Wildlife Sightings 27-30th August
British Steel Hide
Green and Common Sandpipers have been regular visitors to our newly dug Dafen Scrapes, which are starting to fill up following the rainy weekend. The Goshawk is keeping on the low down but a juvenile Marsh Harrier has been seen a few times from the Steel hide over the last few days, the first we've had visiting for quite some time.
High tide wader numbers have been fantastic over the last few days on the Saline lagoons, with counts of 1022 Black-tailed Godwit, 349 Redshank, 55 Greenshank, 2 Spotted Redshank, 135 Curlew, 2 Whimbrel, 151 Knot, 7 Dunlin, and 47 Lapwing. Two Spoonbills have been hanging around as well.
A flock of around 50 Linnet was seen yesterday on the sea wall, and lots of migrating hirundines can be seen passing through and stopping to feed both here and in the Millennium Wetlands.
Millennium Wetlands
The Kingfishers are well and truly back after their breeding season, with daily sightings of up to two birds, most often from the Heron's Wing and Peter Scott Hides, although occasionally also from the British Steel Hide if the winds are low. We tend to hear them before we see them - listen out for their piercing short whistled calls, like a Dunnock with a megaphone!
Around 50 Lapwing together with the usual suspects of Gadwall, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Coot, Little Grebe, and Mute Swan can all be seen regularly from the hides and viewing screens. On the bike trails, look out for our resident Green Woodpeckers with their lime green rumps and bounding flight. A Barn Owl has also been seen during the day near the Deep Water Lake.
