Recent Sightings 24th - 30th September
Highlights: Pectoral Sandpiper, Greenshank, Pintail, Peregrine, Common Lizards
An exciting spot this week was a Pectoral Sandpiper seen from the British Steel Hide on Saturday. This joined Spoonbill, Knot, and Dunlin which are often feeding on the Saline Lagoons. A Kingfisher has been seen hunting over the Saline Lagoons as well, hovering just in front of the hide. Also, the juvenile Peregrine was again sighted attempting to hunt waders along the Marshes.
Large flocks of Pintail have frequented the Freshwater Lagoon and can regularly be seen from the Observatory and Boardwalk Hide, with Friday afternoon seeing around 200! They were likely finding refuge from the bad weather. Many Greenshank were also seen here, with 54 being counted on Thursday morning. The Freshwater Lagoon seems quiet now as we waved off our flock of sheep on Thursday, but we look forward to welcoming them back next year.
The last butterfly survey of the season took place this week, and the weather has definitely got colder, only 2 species (Speckled Wood and Red Admiral) were seen around the Millennium Wetlands. When the sun does make an appearance, so do Common Lizards who like to bask in the warmth to heat up; 2 (1 male and 1 female) were seen on Thursday afternoon.
