Cold snap
Compared to this time last week, its a bit colder but Spring continues to advance. We've got lots of Lapwing pairs now busy choosing their nest sites so look out of birds wiggling their tails in the air as the crouch down and scrape out a bowl to form the base of the nest. There are plenty of Chiffchaff singing around the reserve and its shouldn't be long before the rest of our migrant warblers are arriving.
South Lake Hides
This continues to be the busiest part of the reserve with 158 Black-tailed Godwits, 43 Avocets, a pair of Oystercatchers and a number of ducks and Black-headed Gulls. The deep lake also holds a pair of Great Crested Grebe and a pair of Little Grebe, but there was no sign of either the males or female Garganeys this morning.
.
Holden Tower and Walkway Hides
Three Cranes were on the Tack Piece this morning, our regular trio of Cotton, Oakie and Evie. In the goose fields to the north were three more Cranes; Chip, Squidgy and Slim, our chick raised on the reserve in 2015. A pair of Oystercatcher, 3 Black-tailed Godwits and 2 Curlew were feeding amongst the now greatly diminished wintering Wigeon flock, which itself numbered 84. A far cry from a few months ago when several hundred were present.
Out on the Dumbles a dark-bellied Brent Goose was found this morning amongst the flock of 190 Barnacle Geese. The flock were grazing on the very edge of the Dumbles against the riverbank. A Peregrine was sat out on a log to the south near the fence line, watched carefully by the Lapwing which are now setting up nest sites across the saltmarsh.
.
Zeiss Hide
Rather quiet here until a flock of 15 Ruff flew in and were then busy feeding along the shoreline, periodically flying around and disappearing into longer vegetation. Two Avocets were the only other waders on the scrape, but at least 6 Snipe could be seen across the field where 118 Wigeon were also grazing.
.
Kingfisher Hide
The pair of Kingfishers have been busy over the last few days digging out their old nest chambers, so hopefully it won't be long before they settle down to lay, incubate and then we'll have lots of activity as the chicks are fed and then fledge. A pair of Little Grebe were on the rhine along with 12 Tufted Duck and a pair of Shoveler.
.
