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Lapwing breeding season
The Lapwing breeding season is nearly at an end, we may yet get a pair nesting late on but the increasing in post breeding flocks signals the conclusion of another nesting season. It's still too early to 'count our chickens (Lapwings) as they need to be fledged (as in flying) before we consider it a success. A Fox was on the Top New Piece last weekend which coincided with ten broods of Lapwing hatching and mobile, sadly it appears to have eaten the majority of these young. The Dumbles has five broods along the foreshore and scrape, we've yet to survey the Bottom New Piece to see how many survived, at least two broods have been in this area.
Other highlights today included...
Rushy Hide
Pair of Little ringed Plover, 40+ Avocet, 60+ pairs of Black-headed Gull.
Middle Point
14 Oystercatcher on the Dumbles with 24 Lapwing + 5 broods, 2cySpoonbill, 2 Little Egret, Great White Egret, Grey Heron, 1 Turnstone, 45 Ringed Plover, 35 Dunlin, 1 Grey Plover and 20 Curlew before and after the tide. A pair of Yellow Wagtail were on the foreshore.
Tack Piece
Drake Wigeon, 40+ Barnacle Geese, 2 Redshank. Oystercatcher and 2 Lapwing.
South Lake
44 Black-tailed Godwit, 6 Oystercatcher, 5 Avocet, 21 Gadwall, Mediterranean Gull, Little-ringed Plover, Great Crested and Little Grebe, Black-headed Gulls with young, brood of Shelduck,m brood of Mute Swanand 2 Cormorant. CommonTern on and off.
Zeiss Hide/Top New Piece
Little-ringed Plover, 28 Avocet, 5 Redshank, brood of Gadwall, brood of Shelduck, 16 Gadwall, 7 Shoveler. 17 Swift were over the Dumbles early morning.
