Sightings for the last few days
Thursday 19 October
Tack Piece
350 Wigeon, 200 Teal and 10 Pintail with more birds arriving for the day.
Rushy Hide
Four Spotted Redshank, 13 Pintail, 2 Pochard, 5 Redshank, 16 Snipe + Teal, Mallard and Tufted Ducks
South Lake
20 Pochard, Great Crested Grebe, 70 Black-tailed Godwit and 6 Snipe among the flocks of ducks.
Estuary Tower
Single Swallow feeding over the Lower Dumbles this morning, notable now due to being late in the season + 400+ Golden Plover flying over the Severn trying to settle. Lesser White-fronted Goose with Canada Geese on the Dumbles saltmarsh+ juvenile Peregrine, Marsh Harrier. In the morning two adult Peregrine, 87 Dunlin and 3 Ruff on Dumbles, flocks of small waders on the Severn on flood tide include 9 Ringed Plover. 43 Pintail, 38 Wigeon + 4 Greenfinch South. 9 Russian White-fronted Geese on lower Dumbles flew to Tack Piece, 16 and 60 Lapwing on the flood puddles and scrape, Great Egret on Tack Piece briefly + Kingfisher, Fieldfare, Redwing, Meadow Pipit, and Siskin fly-bys/overs.
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Wednesday 18 October
South Finger
A Hawfinch just flew over Kingfisher Hide heading for the Spinney Wood.
Middle Point
2 Little Stint and 6 Ringed Plover among the Dunlin flock as the tide ebbed. 9 Russian White-fronted Geese settled on Tack Piece.
South Lake
79 Black-tailed Godwit, 13 Ruff, 15 Pochard, 32 Shoveler, 2 adult Mediterranean Gulls, 250+ Teal and 33 Shelduck. Top New Piece- Goshawk, Ruff, flock of Golden Plover, 9 Shoveler and 150+ Teal.
Grounds
70 Redwing low over the grounds + Siskins and Redpolls over.
Rushy Hide
6 Ruff, 4 Spotted Redshank, 5 Redshank, 74 Black-tailed Godwit, 70 Lapwing, 2 Dunlin and 6 Snipe, 21 Pintail among the Teal and Mallard.
Tack Piece
300+ Wigeon, 9 Pintail, 200+ Teal, 13 Curlew, 200 Greylag.
Middle Point
A few Siskins over, 60 Fieldfare on North side of Tack Piece and roaming the hedges, 14 Cranes on the sands and flying across to Awre to feed.
Estuary Tower
Party of 5 adult Russian White-fronted Geese on the Dumbles but now on the Tack Piece, also a pair with a juvenile but flew off. 32 Lapwing + Ross's Goose, Snow x Bar-headed (reminiscent of Blue phase Snow), two Barnacle x Canada (reminiscent of small race Canada).
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Tuesday 17 October
The Dumbles
Pectoral Sandpiper heard calling from Zeiss Hide and seen in flight with Lapwings appears to have dropped into the saltpan at South end of Dumbles. Pale brown large falcon hunting over estuary
Female Merlin flew high over Severn downriver.
Top New Piece
Great Crested Grebe settled briefly to evade a falcon, Marsh Harrier through early morning, 12 Ruff, and a flock Dunlin on the flood but flushed by raptors, majority of the Teal on the fleet.
Estuary Tower
12 Siskin over SW, the 4 Russian White-fronted Geese are back on the Dumbles, the over summering Pink-footed Goose among Canada Geese on Lower Dumbles. Four Great Egret touched down but eventually flew N, 15 Fieldfare, Redwing, 2 Reed Bunting, 2 Chiffchaff, 3 Siskin, Redpoll over or in the bushes.
Rushy Hide
Three Spotted Redshank, 10 Pintail, 9 Snipe, 3 Redshank, 3 Black-tailed Godwit. Two Great Egret flew over mid morning.
Middle Point
260 Golden Plover, 3 Snipe over, 7 late Ringed Plover on the sands, a few flocks of Dunlin. 29 Wigeon, 2 Pintail, Avocet, 17 Cranes on the Severn sands and shore, latter have dispersed inland
Tack Piece
375 Wigeon and 10 Pintail among the Teal and Shoveler + 8 Curlew.