Todays Sightings
Rushy
Still great birding here, the two Avocet families were showing well with at least 5 young. There were 4 Green Sandpipers and several broods each of Mallard, Tufted Duck and Shelduck.
Holden Tower and Robbie Garnett Hide
An adult Spoonbill flew south over the Robbie Garnet and there were 3 Green Sandpipers there as well. A flock of 73 Curlew were on the top of the tide an amazingly a single adult Dark Bellied Brent Goose an extraordinary time of year to find this species. An adult Little Grebe feeding one young can be seen well from the Knott Hide.
South Lake
Water levels very low here bringing the 20 Redshank nice and close, the three families of Oystercatchers are still around but are fledged now and more mobile. There was a juvenile Little Ringed Plover here this morning and large flocks of Juvenile Black Headed Gulls, it really has a very productive breeding season for them. A Kingfisher flew towards the South Lake as i left the hide.
Zeiss Hide and South Finger
Post breeding wader flocks here included 39 Redshank and 12 Lapwing with two juveniles among them. This is the first signs of any breeding success in what is proving to be a very poor year for this species. There were 9 Black Tailed Godwit, 2 Avocets and another 4 Green Sandpiper. The tide though rather low was at its highest at 09.00 bringing two summer plumage Dunlin in to join the other waders. At least 4 Little Egrets and two Herons were seen. The Teal flock was counted at 52 and two Little Grebe were in the main flash view-able from both Zeiss and Kingfisher Hide. Two Kingfisher were also here and a single Crane was hard to see in tall vegetation on the east side of the Bottom New Piece Field
