Latest sightings

Little egrets on the merse

Little egrets on the merse

While out on the merse this morning, the reserve team counted 9 little egrets out on the saltmarsh.

9 December 2021

Yellowhammers and frost

Yellowhammers and frost

It has been such a treat to see up to 14 yellowhammers flitting through the avenues, best seen in the paddock area and near the Peter Scott Observatory.

2 December 2021

Bucketloads of shoveler

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.

24 November 2021

Raptors on display over the merse

Raptors on display over the merse

Short-eared owl and a pair of peregrines hunting top our list of exciting sightings this week

15 November 2021

High tides and strong winds

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

8 November 2021

Golden sunshine and golden plovers

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.

4 November 2021

Flooded fields and red berries

Flooded fields and red berries

The extreme rainfall that the area has experienced this week saw most birds hunkered down for a few days before they began exploring the vast new expanses of lying water.

1 November 2021

Glossy ibis with the whoopers

Glossy ibis with the whoopers

An exciting day for us as a glossy ibis appeared on the whooper pond this morning!

23 October 2021

A Busy and Sunny Autumnal Week

A Busy and Sunny Autumnal Week

The sunny, clear days have brought the barnacle geese in very close to the hides in the latter half of this week.

22 October 2021

55 whooper swans now at our feeds

55 whooper swans now at our feeds

We're now getting up to 55 whooper swans, and up to 28 mute swans at our daily feeds.

19 October 2021

Recent counts for barnacle geese and whooper swans

Recent counts for barnacle geese and whooper swans

Today's barnacle goose count was 5,700 with large groups constantly on the move between fields and the merse. Whooper numbers today were 23 on the whooper pond, and 10 on the flood ground.

16 October 2021

Barnacle Geese are back

Barnacle Geese are back

A little later than some years, but our wild barnacle geese are now arriving back in big numbers!

12 October 2021

Rain bringing more birds in

Rain bringing more birds in

This week has brought 5" of rain! This has reopened many of our scrapes, and 600 golden plover can be seen mingling with lapwing.

4 October 2021

Increase in wintering wildfowl

Increase in wintering wildfowl

With a drop in temperature we are seeing an increase in wintering wildfowl on the reserve. This week we have had counts of around 300 pintails and 400 teal on the folly pond.

29 September 2021

A Long-Eared Owl and high Teal numbers

A Long-Eared Owl and high Teal numbers

The week started with 475 Teal on the Folly pond, before we were then treated to several close encounters with a Long-Eared Owl.

16 September 2021