Sightings and news to week ending 6 April
An ongoing record of what's been seen around the reserve.
Cranes
Our breeding pairs of Cranes are highly territorial, a couple of pairs experience temporary difficulties with the quartet of three juveniles and immature, these four visit for as long as they are tolerated and are often found on the Tack Piece. Other pairs are regularly 'prospecting' with the pair Oakie and Sherbert laying an egg on one of the Top New Piece islands. The South Lake pair Ruby and un-ringed mate appeared to be gearing up to lay an egg.
Kingfishers
The pair nesting opposite the Kingfisher Hide are still very active, if they haven't begun laying already they must be very close. We had to close up some side windows due to people hanging out to get photographs. Some good news, a second pair have settled at the Duck Decoy pond, they have taken to a faced bank that we created in 2024, both male and female are digging here giving good views through glass from the Decoy Hide, not as close as the Kingfisher Hide pair but OK with binoculars. It's still important to be quiet and move slowly.
Sunday 6 April
More arriving migrants with at least four Sedge Warblers, 10 Willow Warblers and 2 Common Sandpipers today, an Osprey had a look at South Lake and caused some panic here and on the Rushy as it flew out to the estuary.
Highlights today included.
221 Shoveler on site.
South Lake
Two Common Sandpiper, two Little-ringed Plover, 92 Avocet, 103 Black-tailed Godwit, 11 Cattle Egret, 2 Great crested Grebe.
Estuary Tower
A Wheatear and White Wagtail among the migrants seen.
Tack Piece
Two Spoonbill, 10 Russian White-fronted Geese, 24 Barnacle Geese, 4 Redshank, Spotted Redshank and 113 Shoveler were of note.
Saturday 5 April
An immature White-tailed Eagle was the bird of the day, it arrived from the North where it was spotted by a local birder before heading onto the reserve, it spent some time over the site a little later soaring until lost to view.
Two Yellow Wagtail through NE along with 100s Sand Martins, Meadow Pipits with 20 House Martin and 30 Swallow through.
Friday 4 April
A great day of birding today some highlights including a Spotted Redshank that spent some time at the back of the Rushy wader scrape with 2 Redshank, 2 Arctic Skua whizzed by heading north up river and an Osprey flew north towards Awre. At 13:20 a Goshawk was seen disturbing the Rushy Lake before disappearing into the Willow at the back, while this morning there were 3 House Martins feeding over the water. 3 Greenshank were also seen midday on the Scrape below Estuary Tower and 5 Dark-bellied Brent Geese flew upriver past the centre before settling and feeding on the estuary visible from Frampton on Severn.
Discovery Hide
85 Black-tailed Godwit, 109 Avocet, 3 Oystercatcher, 1 Little Egret and 1 Great-crested Grebe.
Zeiss Hide
8 Lapwing, 5 Oystercatcher and 10 White-fronted Geese flew past heading North.
South Finger walkway
One Great Egret feeding in the reedbed, 1 Willow Warbler singing too.
Kingfisher Hide
4 Swallows were feeding over the hedgerow, 8 Lapwing on the Bottom New Piece, 3 Redshank, 1 Marsh Harrier patrolling the seawall and a Song Thrush was singing.
Robbie Garnett Hide
There were around 120 Shoveler, 62 Wigeon, 2 Spoonbill, 5 Redshank,3 unringed adult Crane, 1 Peregrine in the Oak tree and 4 Oystercatcher on the Tack Piece.
Estuary Tower
15 Curlew, a Buzzard worming, 2 Oystercatcher and a light passage of Hirundines and Meadow Pipits.
Thursday 3 April
Visible migration
Nine Little Gull NE upriver at 1150hrs, a male Hen Harrier flew through the reserve round 1249-1255hrs, it followed the seawall and continued to Saul Warth and then inland. Lots of Meadow Pipits moving North/NE with a few Swallows. A female Merlin flew upriver at 1654hrs.
Rushy Hide
5 Gadwall, 2 Shoveler, 31 Tufted Duck, 21 Teal, 1 Black-tailed Godwit, 1 Peregrine
Tack Piece/Robbie Garnett Hide
83 Wigeon, 2 Spoonbill, 1 Curlew, 4 Redshank, 75 Shoveler
Tack Piece/Martin Smith Hide
Bittern seen dropping into the left hand reedbed at 10:00 and showed to 1330hrs at least.
