A wet start
After the downpour this morning the already wet fields are even wetter, much to the delights of the birds. The weather dried up around dawn and then cleared up by mid-morning leaving sunny spells on another glorious winter's day. We saw another new pair arrive this morning, Dandeano and Io who bring us to 100 individuals for the season so far.
Rushy Hide and Peng Observatory
We've finally passed 100 Bewick's Swan mark for the season, with 88 birds on the pond for this morning's feed. At least 119 Pochard were present along with Shelduck, Pintail and Tufted Duck.
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South Lake Hides
A small amount of ice remains on the edge of the islands of the wader scrape where 2 Little Stint were to be seen. The Lapwing were in two flocks at either end of the scrape in all totaling 521 birds. A small flock of Dunlin were mixed in amongst the along with 3 Ruff and a single Black-tailed Godwit. Twenty Pochard were on the deep lake with 9 Gadwall and 6 Cormorant. There was no sign of the Great Crested Grebe. A Sparrowhawk made a kill along the rhine by the access bridge to the Hogarth Hide. Outside the Hogarth Hide were at least 24 Snipe.
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Zeiss Hide
As with the South Lake, the scrape was almost entirely ice free again. Several hundred Wigeon and Teal were along the shoreline with at least 77 Pintail mixed amongst them. A good sized flock of 514 Golden Plover were flitting between the Top and Bottom New Piece fields, so check from the Zeiss Hide or Kingfisher Hide for these birds. The Lapwing were less flighty, keeping mainly to the Top New Piece. At least 11 Snipe were around the shoreline of the scrape.
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Holden Tower
The Red-breasted Goose was on the Dumbles with the Barnacle Goose flock. Out on the Tack Piece birds were just starting to arrive for the day and included 100+ Golden Plover, 187 Curlew and 28 Redshank along with many Lapwing, Dunlin and a few Ruff and a single Little Stint. A Mistle Thrush was feeding along the shoreline of the pool outside the Knott Hide and a Water Rail was again outside the Willow Hide.
