Recent Sightings 1st-8th February
British Steel Hide
Highlights from the past week from the Steel hide include a Greenland White-fronted Goose (1st-3rd Feb), a Water Pipit (1st Feb), 7 Spoonbills (7th Feb), 5 Yellow-legged Gulls (7th Feb) and a female Merlin (3rd Feb).
Wader counts were good towards to beginning of the week but trailed off during the past few days because of low tides. Counts included 423 Black-tailed Godwits, 453 Knot, 237 Lapwing, 11 Greenshank, 30 Redshank, 4 Snipe and 15 Curlews.
Wildfowl have included 145 Wigeon, 47 Tufted Ducks, 4 Pochard, 19 Shoveler and Greylag and Canada Geese.
Out on the estuary counts of 226 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, c.400 Pintail, c.2000 Dunlin, c.2500 Oystercatchers, Peregrine, 25 Shoveler and a Goldeneye.
A large gull roost on the saline lagoons on the 7th Feb brought in c.8000 Herring Gulls, 244 Lesser Black-Backed Gulls, 21 Great Black-Backed Gulls and 5 Yellow-legged Gulls. There has been some confusion regarding a Herring x Lesser Black-Backed Gull hybrid, which has frequented the Dafen scrapes in recent days.
Yellow-legged Gull
Millennium Wetlands
Recent sightings from the wetlands have included regular sightings of a Barn Owl, Otter and Kestrel.
Duck numbers on the Deep Water Lake remain steady with good numbers of Teal, Gadwall, Coot, Shoveler and Tufted Ducks. Pochard numbers are still fairly low with a maximum of 7 birds now on the reserve. Lapwing and Snipe can still be found on the stony islands in amongst the roosting ducks.
A Goshawk was reported from the Heron's Wing Hide during the week and Water Rails are numerous throughout the wet woodland on the Northern Loop of the reserve. A Red Kite, Buzzards and a pair of Ravens have been frequently seen on the reserve also.
Spring is coming along steadily with many birds now in full song. Sparrowhawks have begun displaying over the woodland, and the Lapwings on Deep Water Lake grow feistier and feistier by the day.
