High tides and strong winds
The past few days has seen high tides and strong southern westerly winds which has kept the reserves team on their toes but been a birders paradise for our visitors
The week started with our monthly WeBS (Wetlands Bird Survey) count, a total of 30 species was seen and recorded by our reserves team yesterday. Along with the usual suspects such as curlews, wigeon, lapwings, shovelers, oystercatchers, and gulls, saw great numbers of dunlin 10,000, golden plover 2,800, teal 675, shelducks 180, godwits 160, and redshanks 56. A personal highlight was seeing red-breasted mergansers and the exquisite gentle-eyed greenshanks.
The past few days of high tides and strong winds has been great for bringing the birds up close and personal for our visitors to see from the hides. Along with daily sightings of various raptors and increasing numbers of redwings, the yellowhammers are making an appearance along the avenue. This morning over 1,000 starlings were flying around the Saltcot Merse observatory making full use of remaining high tide waters on the merse for feeding and bathing.
Our latest barnacle geese count is at 12,000, and we were blessed with 74 whooper swans on the Folly pond today. Yesterday's visitors to the Dawn Flight event had the delight of seeing a family of 6 whooper swans (which included both parents and 4 cygnets) land on the Whooper pond just in time for the morning feed. (Our next Dawn Flight event is Sunday 05/12/21, please phone the centre to book 01387 770200).
We welcome another named whooper swan: Darvic leg tag orange XLD: Donald Ivan.
Unable to visit us in person or missing your daily fix of swans, waders, and badgers antics, then click on the link below to check out our webcam which is set on the Whooper pond during the day, and then set to view the badger feeding area from 5pm onward.
https://www.wwt.org.uk/wetland-centres/caerlaveroc...
This week's high tide times are:
Mon 08/11- 14:08- 9.5 m
Tues 09/11- 14:57- 9.1 m
Wed 10/11- 15:54- 8.6 m
Thurs 11/10- 04:36- 8.0 m & 17:04- 8.1 m
Fri 12/11- 05:55- 7.6 m & 18:22- 7.9 m
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 | Orange XLD- Donald Ivan | |||
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 |
