Recent Sightings 27th November - 3rd December
Hen Harrier, Merlin, Kestrel, Redwing, Woodcock
Storm Arwen made its presence known last weekend with high winds battering the marshes to the South and the forested areas to the North.
Despite the chaos, our waders braced the storm and we have had some great sightings of birds of prey and songbirds across the reserve.
British Steel Hide
A brilliant sighting of our local Hen Harrier was confirmed this Monday (29/11) from the British Steel Hide. The Female Hen Harrier was seen floating above the salt-marsh looking for prey which in this case could be our Voles, Snipe, or unsuspecting Meadow Pipits.
While they're much larger than a Buzzard, the females have barred tail feathers and a large wingspan, so keep an eye out to the estuary from the British Steel Hide in the next coming weeks.
This week we've also spotted smaller birds of prey here at the reserve, Kestrels and Merlins. While the Kestrel makes itself easier to identify with its textbook hover so as to scan the grass for small mammals, the Merlins tend to frequent the Salt-Marsh chasing after small birds.
If you're struggling to differentiate the two by their fleeting flight then their behaviours are one of the better methods to identify them.
Watching the drama unfold on the marsh has been the Kingfisher, which has been seen this week consistently hunting small fish on the banks only metres away from the British Steel Hide's Southern windows. Seeing the Kingfisher hovering and lowering itself slowly before it darts into the water, is quite a sight to behold even for the most experienced birders.
The illusive Woodcock has been spotted flying close to the fringes of our woodland, their preferred habitat, and darting across the boggy fields at quite a pace. They're often extremely difficult to spot due to their camouflage and confidence, where they are known to take flight at the last possible opportunity, similar to our marsh based Snipe.
On the Southern areas of the Wetlands, a large tally of 74 Redwing was counted this week as they were feeding from the grassland searching for worms and insects. Listen out for a 'seep' call from the brush and look for a Thrush sized bird with a Rusty orange patch on its flank. They're a treat to see and a Winter visitor for us here at Llanelli, where we're lucky to have such large numbers consistently.
Near the Peter Scott hide, look to our Alder Trees, and you are sure to find an array of small songbirds. This week we've seen chattering charms of Goldfinches, striking Siskins and Lesser Redpolls with their red caps eating from the cones of the Alders.
