Oystercatcher at high tide

Estuary Tower

A dark, dank and damp day may well have been the reason some of the roosting birds were late to leave for feeding grounds. The high tide period this morning was fairly productive with a good roost of 322 Curlew on the Dumbles. A non-breeding plumage Oystercatcher was roosting on the spartina island, we normally see this specie return in January to claim territories but one has arrived in Nov/Dec in the last couple of years.

Other birds included 120 Dunlin, 300 Lapwing, flocks of Greylag, Canada and Barnacle Geese with the Snow x Bar-headed Gull and Bar-headed Goose also with them. The eight Pink-footed Geese were at the North end of the Dumbles. Other counts involved 28 Great Black-backed Gull, 2 Crane (white-black-red and un-ringed bird), 92 Canada and 8 Greylag Geese, 48 Shelduck.

Dumbles foreshore 130 Wigeon, 80 Pintail, 195 Barnacle (+22 on the Dumbles) and 30 Canada Geese. Two Bewick's Swan arrived and 220 Wigeon were on the scrap.

Tack Piece

The White-fronted Goose flock appeared to roos ton the central flood again but made a dash fo rthe Goose House Ground to feed. 80 Canada and 70 Greylag + 110 Wigeon, 22 Shoveler, 45 Redshank and 11 Ruff on the fleet.

South Lake

Single Knot among the Lapwing, a very flighty flock of Black-tailed Godwit as they commute to the fields to the E to feed on the floods puddles, 9 Ruff and 10 Snipe, 45 Shoveler and 55 Teal.

Top New Piece/Zeiss Hide

270 Teal, 11 Snipe, 475 Dunlin, 340 Lapwing and 150 Wigeon among the birds counted this morning.

Kingfisher Hide

Open once again after the gales dropped some trees. We have been out cutting some tree saplings and bramble that was engulfing the feeding station ditch. A few select perches have been left as the Kingfisher has been fishing from here this week.

Cetti's Warbler and Great-spotted Woodpecker seen here this morning with flocks of Lapwing and Dunlin visiting the Bottom New Piece to feed.

• Share this article