Sightings 31/03/2017
After a few days of awful weather it finally brightened up this afternoon and the weekends forecast isn't looking too bad either!
Some nice birds about today, the best of the action being at the avenue tower. A single flock of 2750 Golden Plover are using the fields surrounding the tower, showing a nice range of plumages, the majority now in near full breeding plumage. Mixed in this flock were also a very good count of 7 Turnstones, usually found on rocky coastlines, they're a bit out of place running around a field, perhaps the bad weather brought them in.
Also 3 Ringed Plover that dropped into the Lochar field were a nice surprise, a species you don't often see on the inland part of the reserve.
The wader theme continued on the shore and a big tide assisted by strong winds flooded the merse as it did yesterday, pushing good numbers of Dunlin and Grey Plover into the air in front of Saltcot.
A female Merlin shot past hunting Meadow Pipits and briefly perched up on a piece of drift wood.
The big tide also pushed the Barnacle Geese on to the inland fields of the reserve making for a good count of over 10,000 birds this afternoon.
Todays high tide is at 15:10, 9.7m
Around the reserve today:
Barnacle Geese: 10,000
Whooper Swans: 18
Whooper Pond
Whooper Swan 7
Mute Swan 31
Mallard 34
Wigeon 38
Tufted Duck 30
Canada Geese 3
Moorhen 1
Teal 6
Little Egret 1
Folly Pond
Teal 75+
Garganey 1 ♂
Green-winged Teal 1 ♂
Shoveler 20
Mallard 1
Oystercatcher 1
Redshank 11
Black-headed Gull 2
Teal Pond
Little Grebe 2
Black-headed Gull 2
Teal 2
Wigeon 10
Moorhen 1
Mute Swan 2
Tufted Duck 8
Coot 1
Avenue Tower
Wigeon 83
Teal 100+
Shoveler 19
Lapwing 20+
Little Egret 3
Black-headed Gull 30
Curlew 5
Gadwall 8
Oystercatcher 2
Golden Plover 750
Tufted Duck 3
Pintail 2
Lapwing 5
Shelduck 6
Longhorn Cattle 3
Saltcot Merse Observatory
Peregrine
Sparrowhawk
Kestrel
Pintail
Wigeon
Dunlin (on rising/high tide)
Grey Plover (on rising/high tide)
Knot (on rising/high tide)
Hebridean Sheep 10
Avenues & Feeders
(notable species)
Water Rail
Reed Bunting
Yellowhammer
Sparrowhawk
Coal Tit
Long-tailed Tit
Goldcrest
Goldfinch
Greenfinch
Linnet
House Sparrow
Tree Sparrow
Treecreeper
Great-spotted Woodpecker
Chiffchaff
Twitter & Facebook
Follow us on Twitter @WWTCaerlaverock for instant WWT Caerlaverock bird news, wildlife news and upcoming events to your mobile phone or computer. This is a great way to get instant news as we update from our mobile phones as we are finding the birds.
You can also ‘Like’ us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/wwtcaerlaverock.
Webcam
The webcam is showing the Whooper Pond during the day and the badger feeding area from 5pm onwards.
http://www.wwt.org.uk/wetland-centres/caerlaverock/experience/webcam/
Daniel.gornall@wwt.org.uk
