, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Garden Warbler, Whitethroat and Lesser Whitethroat. Two Swifts went through on the 28th with a few House Martins remaining to hawk over the lagoons. Migrants on the 2nd included 15 Swallows, two Grey Wagtails and seven Yellow Wagtails. Fourteen red-headed Goosanders were the first of the autumn and the combined river/reserve Mute Swan count was 47 with eleven of them cygnets. BUTTERFLIES: There were still a good number of Small Heath and Brown Arguses to be found on the 30th with a late Meadow Brown in the SK21 sector of the study area. DRAGONFLIES: Numbers have now waned although Migrant Hawkers, Southern Hawker and the odd Brown Hawker are still appearing here and there. HYMENOPTERA: Over the last week several Hornets have been seen but bees and wasps have almost disappeared. AUGUST FOOTFALL: So far as I can tell visitors numbered 104 (105 in 2017) and the Senior Warden made ten visits (13 in 2017). With thanks to RW, PJ, MJH, AG, AB, AL, NC and KM.