Golden sunshine and golden plovers

Highlights so far this week include 800 golden plover, 1,000 lapwing and a male and female hen harrier out on the saltcot merse.

After a weekend of heavy rain, sunshine and blue skies this week has brought wonderfully clear views of the saltmarsh. Highlights so far this week include 800 golden plover, 1,000 lapwing and a male and female hen harrier out on the saltcot merse. We have had fantastic views of black-tailed godwits and curlews all around the reserve and a great white egret was spotted out on the merse today. We have counted 50 whooper swans today on the folly and whooper pond and a whopping 10,000 barnies yesterday, our biggest count of the season! This included two leucistic barnacle geese that stood out from the crowd in their all-white plumage. We were also very excited to see an otter feeding on the whooper pond yesterday.

This week's high tide times are:

Thurs 4/11 - 1117 2333
Fri 5/11 - 1158 -
Sat 6/11 - 0016 1239
Sun 7/11 - 0100 1323

Photo credit: Alex Hillier

As well as this week's highlights, you are likely to see the following on the reserve:

Birds	Mammals			Named Whooper Swans
Mute Swan	Hare			Yellow ZHD - Renouf
Greylag geese	Roe Deer			Yellow ZND - Rosie
Canada Geese	Weasel			Yellow ZLD - McMurdoston
Shelduck	Stoat			Orange XLX - Linda Graham
Mallard	Fox			Yellow ZLS - Handel
Gadwall	Otter			Yellow ZXP - Mary
Shoveler	Badger			Red APR - Elsie Barbara
Teal				YFB - Eric Anthony
Moorhen				Yellow ZHV - Wampool
Cormorant				Yellow ZJS - Hendrik
Little Egret				Orange YSJ - Sheldon Whooper
Grey Heron				Orange YTF - Odette
Buzzard				Orange XKU - Solway Siren
Kestrel				Orange XLL - Chris
Peregrine Falcon				Yellow ZLA - Beatrice
Merlin				JZI - Inigo Montoya
Sparrowhawk				Yellow ZJX - Polly
Golden Plover				Yellow ZVL - Nobby Nobkin
Oystercatcher				Yellow ZNP - Lucky Linda
Lapwing
Common Sandpiper
Redshank
Black-tailed Godwit
Curlew
Snipe
Black-headed Gull
Common Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black Backed Gull
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Skylark
Yellowhammer
Redwing
Fieldfare
Meadow Pipit
Pied Wagtail
Dunnock
Robin
Song Thrush
Blackbird
Blackcap
Chiffchaff
Wren
Great Tit
Coal Tit
Blue Tit
Long-tailed Tit
Treecreeper
Jackdaw
Rook
Carrion Crow
Raven
Starling
House Sparrow
Tree Sparrow
Chaffinch
Linnet
Goldfinch
Greenfinch
Reed Bunting

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