Recent Sightings 21st-27th May
Highlights: Purple Heron, Cattle Egret, Avocets, Turnstone, Ringed Plovers
Millennium Wetlands
An amazing sighting by some regular birders was a Purple Heron seen very briefly on Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st, in the reeds around the edge of Deep Water Lake islands that runs along the Northern Loop. A Cattle Egret was seen feeding on the Western Scrapes Wednesday morning, distinguished from other egrets by the yellow beak, and yellow/greyish legs. Willow tits have again been heard around the Pond walk area of the Northern Loop through the week and a Cuckoo was briefly heard in the Northern Loop on Wednesday morning. Tufted Duck ducklings have been spotted on Deep Water Lake.
An Emperor Dragonfly was seen for the first time this year on the reserve Wednesday morning freshly emerged, alongside Blue Tailed Damselflies these join Hairy, Broad Bodied Chaser, and Four Spotted Chaser Dragonflies as well as Azure, Large Red Damselflies and Beautiful Demoiselle's already spotted on site.
British Steel Hide
Tuesdays WeBS (Wetland Bird Survey) highlights saw 5 Ringed Plovers as well as 5 Dunlin feeding on the Saline Lagoon, also on Dafen Scrapes were around 100 Starlings including fledglings and a leucistic individual amongst them. Friday mornings bird count here saw 3 Avocets on the Saline Lagoon feeding alongside a Greenshank, and Spoonbill resting on the banks with the Little Egrets.
Freshwater Lagoon
The Little Ringed Plovers are continuing to show breeding behaviour on the islands, we are keeping a close eye on them to monitor their progress. Tuesdays WeBS found a Turnstone feeding on lagoon islands not a common bird to see here at the wetlands so that was a nice surprise. Friday mornings bird count had great views of over 500 Black-tailed Godwits resting and feeding and 2 Knot in with the flock also.
Reserve work this week has seen lots of surveying take place with WeBs, the penultimate breeding bird survey completed, a breeding wildfowl survey, nest box monitoring. Another exciting task this week was the arrival of 4 cows to the Western Scrapes to help manage the vegetation levels in the wet grassland habitat.
