Look out for waders

It has been a good week for waders on the reserve and the wider estuary as their migration really starts to get going

It has been a good week for waders on the reserve, and the wider estuary as their migration really starts to get going.

South Lake
The wader scrape here was the best place to catch up with a variety of species this morning including a Spotted Redshank, 47 Redshank, four Green Sandpiper, the flock of 291 Black-tailed Godwit, a single Curlew, ten Little Ringed Plover of which eight are juveniles, an adult Avocet with a juvenile and six Ruff. Bird of note on the deep lake included a Pochard and two Little Grebe.

Robbie Garnett Hide
Five Barnacle Geese including one juvenile were with the Greylag flock this morning. We're deliberately drying out the scrape here so we can gain access to complete some management work later this year. In the drying channel were a Green Sandpiper and a Little Egret, plus an adult Avocet with three juveniles.

Decoy Hide
Two Mandarin were again on the dead branches. Also of note were a brood of Tufted Duck.

Zeiss Hide
The high tide roost included a flock of 460+ Black-headed Gulls all pushed off the river. A single Common Gull was amongst them. Waders roosting here included 79 Avocet, 15 Dunlin, eight Redshank and three Oystercatcher. Three Little Egret and a Great Egret were also seen. A Goshawk flew past mid morning.

Estuary Tower
The Curlew roost contained 240 birds on riverbank until they were flushed by a Peregrine. Also seen were six Oystercatcher, a Grey Heron and several Great Black-backed Gulls. Four Little Egret and a Grey Heron were roosting in the willows around the Long Ground Pool.

Rushy Hide
A Goshawk flew over carrying prey this morning. On the lower pond were two adult Avocet with three juveniles, four Green Sandpiper, a Black-tailed Godwit and two broods of Gadwall. An Oystercatcher and a Common Sandpiper were on the concrete islands on the upper pond.

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