Recent Sightings (3rd-6th Feb)
British Steel Hide
A nice selection of birds have been seen from the hide over the past few days including a Water Pipit on the 4th, a Great White Egret (up until the 6th), the Spoonbill (up until the 6th) a Merlin and a 2nd winter Yellow-legged Gull (on the 5th). Wader counts include c.400 Dunlin, c.350 Black-tailed Godwit's, c.250 Lapwing, 2 Spotted Redshanks, 8 Knot and 11 Greenshank. Wildfowl counts have include 11 Shoveler, 222 Pintail (estuary), a Mute Swan (estuary) c.30 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 54 Wigeon, 6 Gadwall, 2 Teal, 1 Great Crested Grebe and 152 Shelduck. Other species have included a Grey Heron, a Red Kite, 2 Buzzards, a Peregrine, 9 Goldfinches and a Fieldfare.
Millennium Wetlands
Wildfowl counts from the Peter Scott Hide include 17 Coot, 26 Gadwall, 16 Teal, 8 Shoveler, 41 Tufted Ducks, 8 Pochard, 2 Little Grebes and 7 Shelduck. Waders on the Deep Water Lake have included 13 Black-tailed Godwits, 3 Lapwing and 13 Snipe. A Kestrel, a Little Egret and 2 Grey Herons have been seen from the Peter Scott Hide as well. A pair of Stonechats have returned to the centre path area, hopefully the breeding pair from last year have returned. A report of two Great White Egrets flying over the wetlands on the 6th was the first record of multiple Great White Egrets for the winter, it seemed likely that there was more than one in the area with so many recent sightings. There are now at least three drumming Great Spotted Woodpeckers on the reserve, and a handful of other bird species are beginning to set up territories for the breeding season.
