Early November high tides
High tides around the 9 metre mark.
The morning high tides are in daylight, early access for WWT members from 08:15am, it's advisable to head to the Estuary Tower with a telescope for 08:30am tomorrow to catch the waders at roost but we may see some of them coming into the scrapes. Unfortunately the evening high tides are in darkness. At this height the majority of birds will be pushed to the Dumbles or scrapes. A number of species seen today, sighting highlights follow.
South Lake
14 Cormorant, 97 Black-tailed Godwit, 70 Lapwing, a raft of Tufted Duck with a few Pochard on deep lake, Shoveler and Teal on the wader scrape, the de-silted duck marsh channel is now full of water and flooding the duck marsh where at least two Snipe were hiding in the weed clumps.
Bottom New Piece from the Kingfisher Hide
19 Ruff feeding on the field, 30 Russian White-fronted Geese grazing among the Canada Geese, 582 Lapwing. 400+ very mobile Redwing in the hedges bordering the fields.
Estuary Tower
On the morning ebb tide- 45 GBB Gull, 1 Avocet, 43 Curlew, 2 Bar-tailed Godwit, 28 Grey Plover, 200+ Dunlin, 3 Little Egret, 3 Cormorant, 90 Wigeon and 79 Shelduck were on the saltmarsh shelf. 30 Linnets and 10+ Skylark feeding in the weedy dry pans and fleets plus numbers of Fieldfares/Redwings in the hedge.
Spinney Wood/Canoe Trail area
Chiffchaff calling.
The Dumbles from Estuary Tower
100s Canada, Barnacle and Greylag Geese with single Snow and Ross's Geese, the two Canada x Barnacle hybrids (reminiscent of a small race Canada) and one Bar-headed x Snow Goose also present.
Long Ground Pool as viewed from Estuary Tower
The long staying Great Crested Grebe and a few duck species sheltering.
Rushy Hide/Peng Observatory
Avocet with theTeal on lower pond, 27 Pintail and 36 Pochard among the ducks on the top pond.
Tack Piece
An increase in Redshank coincided with high tide, now 31 roosting on the scrape with 2 Spotted Redshank, also 3 Black-tailed Godwit and 4 Snipe plus 120 Wigeon, 300+ Teal, 430 Lapwing on the field and 7 Magpie along the fence. An adult Mediterranean Gull was on the causeway mid-morning with the Black-headed Gulls + 14 Snipe on studio islands.
