Bucketloads of shoveler

Our most recent count on the reserve has recorded 60 shoveler, and lots of visitors are thoroughly enjoying watching them paddle in their unmistakable tight circular feeding routine.

Our most recent count on the reserve has recorded 60 shoveler, and lots of visitors are thoroughly enjoying watching them paddle in their unmistakable tight circular feeding routine. They're best seen on the folly pond or whooper pond. On the folly pond you'll also see teal, wigeon, whooper swans, snipe, curlews and sometimes redshank and black-tailed godwits.

Another familiar whooper swan has also returned, T.J. Whooper, with 5 lovely cygnets in tow!

To add to our pair of peregrines last week, two adult male hen harriers and a female have been spotted out on the merse this week. As well as this, we have seen twite, linnet and yellowhammer on the reserve. A great place to look is out the front of the PSO, but a pair of twite were also seen in the car park, so be alert as soon as you arrive!

One of our volunteers also spotted a partially leucistic blackbird in the hawthorn from avenue tower, which is always interesting to note. Speaking of oddities, if you look carefully on your right along the first 200m of saltcot loan, you may spot some bramble bushes in flower! Whilst pretty this is also somewhat alarming, and an interesting indicator of the changing climate, and our unusually warm November. The flowers are either months too late or months too early, depending on which way you look at it.

This week's high tide times are:

Mon 22/11 - 1329
Tues 23/11 - 1401
Wed 24/11 - 1435
Thurs 25/11 - 1515
Fri 26/11 - 1604
Sat 27/11 - 1709
Sun 28/11 - 1824

Photo credit: Alex Hillier

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

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