Latest Sightings
Plenty of activity on the reserve currently with new arrivals and lots of activity from breeding birds. The mere is constantly busy with black-headed gulls that are sitting on nests and in amongst them there is often the odd Mediterranean gull or two. One little gull was still present until Saturday but appears to have now moved on. Up to 6 common terns are frequently seen on the mere.
A male whinchat was briefly on the Reedbed walk on the 29th and a grasshopper warbler was also heard singing on the same day. The reedbed is now alive with the songs of reed, sedge and cetti's warblers and blackcaps and chiffchaffs are singing over much of the reserve. Willow warblers are still singing mostly around harrier bowl and 3 yellow wagtails flew over plover field on the 30th.
2 whimbrels flew over the mere on the 28th and a further 14 were on the back of the mere with 23 black-tailed godwits and 6 oystercatchers. 2 little-ringed plovers were moving between the mere and Woodend marsh also on the 28th
Cuckoos are being seen and more often heard over much of the reserve most days now. Sand martins, swallows and house martins are often hawking of the mere and 4 swifts flew over the overflow carpark on the 1st.
