Moor Green Lakes Group

28/09/2026

The unusually mild weather has brought out many Common Darters flying around in tandem and ovipositing, egglaying by this dipping behaviour shown in this sequence shot. The dipping is very fast, every 0.9 seconds. When the end of the female's abdomen touches the water, an egg brood is automatically released as one can show with captured females. It is tricky to calculate, but it is reckoned that each female lays about 1,000 in her life of a few weeks. Common Darters can be seen into October or even into November in mild weather.

28/09/2026

This Saturday Moor Green Lakes Group welcomes you to meet some of the expert volunteers in the bird hide at Colebrook Lake. Come along between 10 am and 4pm to see 'what's about' and learn about the Group and it's work around Moor Green Lakes.
Recent sightings and the other flora and fauna on the reserve can be discussed for those interested.
There's no charge and no need to book, just come along and enjoy a chat!
We like to find new members of course so find out more about that, the whole family for just £10 pa is all it costs. Details are here https://www.mglg.org.uk/membership.html?v=j5s2yih0

19/09/2026

We are grateful to Peter Craig for his wonderful pictures and text: An Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) is a rare visitor to Moor Green Lakes with sightings on only 22 days between 2000 and 2025. This year a juvenile has chosen to break its journey to its West African overwintering grounds with a prolonged stay at Moor Green Lakes where it has provided spectacular views on eight days in the past fortnight. The first sighting was on Sunday 6th September with sightings on only one other day that week. However, since being relocated on Monday 14th it has been seen on all subsequent days.
The Osprey has been seen mostly over the New Workings, where it often hunts for fish in West and Upper Fens or perches in one of its favourite dead trees near East Fen and to the north of West Fen.

19/09/2026

Very successful mammal trapping today at Moor Green Lakes. 42 catches out of 45 traps. A bank vole.

16/09/2026

Willow Emerald Damselflies ovipositing by Grove Hide during the work party on Sunday. Look out for them on branches overhanging ponds and slow flowing waterbodies.

07/09/2026

A successful moth trapping at Moor Green on Friday night. 17 species in total, including September Thorn. We live in times when all pollinators are in trouble but particularly moths, thought to be due to agricultural nitrogen use depleting biodiversity of meadows and the moth host plants. So it is nice to see this doing well at Moor Green.

31/08/2026

With the change in the weather, dragonflies are quietly slipping away. But not all are dying off with the season. Some are being eaten by other dragonflies. A damselfly being eaten by a black tailed skimmer

31/07/2026

We are grateful to Jane for her video with a thermal camera of bats flying over Moor Green in the dusk.

21/07/2026

Just when you think you have sorted out the Banded from the Beautiful Demoiselles on the Blackwater and the males from the females, you see this ( on the Blackwater at Moor Green yesterday). A male banded attempting to mate with another male. "Mis cops" as they are politely known are often seen between different species, especially of damselflies, probably because we see more of them than true dragonflies. Sometimes the mis match can be startling to human eyes, like between emeralds and a red species. But a male male mis cop seems relatively uncommon. Here is your defence you have mis identified a dragonfly - even the dragons get it wrong occasionally!

21/07/2026

MGLG work party volunteers are planning to repair the fencing in the car park on Tuesday 28th July.

As a result, the car park will be closed until the work party begins at 10.30am and we would hope to have completed it by about 3.30pm.

After 10.30am there may be some limited parking for members only, but it would be much appreciated if you could avoid visiting that day.

Please check the website for the very latest updates. www.mglg.org.uk

Thank you for your understanding.

If you are planning a group visit, as a courtesy, please check with us first to make sure you visit goes without a hitch. Also, it may be possible to arrange a guide for your visit. Click here for more info