Today's sightings
A great start to the day in the sunshine with the highlight being an adult male Goshawk hunting from the Zeiss Hide. Check out the video on our Twitter here. The bird had lots of choose from with plenty of duck and waders on the scrape and feeding in the wet patches across the field.
Holden Walkway
The Tack Piece was just starting to get going this morning as the first Lapwing, Curlew and Redshank joined the Wigeon and Teal. Two groups of Shelduck, 10 from Martin Smith Hide and another 10 from Robbie Garnett Hide, were all busy displaying. Also on the Tack Piece scrape were 8 Shoveler. A Little Egret was hunting on the pool in front of the Martin Smith Hide.
Out on the Dumbles it was reasonably busy with around 500 Lapwing and 70 Golden Plover dotted across the floodwater. Two Skylark were in full song, a Peregrine was sat out on the mudflat in the river and a Buzzard was sat on the fenceline. A couple of Bewick's Swans had joined the flock of 155 White-fronted Geese and a fox was seen caching part of a kill next to the Holden Tower. A Song Thrush has taken up residence in the copse in front of the hide and is gleefully singing away each morning. He was joined this morning by 3 Linnet, 2 Reed Bunting, 8 Chaffinch and a Meadow Pipit.
.
Zeiss Hide
With all the birds on edge it was clear something was un-nerving them. It turned out to be the adult male Goshawk which was first seen sat next to the edge of the scrape from a failed hunting foray. The bird then took off and made two more strikes at the Teal before heading off past the Kingfisher Hide. Check out the video here.
Waders on the scrape and across the field included the Spotted Redshank, 4 Ruff, 3 Redshank, 600+ Lapwing, a single Black-tailed Godwit, 300+ Dunlin and at least 10 Snipe. A Cetti's Warbler was singing from the reedbed, with a second male singing from behind the hide, probably from the reedbed on the other side of the South Finger path.
.
South Lake Hides
Two Goldeneye (1st winter male and a female) were on the deep lake, mixed in amongst the Mallard and Gadwall near the end of the causeway, as viewed from the Discovery Hide. Otherwise the deep lake was reasonably quiet with a few Shoveler, 8 Cormorant, Little Grebe and Great Crested Grebe present.
All the waders were tightly packed along the back edge of the scrape and included over 1000 Lapwing, 90 Black-tailed Godwit, 5 Ruff and at least 3 Knot. The Hogarth Hide may offer the best views. A pair of Oystercatcher were on the causeway in front of the Discovery Hide. A large flock of Black-headed Gulls also contained at least 15 Common Gull.
.
Kingfisher Hide
Following the fly by of the Goshawk, the pond was empty of birds. A flock of 26 Curlew were feeding on the Bottom New Piece.
