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The VIP godwit
It's the time of year when lots of birds are arriving or passing through the reserve on migration, including Black-tailed Godwits. Some of the birds are colour ringed, but this bird caught our eye and turns out to be a VIP!
It's the time of year when lots of birds are arriving or passing through the reserve on migration, including Black-tailed Godwits. Some of the birds are colour ringed, but this bird caught our eye and turns out to be a VIP!
VIP godwit
Thanks to a rapid response from Jen Smart we've learnt that the colour-ringed Black-tailed Godwit that was on the South Lake this morning was a chick that fledged in the wild in 2018 thanks to the work of Project Godwit, a WWT and RSPB project in East Anglia at the Nene Washes. This is the first sighting of the bird since July 2018 and the first away from the Nene Washes. Find out more about Project Godwit here.
Rushy Hide
A single Little-ringed Plover this morning was joined by a second bird this afternoon and was seen to be nest scraping. Could this be the year that they finally breed? A third calendar year Mediterranean Gull was on the lower pond this morning with the Black-headed Gulls but later moved to the South Lake. Also present were 33 Avocet, an Oystercatcher, 20 Shelduck and a Sedge Warbler was singing from the hedge along the Tack Piece.
South Lake
Two other third calendar year Mediterranean Gulls were on the wader scrape this morning and were then joined by the third bird from the Rushy. Also on the wader scrape were 6 Avocet, 120 Black-tailed Godwit (including the colour ringed bird), two pairs of Oystercatcher whilst on the deep lake were a pair of Great Crested Grebe.
Knott Hide
A Little Grebe was on the Pillbox Pool this morning and caught a fish. Also seen were a Blackcap and Song Thrush.
Zeiss Hide
One of the Crane pair were sat tight on the nest. Also on the scrape were 20 Avocet, 4 Redshank, and 100++ Black-tailed Godwit. A Grey Heron was stalking the ditch near the bottom of the seawall and the singing Reed Warbler was still chuntering away in the reedbed below the Zeiss Hide.
