Sunday update
Rushy Pen
The Common Tern pair are settling down to nest on one of the islands on the Top pond. The usual gathering of Tufted Duck, Gadwall, Mallard, Canada and Greylag Goose, Coot and Moorhen plus the flocks/broods of Shelduck are also present. A pair of Wigeon are among them. The daytime Black-headed Gull gull roost attracted x4 1st summer Mediterranean Gulls + a rather sick looking adult today. We still have Avocet families and birds incubating but predation has been heavy. Oystercatcher have nearly fledged the one youngster and a few Lapwing can be seen.
Tack Piece/Robbie Garnett Hide
Up to four Green Sandpiper.
Holden Tower
At least one family of Avocet, four more have walked out to the Severn estuary with their young to join the two Lapwing broods that are present. The muddy shelf is full of pools and creeks and over high tide the saltmarsh plants provide cover this is a good feeding ground for the young birds. It is a new nursery site for Avocets so we watch with hope. The large gulls use the area to roost but we have not seen them threaten the families so far.
A male Reed Bunting was singing in the bushes next to the hide.
South Lake
Still at least 14 Avocet nests with other birds roosting/feeding taking the tally to 47 individuals. A flock of 60 Lapwing have now gathered, this signals the end of the breeding season for them, at least two fledged juveniles are among them. The breeding pair of Lapwing still have at least one chick. 37 Black-tailed Godwit are joined by two Redshank, we should now see a rapid increase in birds using the lake as post breeding birds arrive to moult.
The Black-headed Gull colony is brilliant, at least 40 young have fledged, the true figure is likely to be much higher. The noise of so many begging young is well worth experiencing, families are just a few feet from the Discovery Hide. One or two Mediterranean Gulls have dropped in with them today. A few Cormorants, pair of Great Crested Grebe, Mallard and Shelduck broods add to the action.
I have counted over 140 Gadwall on the South Lake today, we are seeing higher numbers than our winter counts and hope they stay to complete their wing moult.
Zeiss Hide
More Avocets, Shelduck (inc 3 broods), two broods of Gadwall and Teal, Gadwall and Mallards in good numbers.