Estuary Tower
11 Wigeon, 3 Roe Deer, 3 Reed Bunting, 21 Teal, 6 Shoveler, 1 Oystercatcher, 22 Curlew, 2 Swallow, 5 Great black-backed gull, 1 Grey Heron, 8 White-fronted geese, 7 Crane, 1 Willow warbler and 1 Cetti's warbler singing.
South Lake-Discovery Hide
105 Avocet, 90 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Oystercatcher, 11 Gadwall, 1 Great-crested Grebe, 2 Cattle Egret and 1 Peregrine flushed the lake a couple times before sitting in the Mistletoe covered tree at the back.
Kingfisher Hide
Eight Lapwing on the Bottom New Piece, 1 Peregrine, 1 Reed Bunting, 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Cetti's warbler, 2 Teal, 2 Gadwall, 3 Tufted Duck
South Finger walkway
1 Great Egret flew out of the reedbed and 1 Blackcap was singing by the 'airlock' gate.
Zeiss Hide/Top New Piece
7 Lapwing, 5 Redshank, 64 Shelduck, 4 Tufted Duck, 2 Wigeon and 4 Gadwall
Wednesday 2 April
Estuary Tower
Some movement of Linnets and Meadow Pipits over North, a Ruff was on the scrape with the Teal, Wigeon and 11 Shelduck. Also on the Dumbles were 2 Oystercatcher, 19 Curlew, 1 Little Egret and Skylarks were singing too.
Along the walkway approaching the tower there were Blackcap, Cetti's and Chiffchaff singing.
Discovery Hide
114 Avocet along with 42 Shoveler, 18 Tufted Duck, 1 Great-crested Grebe, 5 Oystercatcher, 64 Black-tailed Godwit and 12 Gadwall. Late morning there were 11 Cattle Egret sunning themselves too and a Peregrine also flew through spooking the Avocet.
Zeiss Hide
On the Top new piece there was no sign of the Crane pair, however there were 6 Redshank, 52 Golden Plover, 42 Shelduck, 68 Teal, 12 Lapwing, 4 Swallows over the water, 3 Little Egret and 6 Wigeon.
Rushy Hide
Two Oystercatcher were patrolling the causeway first thing this morning alongside 1 Redshank, 22 Black-tailed Godwit were feeding on the wader scrape with 23 Teal and a large flock of Black-headed gulls.
Robbie Garnett Hide
Two Green Sandpiper were at the end of the scrape first thing in the morning, the remaining 10 White-fronted geese were wandering along the waters edge too. Three Redshank were sunning themselves, 6 Cranes including 2 Juveniles settled at the back near the hedgerow and 2 Spoonbills (1 Adult, 1 2cy) joined the Tack Piece later on in the morning.
Tuesday 1 April
Tack Piece
Two Spoonbill, 50 Wigeon, c30 Teal and c30 Shoveler.
Estuary Tower
Large flock of feeding Black-headed Gulls on the flooded Dumbles + Curlew, 10 Wigeon, c25 Teal. Four Little Gulls flew through late morning. Two Fieldfare over South.
South Finger
Male Goshawk with a Moorhen kill early in the morning, flew South with it's prey, Peregrine perched in the tall Ash trees to S of Kingfisher Hide, pair of Kingfishers at the nest hole, Lapwing on the Bottom New Piece and hunting Marsh Harrier.
Monday 31 March
The highest tide of the year did a fantastic job of filling the pools and scrape on the Dumbles today, a long period with no rain had seen the area dry up so this was most welcome.
Estuary Tower
22 Curlew, 8 GBB Gull, a few Common Gull, 4 Oystercatcher and two Ringed Plover reported over the tide. Male Marsh Harrier flew through.
South Finger Reed beds
Water Rail, Cetti's Warbler and Reed Bunting.
Top New Piece
10 Wigeon, 2 Shoveler, 2 Mediterranean Gulls over to NE, 50 Teal, Water Rail, 3 male, 4 female Lapwing and a pair of Oystercatcher. A Bittern was watched this afternoon as it moved from the reedy patches between Zeiss Hide and Van de Bovenkamp Hide and the Kingfisher Hide.
Tack Piece
68 Wigeon, two Little ringed Plover, 2 Spoonbill, 2 Redshank, 48 Teal, 56 Shoveler, Little Egret. Dumbles- 22 Shoveler, 37 Teal, 12 Avocet.
Kingfisher Hide
Pair of Kingfishers at the nest hole, 10 Russian White-fronted Geese with Greylags on the Four Score, single Golden Plover, 4 pairs of Lapwing, 2 pairs of Redshank on Bottom New Piece, 3 Reed Bunting and Water Rail.
