Snake suprise
Another gloriously sunny day but temperatures were rather chilly this morning reducing the warbler activity in front of the Holden Tower. Two whitethroats were seen and a number of chiffchaff and willow warbler are calling around the grounds. An unexpected treat today have been at least 2 grass snakes seen around the Rushy. Visitors taking part on Land Rover Safaris will have more than likely seen grass snakes in the reedbed, but having them in front of the Peng Observatory was a real treat.
South Lake Hides
The cattle egret dropped in briefly just around 9am, departing by 9:30am and then seen to fly north past the Zeiss Hide. It was later seen on the Rushy. The black-tailed godwit flock, containing 174 birds, was roosting on the island. Mixed amongst them were 14 redshank and 11 ruff. Two snipe were feeding at the back of the wader scrape, but best location for snipe was the Hogarth Hide were 9 birds were feeding very close to the hide.
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Rushy Hide
Only 2 green sandpiper were present this morning along with the juvenile little-ringed plover, a juvenile ruff and 16 lapwing. Five snipe were on the edge of the causeway. The juvenile little grebe was on the upper pond and this afternoon at least 2 grass snakes were seen around the Peng Observatory, one swimming in the upper pond and one in the doorway to the building!
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Zeiss Hide
A large chunk of the black-tailed godwit flock had relocated to the Top New Piece scrape late morning and were roosting along the edge of the scrape. A good number of teal were also present with a few shoveler and gadwall mixed in. A pair of little grebe were on the pool overlooked by the Van de Bovenkamp Hide. A water rail was calling from the reedbed in front of the Zeiss Hide, as was a Cetti's Warbler.
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Holden Tower
A marsh harrier was sat out on a fence post along the edge of the river, a peregrine was sat on a sand bank in the river and a second bird flew over from the Zeiss Hide. Three cranes also dropped in to the Dumbles mid-morning. Just 2 whitethroat were seen in the copse this morning along with a reed warbler. A cetti's warbler was singing from the reedbed near the Knott Hide.
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