Recent Sightings 5th-9th January
Highlights -Otters, Sparrowhawk, Water Rail, Song Thrushes, Bullfinches and Lapwing.
British Steel Hide
This recent cold snap has frozen the saline lagoon and Dafen scrapes meaning our usual species have been taking refuge out on the estuary. Lapwing numbers have still been good and as spring approaches we will soon see them starting to establish their territories. A sparrowhawk has been spotted hunting over the marsh as well. All over the site song thrushes have been abundant which is nice to see due to their threatened status. Bullfinches have also been extremely common and their bright colours really cheer up these cold winter months.
Millennium Wetlands
While life on the frozen lagoon, and indeed in our own human world, has ground to a halt, wildlife in the Millennium wetlands has remained bountiful and more than made up for it! Otters have been on deep water lake along with all the ducks in their magnificant winter plumage. One of the reserve team was lucky enough to watch a water rail feeding and preening for a few minutes from the Welsh Water hide which is amazing in comparison to the few seconds we normally catch a glimpse of them for. The bird feeders are a a constant flurry of activity with visitors including nuthatches, lesser red poll, treecreepers, woodpeckers, siskin and chaffinches. It seems even if we cannot go about our normal daily life, our beautiful wildlife counterparts always will!
