Sightings and news to week ending 6 April
An ongoing record of what's been seen around the reserve.
Cranes
Our breeding pairs of Cranes are highly territorial, a couple of pairs experience temporary difficulties with the quartet of three juveniles and immature, these four visit for as long as they are tolerated and are often found on the Tack Piece. Other pairs are regularly 'prospecting' with the pair Oakie and Sherbert laying an egg on one of the Top New Piece islands. The South Lake pair Ruby and un-ringed mate appeared to be gearing up to lay an egg.
Kingfishers
The pair nesting opposite the Kingfisher Hide are still very active, if they haven't begun laying already they must be very close. We had to close up some side windows due to people hanging out to get photographs. Some good news, a second pair have settled at the Duck Decoy pond, they have taken to a faced bank that we created in 2024, both male and female are digging here giving good views through glass from the Decoy Hide, not as close as the Kingfisher Hide pair but OK with binoculars. It's still important to be quiet and move slowly.
Wednesday 2 April
Estuary Tower
Some movement of Linnets and Meadow Pipits over North, a Ruff was on the scrape with the Teal, Wigeon and 11 Shelduck. Also on the Dumbles were 2 Oystercatcher, 19 Curlew, 1 Little Egret and Skylarks were singing too.
Along the walkway approaching the tower there were Blackcap, Cetti's and Chiffchaff singing.
Discovery Hide
114 Avocet along with 42 Shoveler, 18 Tufted Duck, 1 Great-crested Grebe, 5 Oystercatcher, 64 Black-tailed Godwit and 12 Gadwall. Late morning there were 11 Cattle Egret sunning themselves too and a Peregrine also flew through spooking the Avocet.
Zeiss Hide
On the Top new piece there was no sign of the Crane pair, however there were 6 Redshank, 52 Golden Plover, 42 Shelduck, 68 Teal, 12 Lapwing, 4 Swallows over the water, 3 Little Egret and 6 Wigeon.
Rushy Hide
Two Oystercatcher were patrolling the causeway first thing this morning alongside 1 Redshank, 22 Black-tailed Godwit were feeding on the wader scrape with 23 Teal and a large flock of Black-headed gulls.
Robbie Garnett Hide
Two Green Sandpiper were at the end of the scrape first thing in the morning, the remaining 10 White-fronted geese were wandering along the waters edge too. Three Redshank were sunning themselves, 6 Cranes including 2 Juveniles settled at the back near the hedgerow and 2 Spoonbills (1 Adult, 1 2cy) joined the Tack Piece later on in the morning.
Tuesday 1 April
Tack Piece
Two Spoonbill, 50 Wigeon, c30 Teal and c30 Shoveler.
Estuary Tower
Large flock of feeding Black-headed Gulls on the flooded Dumbles + Curlew, 10 Wigeon, c25 Teal. Four Little Gulls flew through late morning. Two Fieldfare over South.
South Finger
Male Goshawk with a Moorhen kill early in the morning, flew South with it's prey, Peregrine perched in the tall Ash trees to S of Kingfisher Hide, pair of Kingfishers at the nest hole, Lapwing on the Bottom New Piece and hunting Marsh Harrier.
Monday 31 March
The highest tide of the year did a fantastic job of filling the pools and scrape on the Dumbles today, a long period with no rain had seen the area dry up so this was most welcome.
Estuary Tower
22 Curlew, 8 GBB Gull, a few Common Gull, 4 Oystercatcher and two Ringed Plover reported over the tide. Male Marsh Harrier flew through.
South Finger Reed beds
Water Rail, Cetti's Warbler and Reed Bunting.
Top New Piece
10 Wigeon, 2 Shoveler, 2 Mediterranean Gulls over to NE, 50 Teal, Water Rail, 3 male, 4 female Lapwing and a pair of Oystercatcher. A Bittern was watched this afternoon as it moved from the reedy patches between Zeiss Hide and Van de Bovenkamp Hide and the Kingfisher Hide.
Tack Piece
68 Wigeon, two Little ringed Plover, 2 Spoonbill, 2 Redshank, 48 Teal, 56 Shoveler, Little Egret. Dumbles- 22 Shoveler, 37 Teal, 12 Avocet.
Kingfisher Hide
Pair of Kingfishers at the nest hole, 10 Russian White-fronted Geese with Greylags on the Four Score, single Golden Plover, 4 pairs of Lapwing, 2 pairs of Redshank on Bottom New Piece, 3 Reed Bunting and Water Rail.
