It's a duck day
There seems to have been an increase in duck overnight, or possibly before the fog yesterday? Highlights were 2 Garganey on the Top New Piece as viewed from the Zeiss Hide, amongst the 500+ Teal. There are also a few more Pintail and Wigeon on the reserve today, a sign of what is to come! Warbler activity seems to have died off a little, perhaps with the good weather overnight allowing them to move on. Wader action remains great with at least 30 Ruff on the reserve this morning.
South Lake Hides
Waders included a single Curlew Sandpiper, 7 Ruff, a Greenshank, 23 Redshank, 124 Black-tailed Godwit, 11 Snipe and over 250 Lapwing. A single Crane was on the island, its colour rings revealing the bird is called Squidgy. A pair of Pintail were also present with the Teal and Shoveler. A few Gadwall were with the Mallard and Tufted Duck on the deeper water.
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Rushy Pen
At least 17 Ruff were present this morning, although each count produced a different total, so patience is key here! Other waders included 11 Snipe, a single Green Sandpiper and 12 Lapwing. A single Pintail was present briefly along with 252 Teal, 12 Tufted Duck and 5 Shoveler. Three Grey Wagtail were also present. This afternoon the 2 Egyptian Geese returned and were seen with the Greylag flock.
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Holden Tower
A check at high tide produced 194 Shelduck, 48 Curlew, 2 Pintail, 4 Wigeon, 8 Little Egret and a Grey Heron. Also on The Dumbles were a large flock of Barnacle Geese.
Zeiss Hide
Two Garganey were the highlights, but other duck here included 91 Wigeon, 3 Pintail, 23 Shoveler, 50 Shelduck and 50+ Mallard. Waders were thin on the ground with only 6 Snipe, 2 Redshank, 1 Ruff and a single Green Sandpiper. No sign of the Wood Sandpiper from yesterday lunchtime. A Little Egret was on the Bottom New Piece. A Cetti's Warbler was very vocal from the reedbed in front of the hide.
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Kingfisher Hide
Visible on the Bottom New Piece were 125 Teal, 6 Ruff and single Lapwing and Snipe. A Cetti's Warbler was calling from the reedbed next to the hide and at least 20 Linnet were feeding along the hedgerow, enjoying the seed rich margins of the fields.
