Latest Sightings
The mere is the best place on site for waders now we’ve lowered the water levels. We have had reports of a pectoral sandpiper. It was reported on Sunday and today at 1pm, both times on the Mere. On Sunday we had over 400 lapwing, over 200 black tailed godwits, 30 snipe, a juvenile ruff, a dunlin in breeding plumage, common and green sandpipers, and a greenshank today. We also had curlew calling last Thursday, and a whimbrel on the Mere earlier in the week.
The cattle egrets, stunning in their breeding plumage, are also visiting the mere regularly this week.
The sparrow hawks are showing brilliantly on the canoe safari. The fledglings and adults can now be seen calling and flying above the waterways, and perching on the standing deadwood on the banks. A sparrow hawk was also seen flushing the mere this afternoon, as was a peregrine last week.
The barn owls were sighted by visitors on Sunday. We have pairs nesting in harrier hide and top mere barn (visible from kingfisher) so you may be lucky and see them hunting for their chicks in the daytime.
Two juvenile marsh harriers have been seen on site. They are ringed so we're waiting to hear where they came from.
Enjoy the hirundines before they leave us for Africa. We still have good numbers of house martens, swallows and swifts, and there are still some active swallow nests in the eaves of the visitor centre.
North West Bird Watching Festival
Join us on the 14 & 15 October for the annual North West Bird Watching Festival. Celebrate the thousands of migratory wild birds that visit the centre over the autumn and winter period. With well-known guest speakers such as Ben Osborne, Lucy Lapwing, and David Goulson, plenty of exhibitors, and a weekend full of birding activities, this is an event not to be missed.
