Latest Sightings
The pink-footed geese have arrived! 4000 have been counted on the reserve today and they have been streaming in since Tuesday night when the first large skeins began to fly over the reserve. They are being heard and seen overhead all over the reserve at the moment and can be seen on the ground best from Ron Barker and on Woodend marsh. An eclipse male garganey was amongst the teal from Gorden Taylor hide yesterday evening and many of the male shoveler
are beginning to show their winter plumage.
A number of yellow wagtails have been flying over the mere today as have a few small groups of skylarks. Swallows and house martins are still plentiful as they also move through the reserve on their way south. Reed and sedge warbler numbers seem to be down as they are also heading south, but willow warbler and chiffchaff numbers are still high along the path towards the harrier hide. They are forming flocks with families of long-tailed tits, blue tits and great tits as well as a small number of juvenile goldcrests. Cetti's warblers are still continuing to sing all over the reserve.
Today's wader passage was highlighted by a fantastic flyby of a little stint, who flew past calling as we were working by the mere. It was heading in the direction of Ron Barker but couldn't be relocated later on. A pair of redshanks were in-front of Gordon Taylor hide this morning and were joined by 17 black-tailed godwits who dropped in briefly before heading off elsewhere. Ruff numbers still remain high from Ron Barker and a ringed plover flew high over Woodend marsh yesterday evening.
It has been a great day for migration today and that has been topped off by a brilliant flyover from an osprey which spent a small amount of time checking out the pools at Ron Barker after flying over the mere. The osprey was one of five species of raptor seen on the reserve today, the others being marsh harrier, buzzard, kestrel and a sparrowhawk which sent a flock of starlings diving into some brambles for cover!
