Latest Sightings
The marsh harriers are putting on quite a show on top mere at the moment, as are the pair in the reedbed. The males often seen hunting over much of the reserve and showing well quite frequently. Sticking with the theme of raptors, a peregrine has been seen over the mere and Woodend marsh the past too evenings and a sparrowhawk flew over the mere. A barn owl was showing well over plover field and eight acre yesterday evening.
Wader numbers are building slowly on the reserve with 19 black-tailed godwits, 4 oystercatcher and 2 redshank on the mere yesterday evening. Avocet chicks are growing well on Woodend marsh with at least 4 fledged now. 3 green sandpipers were seen from Tomlinson hide on the 27th.
Many ducklings are close to fledging at the moment with a few large pochard chicks dotted around the reserve, mainly in the sluice, along with some large shoveler and gadwall chicks. The first broods of tufted duck chicks are beginning to appear now with a brood of 10 on top mere on the 28th.
A grasshopper warbler was reeling on Woodend marsh this morning, heard from the track up towards Gordon Taylor and a spotted flycatcher was seen from kingfisher hide on the 24th, followed by and osprey reported to have been seen in a tree on Langley's.
