Sightings

Main sighting: Avocet

Quiet bird wise on the reserve today with only 336 species counted. En-route to hides – blue tit, Canada geese, chaffinch, moorhen, wren, herring gulls, magpie, robin and buzzard. Hide one – jackdaws, 117 wigeon, 31 teal, crows, blackbird, lesser black-backed gull, kingfisher flying the length of the reen and a pair of bullfinches. Hide two – 11 black-tailed godwits that flew off high at 08.39, 16 lapwing, 4 shoveler, 31 more teal, 7 swans flying past, mallards and a female marsh harrier hunting. Snipe platform – 30 more teal, 5 more wigeon, 2 more shoveler, coot, woodpigeons and a female reed bunting. Seawall – 9 oystercatchers, 17 redshank, 11 curlew, black headed gulls, 8 avocet, shelduck, 56 more wigeon and a male stonechat. 2 males and 1 female tufted ducks en-route to next hide. Hide three – 6 more shoveler, 6 more shelduck, 1 greylag and 1 starling.

Main sighting: Goosander

A pair of Goosander on the borrow pit in Overmonnow this morning, as well as a Little Grebe. Long tIme no see!

Main sighting: Wren

Wren, female bullfinch, woodcock flying along the other side of a stream, three starlings, buzzard and a snipe.

Main sighting: Avocet

7-Avocets from sea wall hide on the right hand end of the island.1f-Marsh Harrier.Good to see the access to the middle hide greatly improved.

Main sighting: Stoat

A stoat seen hunting for food – brown with a black tail seen at approximately at 8:15a.m. Quite rare for this county.

Main sighting: Woodcock

Adult sitting on road just after dark at about 1700

Main sighting: Woodcock

Single adult sitting on the road just after dark at about 1700

Main sighting: Little Egret

A little Egret was in the fields south of the village. And in the village church grounds a Red Admiral.

Main sighting: Waders

High tide visit before and after sunrise. Highlights – Flock of 14 x Avocets, Dunlins 100 + at Gout but further on closer to Peterstone Village easily 300+. Grey Plover x 4, Knot x 2, Oystercatcher and Black Tailed Godwits.
Ducks – Pintail, Shoveler, Teal, Mallard and Shelduck.
Birds of Prey – Peregrine Falcon and Buzzard
Others – Wren, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Bullfinch , Fieldfare and Green Woodpecker, Canada Geese.

Main sighting: Spotted Redshank

WeBS count today Spotted Redshank heard calling then seen swimming on Priors. Teal 286 Lapwing 149 Black-tailed Godwit 222 Shoveler 45 Gadwall 24 Stonechat 3. A quite day. Interestingly, No Coot, Tufted Duck or Little Grebe.

Main sighting: Great White Egrat

One Great white Egrat on the canal in Fernlea

Main sighting: Avocets

Waders fast becoming a rarity on the lagoons due to the water levels purposely kept high for the winter ducks. Shame something couldn’t be constructed for lagoon 3, only long-legged waders now. En-route to hides: robins, crows, 2 buzzards, jackdaws, Canada geese, blackbirds, moorhen and herring gulls. Hide 1: mallards only. Hide 2: pair of shelduck, 7 shoveler, 86 lapwing, 24 teal, 23 wigeon, 6 passing swans, 35 ringed plovers that flew in over the lagoons and straight out over the seawall as water too high, starlings and female marsh harrier. En-route platform a single chiffchaff feeding in the hedge line, magpies and a blue tit. Snipe platform – 76 more teal, 5 gadwall, coot, 4 more shoveler, 4 more swans and woodpigeons. En-route to platform – 3 stock doves overhead and distant collard dove calling. Marsh platform – cettis and wren at the base of the reeds opposite. Seawall: cormorant, 1 heron, 10 curlew, oystercatchers, 1 great black-backed gull, 1 common gull, black headed gulls, male peregrine perched on the washed up tree later having a go at the godwits, pied wagtail, 3 dunlin and 19 avocets was nice to see. Hide 3: little egret, 233 more teal and 3 more wigeon. Back at the car park 3 redwings, chaffinch and a song thrush.