Brilliant Barwits
Image- Bar-tailed Godwit- stock photo
It's been a great week to catch up with Bar-tailed Godwits, we've seen 100s of them passing through or stopping off for the day to feed, peak count of 155 at any one point, but many more involved as birds move on towards the Arctic breeding grounds. Even today we had a flock of around 40 roosting on the Dumbles foreshore over the high tide.
Other sightings included.
South Lake
Single Spotted Redshank, Avocet, Black-tailed Godwit, pair of Little ringed Plover, adult non-breeding and 3cy Mediterranean Gulls among the Black-headed Gull colony, 12 pairs Tufted Duck, pair Teal, 2 pair of Shoveler.
Estuary Tower
An Osprey flew downriver this morning, a singing Cuckoo heard, a pair of Teal, Shoveler and Gadwall on the scrape, singing Skylarks, displaying/defending Lapwings.
Rushy Hide
Singing Lesser Whitethroat near the hide, 16 Avocet, Oystercatcher.
Tack Piece
Two Willow Warbler (one singing) in the hedge, single Curlew, Reed Bunting, 76 Black-tailed Godwit, 3 Wigeon, 10 Teal, 7 Shoveler + Snow Goose, Gadwall, Shelduck and Mallard.
Kingfisher Hide
Male Kingfisher visiting the nest hole + singing Sedge and Reed Warblers, pair of Teal, Roe Deer and a few Gadwall.
Matrix/Grounds
Three singing Reed and a Sedge Warbler. A pair of Bullfinches roaming about the grounds.
Decoy
Four pairs of Tufted Duck.
Top New Piece
15 Avocet, Lapwing, nesting Crane, 2 Snipe on fleet edge S of Zeiss Hide, 7 Teal, 5 pairs of Canada Goose, 22 Shelduck, 8 Shoveler, singing Reed Warblers.
South Finger path
Goldcrest, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, reed Bunting all singing.
