First of May
The first of May is often a good day for Spring migrants, the reserve hosted a good variety of birds through the day.
Middle Point
The Dumbles foreshore and Severn
Little Tern- one over the tide, seen fishing the shore beyond Frampton breakwater.
Bar-tailed Godwit- 18 roosting at high tide with the same flock feeding on the mud just North of the point after high tide.
Ringed Plover- up to 44 by mid afternoon.
Sanderling-one at high tide.
Dunlin- up to 32 together at low tide, many small groups over high tide.
Common Sandpiper- two over high tide, one at low tide.
Whimbrel- three at high tide, eight at low tide.
Avocet- two on the mudflats and high tide roost.
Spoonbill- the mobile immature bird flew past and spent the high and ebb tide period on the foreshore.
Also 6 Great Black-backed Gulls, Shelducks, 6 Oystercatchers, 5 Curlew, 5 Common Gull and c24 Canada Geese.
Fences and reedbeds
Whinchat, three male Wheatear, a few Meadow Pipits with singing Sedge Warbler, two singing Reed Warbler and two singing Reed Bunting.
The Dumbles
Female Marsh Harrier visited twice, 31 Avocet on the scrape with a pair of Oysercatcher, 25+ Swallows feeding over and 10 Lapwing.
Tack Piece
An immature Spoonbill, drake Garganey (for a few minutes only), a drake Pintail, Swallows and Sand Martins feeding over, two Greenshank, a Spotted Redshank (in partial breeding plumage) but flew off, 5 Teal, two Shoveler, 7 Avocet, three Black-tailed Godwit, 5 Gadwall, 24 Shelduck, Kingfisher at Martin Smith Hide.
Decoy/Long Ground Pool to South Finger and Bottom New Piece
Cuckoo singing + another flew across Tack Piece to the Decoy.
Rushy Hide
Wood Sandpiper for fifteen minutes this morning but flew off, nesting Cranes and Little-ringed Plovers, 26 Avocets with 4 on nests, pair of mating Lapwing, Black-tailed Godwit, 2 male and female Gadwall, three female Wigeon with the Chiloe Wigeon hybrid male.
Top New Piece
Drake Garganey briefly this morning, six Bar-tailed Godwit, the immature Spoonbill,40 Swallow, 15 Sand Martins, 20 House Martins, 79 Black-tailed Godwit, 23 Avocet, 5 Teal, 6 Shoveler, Common Sandpiper, pair of Crane, drake Garganey briefly early morning.
Bottom New Piece
Breeding plumage (black) male Ruff displaying to a female, six Redshank, pair of Shoveler and Teal on the flood.
South Finger Filter/Reed beds
Numerous Sedge and reed Warblers singing.
South Lake
Second calendar year Little Gull (also visiting the Rushy), 2cy Mediterranean Gull, Little-ringed Plover, 62 Avocet (24 nests) plus Great Crested and Little Grebes.
