Sightings and news to the week ending 12 January 2025
97 species of bird noted in our recording area since New Year's Day
12 January
Spinney Wood
Treecreeper calling.
South Lake
No sign of the Spoonbill today.
Busy with ducks (Pochard, Tufted, Pintail, Shoveler, Teal, Mallard and Gadwall) on the ice free area of deep lake, GC Grebe, 10 Cormorants, 10 Dunlin and 3 Black-tailed Godwit among the Lapwing on the ice.
Estuary Tower
Most of the duck are on the Severn including a pair of Pochard, rare event to see this species here, frozen out of the usual haunts 178 Barnacle, Ross's. 10 Russian White-fronted Geese, Snow x Barnacle, Canada x Barnacle and Barnacle x Greylags hybrids.
Tack Piece
The Little Stint was seen first thing plus 30 Ruff, 8 Redshank, Curlew, Lapwing and Dunlin + Pied Wagtails.
Rushy Hide
The Whooper Swan still plus 65 Bewick's Swans but nearly all went to the Dumbles to feed.
Kingfisher Hide
Water Rail on cut areas of the reed bed ponds to the East, Little Grebe, Shoveler, Gadwall and Teal along the channel and a Buzzard intercepted a passing Marsh Harrier.
Bottom and Top New Piece
Pink-footed Goose with the Canada Geese.
Van de Bovenkamp Hide
32 Russian White-fronted Geese among the Greylags in the Tin Shed Ground.
Hogarth Hide
Drumming Great-spotted Woodpecker in the oaks on the East side of the lake with another perched
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11 January
South Lake From Discovery Hide
Single Great Crested Grebe, 240 Teal, 1010 Lapwing, 91 Dunlin, 1 Black Tailed Godwit, 220 Tufted Duck, 210 Shoveler, 14 Gadwall, 34 Pochard, 1 juvenile Spoonbill 8 Cormorant and single Ruff.
Van de Bovenkamp Hide- Tin Shed Ground
White Fronted Goose 35, Barnacle Goose 1, Greylag Goose 78, Canada Goose 75.
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10 January
Rushy Hide
On the Rushy first thing there were 64 Bewick’s and the Whooper Swan on the ice. 4 farmyard geese, plus Pintail, Shelduck, Mallard, Teal, Greylags, Lapwing and Dunlin.
Tack Piece
From the Robbie Garnett Hide there were 2 Mute Swan and 7 Cranes flew overhead.
Estuary Tower
On the Long ground pool there were 133 Teal, 36 Shoveler, a few Mallard and a Mute Swan.
On the Dumbles there were 8 Ruff, 4 Bewick’s Swans, 478 Canada Goose, 1 Buzzard and 6 Shelduck on the estuary.
South Finger walkway
From Van De Bovenkamp Hide there were c50 White-fronted Geese on the Tin Shed ground. From Kingfisher Hide there was a Water Rail skittering on the ice and a Little Grebe fishing in a small open patch of water.
Zeiss Hide.
The spinney was busy with small passerines amongst the leaf litter. Siskin, Redpoll and Goldfinch were in the Alder trees and a Treecreeper was seen late afternoon too.
South Lake
There were 83 Golden Plover and 16 Dunlin amongst 1000+ Lapwing on the frozen upper lake. On the partially frozen lower lake there were 151 Tufted Duck, 44 Pochard, 1 Great crested grebe, 118 Shoveler, 183 Teal, 10 Cormorant and the Pale Buzzard was also around.
9 January
Very cold conditions, another frozen scene with unfrozen stretches on the Rushy top pond, centre of the Tack Piece and South Lake deep lake.
Tack Piece
53 Bewick's Swan, the Whooper Swan, 14 Cranes, 26 Ruff and 29 Black-tailed Godwit at dawn.
South Lake
Really busy with ducks on the deep lake, most species present in good numbers. The juvenile Spoonbill continues with 5 Black-tailed Godwit among the Lapwing flock.
Rushy Hide/Peng Observatory
Lots of wildfowl and waders around the largely unfrozen top pond.
Spinney Wood
Redpolls feeding on the weeds.
8 January
We took a catch of wildfowl in the morning using the Swan trap in the Rushy, the aim to continue our scientific conservation work and check the health of a sample of birds.
Among them was only the second ever Whooper Swan ringed here, ten Bewick's Swans, 2 drake Pochard, 17 Shelduck, 17 Tufted Duck, 6 Pintail, 25 Mallard, 9 Greylag and 4 Canada Geese.
The Whooper Swan is now ringed and carrying a darvic that reads ASS.
Highlights
The drake Green-winged Teal was again seen on the Top New Piece. The Russian White-fronted Geese fed in the Tin Shed Ground and Bottom New Piece so Van de Bovenkamp Hide was best.
Top New Piece
200 Dunlin, 150 Lapwing, Great Egret, c300 Teal, 1 Buzzard.
Kingfisher Hide
Single Great spotted woodpecker, 1 Water Rail, 2 Little Grebe, 21 Gadwall, 6 Shoveler, flock of Long-tailed tit on the feeders and a Roe Deer.
South Lake
Single Spoonbill, 300 Lapwing, 77 Pochard, 59 Shoveler, 37 Tufted Duck, 2 Pintail, Cattle Egret, 75 Teal, 2 Snipe and Black-tailed Godwit.
Grounds
Kingfisher in the matrix.
7 January
Kingfisher Hide
15 Russian White-fronted Geese with the Greylags Geese on the Four Score. Kingfisher and Water Rail in the cut reed sections of the reed beds, Little Grebe, Shoveler and Gadwall along the channel.
South Lake
Spoonbill and 15 Avocets, GC Grebe, flocks of Pochard, Tufted Duck, Teal, Shovelers, Greylags.
Rushy Hide/Peng Obs
Whooper Swan with 65 Bewick's Swans but birds now moving out to the fields.
Tack Piece- Little Stint and 84 Black-tailed Godwit among the Ruff, Redshank, Curlew, Lapwing, Golden Plover and Dunlin
6 January 2025
South Lake
The juvenile Spoonbill resting on the deep lake islands and 7 Avocets have returned to the wader scrape.
Estuary Tower
Peregrine on the cross fence to south.
Pill Box Pool
32 Wigeon.
Long Ground Pool
6 Wigeon, 49 Shoveler, Cormorant, Tufted Duck and Pochard.
Rushy Hide/Peng Observatory
Whooper Swan among the 65 Bewick's Swans but the flock are fairly mobile, Dumbles and Tack Piece holding changing numbers of birds through the morning .
Grounds
At least 7 Siskin with Goldfinches near the Sanderson Bridge but roaming.
Top New Piece- drake Green-winged Teal feeding on the southern island + 150 Teal, 60 Wigeon
