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100+ Avocets
The Top New Piece hosted 94 Avocet at one point this morning, it can be difficult to get a combined total as these birds move about the reserve, they visit nest sites and quarrel especially on a calm, sunny morning. At least 113 were counted within a 15 minute period from the main hides, 127 were counted yesterday but this could may involve some double counting.
Two Great White Egrets were seen in the ditches in the N section of the reserve, they may be viewable distantly from the Sloane or Estuary Tower.
Rushy Hide
7 Avocet, 4 Black-tailed Godwit, 3 pairs of Pintail, 5 Wigeon + the long staying drake Wigeon hybrid, 14 Teal, 18 Shelduck.
Tack Piece
24 Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, 19 Shelduck, 61 Wigeon a few Teal and a pair of Gadwall + singing Reed Bunting.
Willow Hide
Water Rail and Reed Bunting at the feeders, singing Chiffchaff.
Duck Decoy Hide
44 Shelduck and 54 Tufted Duck many males looking to pair up with the few unpaired females.
Knott Hide
57 Wigeon and Cetti's Warbler.
Estuary Tower
96 Shelduck, 10 Avocet, 125 Wigeon, 10 Shoveler on the scrape, 7 Oystercatcher, 119 Curlew, 9 Redshank, 25 territorial Lapwing + 28 Shelduck on the Severn off Royal Drift. 52 Barnacle and 28 Canada Geese on the saltmarsh.
South Lake
Female Goldeneye, c 40 Tufted Duck, Great Crested Grebe, 157 Black-tailed Godwit, 37 Shoveler, 2 Avocet, 2 Oystercatcher, 1 Lapwing + c40 Teal, 6 Cormorant and territorial pairs of Black-headed Gull. The Cattle Egret was seen again.
Kingfisher Hide
Male and female Kingfisher at the nest bank, 2 singing Chiffchaff, pair of Little Grebe, 118 Russian White-fronted Geese, made a quick count so didn't check for the 2 Greenland White-fronted Geese, they moved to the Top New Piece later. 2 Cranes and 4 territorial Lapwing were on the Bottom New Piece.
