Do we only have one Avocet left on the reserve?

The Avocets seem to have departed

With the high tides of late and no sightings of Avocets on the Severn mud for a few days it seems our breeding flock and their juveniles may have all departed for staging or wintering areas. Only the one bird has been seen today on the Rushy and South Lake, a few may be choosing to roost elsewhere on the Severn but it seems likely that our birds have moved on. We will probably see passage birds calling in during the late summer and autumn.

Other sightings of late include the following

It keeps popping up... a Bittern flew over Stall House Ground towards the Tack Piece late morning, IT and may have landed in the paleochannel in the Goose House Ground, certainly worth looking out for it from the Shepherds Hut hide to NE on the seawall or from the Tack Piece hides.

Tack Piece

Common Sandpiper, Ruff, 6 Green Sandpiper, 2 Oystercatcher, 40 duck, mostly Teal but Shoveler and Gadwall as well, Reed Warblers and a Spotted Redshank was feeding at the NE end of scrape.

South Lake

Busy with Greylag Geese and Black-headed Gulls but among them Avocet, two Spotted Redshank, 3 Snipe, 9+ Ruff including a juvenile, 251 Black-tailed Godwit (6 juveniles, five are islandica, one appears to be limosa), 24 Lapwing, 4 Green Sandpiper, Teal, Gadwall, Shoveler and 6 Pochard on the deep lake. An adult Mediterranean Gull was present yesterday.

Rushy Hide

Avocet (moved to South Lake), three male Ruff, 10 Redshank, 20 Black-tailed Godwit, 7 Lapwing, 29 Teal, Wigeon, 40 Gadwall as well as the usual Coots and Moorhens.

Middle Point

Adult breeding plumage Grey Plover calling regularly, 19 Ringed Plover, 55 Dunlin on the mudflats (also distantly from Estuary Tower), a Wheatear along foreshore, Curlew, Shelduck and various gulls on the mud and along channels.

Top New Piece

Great Egret, Little Grebe, 66 Lapwing, Teal, Gadwall and Mallard + Greylag Geese loafing on the rotavated ground and Coot, Tufted Duck, Moorhen and Coot. Two Spoonbills were roosting here yesterday and were seen over the weekend. One of the Spoonbills arrived over the high tide and a Garganey was seen on the fleet.

Bottom New Piece

38+ Lapwing, Ross's Goose with Barnacle Geese.

General

South Finger settling pool- Bullfinch calling along the hedge.
Song Thrush singing on E side of South Lake, a few Blackcap still singing including two in the Decoy.
Willow Warbler singing near Discovery Hide.

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