Bewick's swan arrival and recent sightings
On Sunday the 3rd of November the first 2 Bewick's Swans joined us again after their long migration.
Keep up to date as the Bewick's swans arrive through the winter months by checking the Bewick's Blog: Winter 2024/2025. The first pair to arrive have been identified as Primero and Piquet.
Below are a few sightings from the past few days:
Friday the 1st November
Rushy
25 Pochard, 22 Pintail, 61 Tufted, 6 Snipe, 2 Spotted Redshank, 1 Redshank and a Grey Wagtail.
Robbie Garnett Hide
111 Wigeon, 15 Redshank, 2 Spotted Redshank, 79 Teal, 16 Shoveler, 269 Lapwing, 7 Curlew, 1 Cetti’s, 4 White Fronted goose, 199 Greylag goose, 16 Canada Goose.
Estuary Tower
On the scrape – 210 Wigeon, 256 Teal
Dumbles – 91 Barnacle Goose plus Ross’s and hybrid, 1 Black swan
On the Estuary – 288 Pintail, 29 Great black-backed gulls and 45 Wigeon.
Zeiss Hide
Great white egret, 139 Shoveler, 379 Teal, 15 Black-tailed Godwit, a Cettis, and a Bittern showed briefly in the scrapes cut into the reedbed in the afternoon.
Kingfisher Hide
36 Gadwall, Long-tailed tit flock very active, 3 Roe Deer and 6 Snipe in the Four Score. Zeiss Hide.
South Lake
80 Black-tailed Godwit, 26 Dunlin, 4 Ruff, 4 Spotted Redshank, 21 Snipe, a Spoonbill, 272 Teal, 128 Tufted duck 5 Pochard, and a Great crested grebe.
Saturday the 2nd November
Estuary Tower
On the Dumbles there was a probable juvenile White-rumped Sandpiper sighted as well as possibly more than one Bearded Tit and Brambling overhead.
Discovery Hide
475 Teal, 64 Shoveler, 2 Shelduck,9 Cormorant, 1 Great crested grebe, 72 tufted duck, 2 Spotted Redshank, 10 Dunlin, 61 Black-tailed Godwits, 2 Ruff, 6 Redshank, 9 snipe, 2 Cattle egrets and a Spoonbill.
Through the Grounds
Cetti’s warbler, one on either side of the path trying to out-sing one another.
Firecrest with tit flock in willows just before the start of the Estuary walkway.
Kingfisher Hide
1 Little Grebe, 6 Shoveler, 12 Gadwall, 1 Water Rail, and Cetti’s warbler were heard.
Zeiss Hide
1 Great Egret, 430 Teal, 8 Black-tailed Godwit, 103 Shoveler, 5 Redshank, 7 Ruff, 3 Lapwing, 24 Greylag geese and 3 Canada geese.
Tack Piece
At least 9 Cattle Egret with cattle from Robbie Garnet Hide behind group of White-fronted geese.
Sunday the 3rd November
Estuary Tower
2 Grey Plover north with c40 Dunlin past Middle Point. Little Stint with the Dunlin on the Dumbles scrape, 7 Brent geese, and 14 Cranes.
Kingfisher Hide
40 Gadwall, 3 Shoveler, Cetti’s singing, 4 Lapwing on the field, and 2 Little Grebe.
Discovery Hide
46 Dunlin, 6 Snipe, 3 Spotted Redshank, 1 Great-crested grebe, 68 Tufted duck, and 4 Black-tailed Godwit after the lake got flushed, a large group of Teal too.
Tack Piece
From Robbie Garnet hide 14 Redshank, 2 Ruff, Wigeon flock with Shovelers. Kingfisher in front of the Martin Smith Hide too.
Rushy Hide
2 Snipe, 1 Spotted Redshank with a few Common Redshank. Increasing numbers of Pochard, Pintail, and Tufted duck plus Mallard, Shelduck, and Teal.
Monday the 4th November
Estuary Tower
In the morning there was a Spoonbill, c300 Wigeon grazing around the scrape, c200 Dunlin around the flash’s, a Ross’s was with the Barnacle Geese and 17 White-fronted geese and a Pink-footed goose too.
Kingfisher Hide
2 Great egret, 33 Gadwall, 4 Shoveler, 6 Canada geese, 5 Curlew and 2 Little grebe.
Discovery Hide
56 Black-tailed Godwit, 134 Dunlin, 2 Spot Red, Ruff, 2 Snipe, 200 c Lapwing, 44 Tufted duck, 1 Great crested grebe and 429 Teal. A White-rumped Sandpiper was among the Dunlin too!
Tack Piece from Robbie Garnett Hide
24 Curlew, 16 Redshank, 1 Spotted Redshank. A possible Firecrest in with Tit flock among the willow saplings on the left as you walk to Tower.
Towards the end of the day a Goshawk flew over the Tack Piece towards the Peng Observatory.
