Rounding up the week
All our main star birds are still with us by the end of the working week and into the weekend, plus all our Bewick's Swans too
All our main star birds are still with us by the end of the working week, and into the weekend. Our Bewick's Swans are also still with us as temperatures remain low, and the weather not in their favour for migration.
Bewick's Swans
After numbers seemingly dropping off a few days ago, a total of 114 birds were identified on Friday 3rd March. The birds are really being blocked by the weather, discouraging them from starting their journey back east and then north to their breeding grounds. Monday may offer a weather window for the birds to head off, but with colder temperatures forecast we may yet see numbers remain high - possibly the highest March counts we've seen for many years.
White-rumped Sandpiper
Our visiting wader from North American continues to delight visitors. The bird is almost always on the South Lake from the Discovery Hide, but can be seen from the Hogarth Hide too. We've had a few reports of the bird elsewhere on the reserve, but nearly all sightings are from the South Lake.
Greater Scaup
The drake bird arrived with us many weeks ago looking like a female Tufted Duck, with just a single grey adult male feather on the back. It has been great to watch the bird moult through and he is now nearly complete and looking like a real drake Greater Scaup. The bird is mainly seen on the Rushy, but has also been spending time this week on the South Lake, viewed from the Discovery Hide.
Spoonbill
The Spoonbill has taken to roosting on the Rushy and is here, asleep, early morning before the daily morning swan feed. Sometimes the bird will tolerate the wheelbarrow passing around the edge of the pond, and other mornings the bird will lift up and drop down back on the Tack Piece, and go back to sleep. Look from the Robbie Garnett Hide.
Today's sightings include...
South Lake
The drake Greater Scaup was on the deep lake this morning along with a drake Goldeneye, 38 Pochard, 97 Shoveler, four Pintail, a pair Gadwall and 17 Cormorant. The wader scrape was very busy with large flocks of waders including 640 Lapwing, 600 Golden Plover, 295 Dunlin, 187 Black-tailed Godwit, ten Snipe and 30 Avocet along with the White-rumped Sandpiper.
Estuary Tower
One of our Crane families dropped in on the Dumbles this morning, with adults Kia & Chocolo then performing a courtship dance. A Peregrine was sat on driftwood on the edge of the riverbank. The White-fronted Geese were in the goose fields to the north, with the Snow Goose also here. Mid-morning the flock lifted with some birds heading to the estuary, and others back into the fields to graze.
Robbie Garnett Hide
The Spoonbill roosted over the hedge on the Rushy but moved off during the daily morning swan feed. It settled on the Tack Piece and returned to sleeping. Also across the Tack Piece were 817 Wigeon (including a colour ringed bird from Project Penelope - see more details here), 11 Pintail, 12 Shoveler, nine Curlew (including a colour flagged bird from WWT's Severn & Avon Vale project - see more details here), a Redshank and the flock of Barnacle Goose dropped in here after initially arriving from the north and settling on the Dumbles.
South Finger Reedbed
A small flock of 7 Tufted Duck were on the settling pond with a pair of Gadwall
Rushy Hide
A count of 84 Bewick's Swan so far this morning, with more birds likely to have departed early morning to head out into nearby fields to graze. Weather conditions look like Monday could be a day for these birds to start their journey back to the breeding grounds.
Hogarth Hide
A small flock of Siskin and Redpoll can be seen in the alder trees near the hide. A Chiffchaff was also heard calling.
Zeiss Hide
Ten pair of Shelduck were on the Top New Piece as their breeding season will soon be getting going too. Other birds of note included 194 Wigeon, a Grey Heron, four Pochard, two pairs of Gadwall, 35 Teal and a Buzzard.
Kingfisher Hide
A Snipe was sat in the middle of the Four Score (arable) field. A Water Rail was heard squealing from the reeds near the hide.
