Returning birds following the thaw
After a very cold spell with largely frozen waters the thaw has set in with a return to wet and windy conditions, the wading birds began to return to the fields and scrapes and wildfowl numbers, particularly the dabbling ducks, good to see them back on the scrapes.
A few highlights today included the following.
Estuary Tower
Little Stint on the Dumbles scrape islands, Peregrine on the foreshore driftwood + 200 Wigeon on the scrape. 420 Pintail were on the Severn.
Tack Piece
The waders returned through the day with Curlew, Golden Plover, Lapwing and Dunlin but early morning there were 14 Ruff and 15 Redshank, 400 Wigeon and a few Teal and Pintail among them. Marsh Harrier hunting during the day.
Rushy Hide/Peng Observatory
112 Bewick's Swans at dawn + 4 on Tack Piece, post roost gathering of three Cattle Egret on the isthmus + the usual duck and geese.
Duck Decoy
Great Egret roosted.
South Lake
Two Avocet, 14 Cormorant, 40 Pochard, 50 Shoveler and 30 Teal.
Bottom New Piece from Kingfisher Hide
Grey Plover among 200 Golden Plover, 400 Dunlin, 350 Lapwing, single Curlew and Black-tailed Godwit, Dark-bellied Brent juvenile and Pink-footed Goose among 190 Barnacle and 240 Canada Geese + Ross's Goose and the hybrids.
South Finger Reedbed
Kingfisher in the ditch near the screen, Great Egret, 2 Bullfinch in the hedge.
Top New Piece
50 Black-tailed Godwit, 140 Wigeon, 8 Shoveler, 16 Pintail and 30 Lapwing.
Entrance Road Fields
Two Whooper Swans, Snow Goose, 55 Russian White-fronted Geese + single Barnacle Barnacle Goose.
Grounds
Two Grey Wagtail in a territorial pursuit, two Lesser Redpoll and c60 Siskin roving the grounds with the Goldfinches, they were in the alders on the loopway this morning.
Please note tat we are short staffed at the moment so updates may be few and far between here, it's worth also keeping an eye on our Twitter page for sightings https://twitter.com/slimbridge_wild
