Recent Sightings (evening of the 16th-20th Feb)
British Steel Hide
Our monthly WeBS count took place on the 19th, and a good array of birds were counted as the tide was around7.7 metres high. Wader counts from both the WeBS and the weekend included 282 Lapwing, 477 Black-tailed Godwits, 241 Curlew, 18 Redshank, 9 Greenshank, 3 Knot, 58 Dunlin and 2 Spotted Redshanks. Wildfowl counts have included 171 Teal, 3 Great Crested Grebes, 81 Wigeon, 21 Canada Geese, 1 Greylag Goose, 37 Shoveler, 7 Pintail, 23 Mallard, 26 Tufted Ducks, 3 Pochard and 2 Gadwall. A Great White Egret was seen from the hide on the 18th. The two Spoonbills were still present on the 19th. A male Merlin was seen perched on a post on the saltmarsh and a Water Pipit was seen feeding on the wet grassland on the NRA scrapes on the 19th. The gull roost has held good numbers of Herring, Lesser Black-Backed and Great Black-Backed Gulls with over 3000 Gulls present on some evenings. On the 16th three Yellow-legged Gulls roosted on the lagoons and the same 2nd winter bird has roosted every evening for around a week or so now. Other species seen have included a Skylark, 2 Pied Wagtails, a Buzzard, a Sparrowhawk, a Grey Heron and 7 Little Egrets.
Millennium Wetlands
It has really felt like Spring out on the reserve this weekend, and the birds are feeling it too. A pair of Lapwing were taking interest in the cockle beds on the main island of Deep Water Lake on the 17th, this is an area where they have bred in the past, and it's a good sign for the upcoming breeding season. Blue and Great Tits have been investigating our nest boxes and the mornings are now alive with the sound of bird song. Two Kingfishers were seen chasing each other around the Lily Pond whilst frantically calling, we hope that this could be breeding related behaviour. The female Ring-necked Duck has been seen on the Deep Water Lake up until the 19th. Other wildfowl from the reserve have included 11 Coot, 12 Moorhen, 58 Tufted Ducks, 17 Teal, 41 Mallard, 33 Gadwall, 8 Shelduck, 6 Shoveler, 14 Pochard, 7 Little Grebes, 3 Mute Swans and 2 Wigeon. Waders have included 3 Lapwing (with 150+ seen flying over), 300+ Black-tailed Godwits (flyovers) and 7 Common Snipe from the Peter Scott Hide. A Great White Egret briefly joined two Little Egrets on the main island on the Deep Water Lake before it flew out to the estuary (on the 20th). An large flock (for Penclacwydd standards) of Redwing probably consisting of 200+ birds was seen around the Northern Loop on the 18th, but were nowhere to be found the day afterwards. Other species have included a Red Kite, a Skylark, 4 Woodcock (Black Poplar Wood), a Stonechat, a Sparrowhawk and a Grey Heron.
