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Sunday sightings
Middle Point
Busy at low tide this morning with many of the same waders (in some cases more) moving to the Top New Piece over high tide. The following species and minimum numbers were noted before, during and after high tide.
Peregrine, 15 Avocet, Common Sandpiper, 193 Curlew (included 9 head started birds), 253 Dunlin (included a yellow right darvic ringed bird with yellow ring on left leg) Red Knot 17 juveniles, 120 Ringed Plover, 2 Sanderling, 2 Little Egret and the 2cy Spoonbill. A Yellow Wagtail or two about the point too. Nine Turnstone were reported heading back upriver over high tide.
Tack Piece
Two Wheatear, flock of Yellow and Pied Wagtails with cattle and on the scrape edge with Common Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, Black-tailed Godwit and 20 Teal. Two 'touring' Little ringed Plover also called in.
Top New Piece/Zeiss Hide
20 Knot, 4 Sanderling (at least one juvenile) Bar-tailed Godwit, a juvenile Arctic Tern, 150+ Lapwing, 4 Ruff, 6+ Ringed Plover, 8+ Redshank, 10 Black-tailed Godwit, Greenshank (heard only) and 41 Avocet as well as Shelduck, Teal, Gadwall and Shoveler on the flood and mud.
South Lake
Three juvenile Little-ringed Plover included the youngster raised on the scrape, the other two departed during heavy rain and were seen on the Tack Piece. 265 Black-tailed Godwit, 28 Redshank, 8 Ruff, 72 Lapwing and plenty of ducks, some male Gadwall have now moulted back into their finer plumage.
Rushy Hide
Forty Black-tailed Godwit early morning (15 juveniles), with single Redshank, 9 Lapwing and 5 Green Sandpiper through the day. Hobby, 14 Swifts and plenty of Swallow, House and Sand Martin about.
