30 September to 3 October 2023 highlights

The weekend tides didn't disappoint, many species of wader came in off the Severn to roost and feed over the high tide period, the Dumbles flooded overnight on Saturday/Sunday finally re-filling the saltmarsh pools, saltpans and creeks on the Dumbles, many of our wildfowl and waders have been feeding on the floods since.

Highlights as follows

Tuesday 3 October

Rushy Hide- Wood Sandpiper, Spotted Redshank, 8 Redshank, 5 Snipe, 15 Lapwing, 2 Black-tailed Godwit+ Teal and Mallard.

Tack Piece- 50 Teal and 8 Shoveler + 13 Curlew.

Estuary Tower- female Merlin hunting Dumbles saltmarsh and Middle Point area also a Kestrel, 100s Meadow Pipit, Skylark, Linnet and Goldfinch put up. Pair Stonechat on fences. 30 Ruff, 69 Lapwing and 8 Curlew on the floods, Barnacle, Canada and Greylag Geese grazing.

Middle Point - three juvenile Bar-tailed Godwit still with the Curlew flock, scattered distant Ringed Plover and Dunlin flocks, Great Egret among the Little Egrets.

South Lake- 2 Spotted Redshank, 178 Black-tailed Godwit, 49 Lapwing + 100s Teal with a few Shoveler.

Top New Piece- at least nine Ruff (flying back and forth from the Dumbles), 3 Green Sandpiper, 500 Teal. Bottom New Piece - the Barnacle Goose flock contains the usual Snow x Bar-headed, 2 Barnacle x Canada and Barnacle x Greylag hybrids plus the Ross's Goose.

South Finger - along the pathway, half a dozen Goldcrests, a few Chiffchaffs and Treecreeper among the tit flocks.

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2 October 2023

Rushy Hide - five Green and single Wood Sandpiper, 6 Spotted redshank, 12 Snipe.

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1 October 2023

Rushy Hide- Wood Sandpiper on the top pond with a Green Sandpiper. A Goshawk buzzed Tack Piece side of Rushy.

Top New Piece- 4 juvenile Curlew Sandpiper, 5 juvenile Little Stint, 6 Sanderling, 6 Ruff, 285 Dunlin, 97 Ringed Plover, 5 Spoonbill over high tide plus 9 Wigeon and 580 Teal and two Great Skua downriver, seen from Zeiss Hide and Estuary Tower.

South Lake- 3 Avocet, 2+ Snipe, 167 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 juvenile Ruff, 2 Redshank, 73 Lapwing, 18 Shelduck, 11 Pochard

Rushy Hide/Peng Observatory- 5 Spotted Redshank, 8 Redshank, juvenile Ruff, Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Green Sandpiper, 2 Snipe + 73 Teal, 6 Gadwall and 4 Shoveler.

Estuary Tower- flocks of 49 and 12 Golden Plover over, 4 Ruff, 17 Curlew, 8 Wigeon on the Dumbles. Wheatear and two Stonechat at Middle Point.

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30 September 2023

Top New Piece - an interesting wader appeared among the gathering birds over the tide, it went missing a few times at the waders were flushed by passing Buzzard, Marsh Harrier, Kestrel and hunting Sparrowhawk and a Peregrine. The first sighting as it landed among the Ruff led to an assumption that it would just be a Pectoral Sandpiper but the bird seemed very small, hunched, straight/short billed and didn't have the jizz of a Pectoral, features suggestive of Sharp-tailed Sandpiper.

Also from the Zeiss Hide, Marsh Harrier, Wood Sandpiper, 6 Sanderling, 3 Curlew Sandpiper, Snipe 6, 36 Ruff, Golden Plover 9, Greenshank heard, 4 Little Stint, 90 Ringed Plover, 300 Dunlin, three Spotted Redshank, Cranes 12 flew over.

Estuary Tower - a Brent Goose on the Severn over the high tide. A Greenshank flew over. Stonechat and Wheatear on fence near viewing platform plus 104 Curlew on river bank, 5 Little Egret, 3 Herons, 1 Cattle Egret and 1 Great White Egret.

Kingfisher Hide - perhaps empty nest syndrome, af male brought a fish & perched just below nest hole calling. Male turned up & joined female calling. Female moved into willow & ate fish then both flew off!

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