Wildlife Sightings for 17th September 2023
Common Sandpipers, Hobby hunting over the marsh, Wigeon numbers growing.
3 Common Sandpiper - main lake, reservoir lagoon
1 Green Sandpiper - main lake
3 Snipe - marsh, wader scrape
2 Hobby - main lake, marsh
1 Peregrine - over
1 Sparrowhawk - marsh
1 Kestrel - south route
1 Garganey - main lake
140 Gadwall - site count
29 Teal - site count
34 Wigeon - site count
60 Shoveler - site count
56 Pochard - site count
54 Tufted - site count
102 Mallard - site count
2 Little Grebe - reservoir lagoon, main lake
1 Blackcap - south route
2 Grey Wagtail - world wetlands
484 wild ducks counted on site today and expecting these numbers to rise over the coming weeks. Really nice to see the returning winter ducks like feeding in the green summer vegetation. Numbers of Teal and Wigeon are increasing week after week. Gadwall numbers have steadied. Three species of falcon visited the site before 12pm. Two Hobby were seen hunting over the marsh and main lake, one Kestrel was seen gliding over the south route and a Peregrine was seen circling high over. Wader numbers are low but steady with three Common Sandpiper feeding separately in the muddy areas of the reserve. The ever elusive Snipe are out there but do require a bit of patience with the vegetation as high as it is, after a particularly vigorous season of growth. No Jack Snipe reported so far this autumn. Canada Geese seem to have begun their movement, with large numbers, 56 in total, feeding on the abundant water weeds and submerged vegetation on the reservoir lagoon. Warbler numbers seem low but the weather was windy with showers, probably forcing these small birds to take cover in the denser vegetation.
