Recent Wildlife Sightings 7th - 13th September
Highlights: Otter, Marsh Harrier, Peregrine Falcon, Green Sandpiper
September has brought sunshine, showers, and rather chilly mornings here on the reserve. Shivering hands aren’t great for using binoculars, but we’ve still spotted plenty of highlights this past week!
Highlights: Otter, Marsh Harrier, Peregrine Falcon, Green Sandpiper
Some lucky visitors have spotted one of our illusive Otters one morning this week emerging from Deep Water Lake. We would recommend to anyone wishing to spot them to head over to the Heron’s Wing Hide or the Sir Peter Scott Hide and keep a close eye out. The otters will likely spook the birds before you spot them, so watch carefully if they fly off in a frenzy!
This morning out on the Marsh Scrapes, the wading birds were rudely harassed by a Peregrine Falcon flying by looking for easy lone prey. It didn’t take long after the intruder had left for the Black-Tailed Godwits, Black-Headed Gulls, and Redshank to return to their wading spots though. With their return, so came along a lone Green Sandpiper, who posed rather nicely for photographers in the Michael Powell Hide.
A Marsh Harrier was also spotted this Monday, quartering over the Eastern Scrapes, flying low and searching for unwitting prey.
Fortunately for our visitors, we have had some Great White Egrets visiting lately! We have spotted up to four at once early in the week, so keep an eye out to see if they return to go spearfishing in our waters one again!
Our most recent reptile survey was full of some lovely surprises! We were lucky enough to spot three Grass Snakes, a Slow Worm, and a Common lizard. A Water Shrew and a juvenile Newt were found hiding under our artificial reptile refuges too!
And of course, you can still catch our photogenic Kingfishers showing off their beautiful blue feathers.
Featured Photo Credit: Timothy Woolf
