Ruff up to eleven and a juvenile Mediterranean Gull
A few more male Ruff are on the scrapes
We now have at least eleven male Ruff on site, they are rather mobile choosing to feed on Top New Piece, Tack Piece, Rushy and South Lake but soemtimes meet up to feed or roost together. These birds are sporting a variety of plumage as they moult out of breeding plumage, one is now in the grey non-breeding plumage.
Other sightings on a busy day about the site include the following.
South Lake
Common Sandpiper, 6 male Ruff (but flew to Rushy), 8 Black-tailed Godwit, 14 Redshank, 3 Green Sandpiper, 2 Oystercatcher, 4 Pochard also the moulting adult Mediterranean Gull, two Common Gull and two Herring Gull.
Middle Point
Three Turnstone, 4 Ringed Plover, 6 Dunlin and a Whimbrel heard South of the point with 85 Curlew in the high tide roost on the Dumbles and 12 Little Egret on the Royal Drift breakwater wall. The morning low tide produced an Avocet, flocks of 37 and 22 Black-tailed Godwit, 53 Dunlin, 1 Sanderling, adult Yellow-legged Gull with a few Lesser Black- backed and Black-headed Gulls on the sands/mud to the North.
Rushy Hide/Peng Observatory
An immature Spoonbill flew in mid morning, it also toured the other scrapes, a Cattle Egret joined a Little and Great Egret (latter red ringed ABN from Somerset 2022)
Three Spotted Redshank, 60 Black-tailed Godwits, two male Ruff (became eight), 10 Redshank, 7 Lapwing + Teal, Shoveler, Shelduck and Mallard on the pools.
Top New Piece
Two Garganey on the fleet to South of Zeiss Hide, a Little Grebe, 82 Gadwall + Teal and Mallard, single Spotted Redshank early morning moved to Rushy, 103 Lapwing, a male Ruff, 36 Black-tailed Godwit, a Green Sandpiper, the mobile Great Egret (Red ABN) was here and Little Egret.
Tack Piece
Three Little-ringed Plover, single Common and 7 Green Sandpiper, two male Ruff, 30 Teal and 7 Shoveler on the scrape, 11 Lapwing and 2 Curlew on the field.
