The whooper swans are back!
Four whooper swans arrived overnight and settled in on the Whooper Pond. Whooper swans we have had dropping in over the last few nights have just been passing through and not staying long, so these appear to be the first of our overwintering birds.
Mixed in with the Barnacle Geese are 2 leucistic Barnies. Not true albinos, these birds just have a lack of pigment in their feathers, making them white in colour. However, they still have the classic black bill and legs of a Barnacle.
Keep your eyes peeled though for a Snow Goose in with the Barnies. This is a large white goose, bigger than the Barnacles, with black wing tips, a pink bill and pink legs. This could be a genuine vagrant from North East Siberia/North America, but could also easily be an escaped bird, we'll probably never know...
Today's high tide: 10:09 7.7m
Around the reserve today:
Barnacle Geese: 7000 - including 2 leucistic (white) Barnacles & 1 Snow Goose
Whooper Swans: 4
Whooper Pond
Whooper Swan 4
Tufted Duck 31
Gadwall 1 ♂
Wigeon 20
Little Grebe 2 juvs
Folly Pond
Teal 650
Wigeon 550
Shoveler 9
Snipe 5
Teal Pond
Gadwall 5
Avenue Tower
BITTERN 1 - showing incredibly well out in the open
Wigeon 12
Teal 6
Saltcot Merse Observatory
Peregrine 1
Barnacle Geese
Avenues & Feeders
Stock Dove
Reed Bunting
Sparrowhawk
Siskin
Tree Sparrow
Treecreeper
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