Friends of Kings Norton Nature Reserve

   FKNNR is registered as a charity (number 1122293).

Wild Life Corner

There have been sighting of Pheasants, Muntjac deer, Badgers and Foxes around the reserve.

Please send details of your wildlife sightings on the reserve to a Committee member stating who made the observation, the time, date and location.

The local bird population includes the nests of Coot, Canada Geese and Little Grebe. Merecroft has Swans, Geese and the Great Crested Grebe breeding successfully. Mallard Ducks were present at both sites. Tufted Duck are occasional visitors and up to 3 Grey Herons have been reported at one time at Wychall and in the River Rea. There have been occasional sightings ofKingfishers along the Rea river. The summer visitors have visited here in numbers with many Blackcap, Whitethroat and Chiffchaff present and pair of Willow Warblers.

 
Freshwater Invertebrate Network (FIN) Survey at Wychall Lane

The first FIN survey at Wychall Lane was carried out on 25 March 2013 by members of FKNNR during a training session lead by Ellen Pisolkar of FIN. We found an amazing number of invertebrates; but the results indicate that the river quality was not brilliant; given BMWP Score of 42 out of 100. Click here to load a short video made during the training session. The video is not sufficiently detailed to show all the invertebrates in the tray; some of the midge larvae, for example, looked no thicker than a human hair. See also the FIN report.

Fauna

Great tits nestbox footage By Brian Hewitt (Runs in Media Player)

Bats on Merecroft Pool

A sound track recorded from a bat detector  By Brian Hewitt - listen for the famous 'raspberry' sound 
as the bat 'homes in' on its chosen insect!
The bats were recorded at Merecroft on 9th May at 9.30pm;  thought to be Pipstrelles, 
and were echo-locating at about 45kHz.

Pictures of the Reserve

Comma butterfly	Snow, Westhill path	Cygnets at Merecroft
Japanese Knotweed Invader!	Himalayan Balsam Invader!	Ramsons (Wild Garlic)	Badger, 4am
Muntjac at 10 o'clock	heron on lookout	spot the fox !	surprise!