Recent Sightings (evening of the 17th- 20th Oct)
British Steel Hide
Highlights from the British Steel Hide include a Great Northern Diver that was seen feeding on the estuary on the 17th and a 3rd winter Yellow-legged Gull, which was seen on the saline lagoons on the same date. A Dark-bellied Brent Goose was seen on the estuary also. Wader counts from the hide include 620 Black-tailed Godwits, 320 Curlew, 28 Knot, 23 Lapwing, a Spotted Redshank (17th and 18th), 26 Greenshank, 57 Redshank and 4 Snipe. 18 Teal, 20 Shelduck, 2 Shoveler and 5 Wigeon have also been seen from the hide. Other birds have included Stonechats, Meadow Pipits, a Sparrowhawk, a Peregrine and at least 4 Swallows flew past the lagoons on the 19th.
VisMig
For those that do not know, vismig (or visible migration) is a birdwatching strategy where you stand in a single spot and record migrating birds that fly over, autumn is by far the best time of year to do this as a variety of species move south for the winter. The following totals were recorded from just outside the visitor centre on the footpath leading down to the Heron's Wing hide.
Millennium Wetlands and Grounds
A bird that sounded like a Yellow-browed Warbler was heard calling from willow scrub near the observatory with a flock of Goldcrests and Tits on the 18th. Unfortunately the bird was never seen or refound afterwards, so the sighting could not be confirmed. Wildfowl from the millennium wetlands include 4 Pochard, 3 Pintail, Teal, Shoveler, Coot, Moorhen, good numbers of Gadwall. A small flock of Lapwing still frequent the stony island in front of the Peter Scott hide as well as Common Snipe. Good numbers of finches around too, with Bullfinches, Goldfinches, Siskins and Chaffinches seen in different locations throughout the Millennium Wetlands.
Other Wildlife
More Otter footage has been attained from the trail camera, and will likely be uploaded onto our social media pages in the coming days. A few Red Admirals and Speckled Woods are still appearing in the times of more pleasant weather. A juvenile Grass Snake was found by a member of the reserves team near the Water Vole City.
