Recent Sightings 6th - 12th November
Ring Ouzel, Green Sandpiper, Hen Harrier, Goshawk, Spotted Redshank, Fieldfare.
British Steel Hide
Green Sandpipers are daily visitors to the Freshwater lagoon and the far sides of the Dafen Scrapes. Similar to the Common Sandpiper in size, the Green Sandpipers are best identified by their lack of a white 'shoulder bar' and their dark green legs. While they're visible at the British Steel Hide, they're consistent from the Boardwalk hide where they're spotted on the far banks browsing through the shallows. A Spotted Redshank has been sighted in the Saline Lagoon, along with small numbers of Curlew sifting through the creeks. On the estuary itself, an elegant Hen Harrier has been seen gliding across the marshes, boding well for future visits. Large numbers of Wigeon, Teal, and Shoveler can be heard and seen frequently on both the Saline and Freshwater Lagoons with the Wigeon ebbing on and off the banks to feed through the marshy ground.
Millennium Wetland
One of the first sightings in recent years of a Ring Ouzel was recorded at the start of this week (5/11). A thick drizzle had formed over the reserve and the illusive bird was spotted recuperating on the fringes of the coastal path, refuelling for it's journey Southwards into South Europe and North Africa's much warmer climates. Goldcrests are out in small groups at the Heron's Wing hide and are more often be heard before being seen, which is a similar case for our Water rails. A Goshawk has been seen darting through the trees that border the Deep Water Lake, and can be told apart from the Sparrowhawk by it's much larger size. As we welcome in darker evenings huge flocks of Jackdaw, numbering around 5,000, have begun to cloud the sky over Deep Water Lake before roosting further East on the fringes of the reserve creating quite the evening spectacle.
