Sightings

Main sighting: Swifts

5 swifts over the pool itself, cettis calling close by, 1 buzzard and 2 herons.

Main sighting: Rock Pipit

6am – 11.15 Overall fairly quiet. Whitethroat 2, chiffchaff 1, pheasant, 3 cormorants and a lesser whitethroat calling. Hide one – 5 curlew. Hide two – skylarks, 36 dunlin, 3 oystercatchers, 5 more curlew, 54 lapwing, 27 black-tailed godwits (many in breeding plumage, apparently with the colder than normal conditions on their Icelandic breeding grounds some birds are returning early -hence why some of these are in full breeding plumage), 95 black headed gulls (5 of which were juveniles), 11 ringed plovers, shelduck, 2nd-year gt black-backed gull, 7 teal, 5 little egrets, 1 lt ringed plover, male marsh harrier hunting and a rock pipit feeding amongst the rocks on the edge of the island. Marsh platform – pair of little grebes and 3 mute swans with a family group of 8 linnets close by. Seawall – high tide but 136 shelduck and 47 curlew on the saltmarsh with another little egret mixed in, 3 sand martins passed too. Hide three – quiet but 96 redshank counted. Other: ,lots of meadow browns and several ringlets.

Main sighting: Hobby

Hobby seen and photographed hunting across the heather just east of the Foxhunter car park (presumed male as the female should be sitting at this time of year). No other raptors seen. Also a probable Ring Ouzel, five Ravens, a female Reed Bunting and many Meadow Pipits and male Stonechats, particularly near Keeper’s Pond, plus a Wren feeding young in the heather. GOS membership applied for.

Main sighting: Red Kite

At our outdoor breakfast today we saw a Red kite a Peregrine and six Swifts.

Main sighting: Goshawk

Whilst we were enjoying an outdoor breakfast a female Goshawk flew over the garden, not long before a female Sparrowhawk with prey.

Main sighting: Little Ringed Plover

17:30-20:30 Little Ringed Plover 10 adults +1 juv on Becs. Green Sandpiper 1 Little Egret 5 Sand Martin 20 Lesser Whitethroat 1 Raven 4

Main sighting: short eared owl

A short eared owl appeared when spooked by a quartering female marsh harrier.Also 8-oystercatchers from 1st platform1-greenshank,3-juv.BHGs,11h30-13h30

Main sighting: Red knot

In addition to earlier post, sightings from Curlew Hide include 2 summer plumage Red Knot, 1 Greenshank, 2 Green Sandpiper

Main sighting: Short-eared Owl, Whimbrel

From Advocet Hide – Short-eared Owl (13:00) along fence posts to left of hide, Marsh Harrier (f), 2 Whimbrel, 1 Common Sandpiper, 3 Ringed Plover, 5 Little Ringed Plover, 22 Black-tailed Godwit, 12 Dunlin, 29 Redshank, 3 Oystercatcher, 2 Little Egret, 1 Grey Heron, 2 Reed Bunting, 3 Skylark, 10 Teal, 4 Shoveler, 4 Mallard, 1 Shelduck, 33 Black-headed Gull, 5 Lapwing, 1 Canada Goose

Main sighting: Amendment

From yesterday’s sightings, forgot to add 16 black-tailed godwits on the third lagoon and a female juvenile sparrowhawk on the fence post from the redshank platform.

Main sighting: Mediterranean gull

1 med gull in among up to 200 black headed gulls; also 2 common sandpipers; 3 oystercatchers; 7 shelduck ducklings getting bigger; 2 little egrets; lots of reed warblers (some seen most heard, also whitethroat, chiff chaffs and will warbler

Main sighting: Short-eared Owl

0600 – 1215. Pheasant, chiffchaff 3, lesser whitethroat calling briefly, green woodpecker calling, cettis, common whitethroat and pied wagtail family group. Hide one – single curlew, 8 lapwing, 3 oystercatchers and 1 grey heron. Redshank platform – roost count of 105 adults and 5 juvs. Hide two – 9 gadwall flying past, 37 sand martins with several other similar sized groups throughout the morning aerial feeding, skylarks, 1 common sandpiper, 1 little ringed plover, fem marsh harrier quartering, linnets and a strange looking ringed plover type wader (pics submitted for checking). Seawall – 7 ravens, 5 house amrtins and 3 swallows mixed in with sand martins, 1 little egret, 29 roosting curlew, 17 oystercatchers, 98 shelduck and 2 great black-backed gulls following a boat. Hide three – great views of a short-eared owl that passed the hide and landed along several posts on the fence line followed by quartering along the grass bank between the far left corner and down towards hide 1. Also from here, male marsh harrier, 13 dunlin, 12 ringed plovers, 2 knot in partial breeding plumage, 12 teal, 4 mute swans, kestrel and 75 more redshanks. Other: pyramidal orchid still flowering well, lots of meadow browns with ringlet, red admiral and a painted lady also on the wing and a pair of emperor dragonflies mating by the sea wall embankment.