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Latest Sightings
The Teal Pond Hide is currently closed as we are replacing it with a shiny new hide over the next couple of months. Sorry for any inconvenience. Whooper Pond Mute Swan 2 + 8 cygnets Mallard 51 Moorhen 2 + 4 chicks Pied Wagtail 3 juv House Martins Swallow
15 July 2014
Todays sightings
A great start to the morning with plenty of waders and ducklings on the reserve. The number of black-tailed godwits are fluctuating, a few of them have colour rings on. If you see a bird with colour rings please try and get the combination and either
15 July 2014
Today's sightings
Record count of 50 Avocet today! all are breeding birds, see below... Zeiss Hide/Top New Piece over high tide Avocet 33 adult/fledged and three small chicks Ruff- 2 adult male and adult reeve Black-tailed Godwit 13 Lapwing 109 Little-ringed Plover 4 juven
14 July 2014
WWT/Malagasy exchange to help world’s rarest bird
The man charged with daily care of the world’s rarest bird, the Madagascar pochard, is in the UK this month for intensive training with the world’s top aviculturists from WWT and Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust. Malagasy born and bred, Floriot Ra
14 July 2014
Pink-footed Geese..
We always like to talk up the onset of autumn in the world of birding, dreaming of all that migration to come. It's probably far too early to claim that the 5 Pink-footed Geese that dropped in on the Mere this morning are genuinely wild birds, even if the
14 July 2014
Todays sightings
A beautiful day out on the reserve with lots of fledgling waders and black-headed gulls. Small wader chicks have been seen out on the reserve including under a week old snipe chicks, lapwing chicks and avocet chicks. The dragonflies are basking in the
14 July 2014
Today's Sightings
Wader Lake Time/AM Tide/Mid-low Lapwing - 59 Black-headed Gull - 50 Shelduck - 2 & 4 chick Grey Heron - 10 Avocet - 2 Tern - 74 (including young) Saline Lagoon Black-headed Gull - 37 Lapwing - 5 Grey Wagtail - 1 Hawthorn
14 July 2014
Wildlife sightings for 14th July 2014
1 Buzzard - flew very high above wildside a.m. 1 Hobby - over marsh 27 Teal - main lake 2 Little Ringed Plover - scrape 2 Siskin - reedbed filter beds (wildside) 1 Kingfisher - scrape 3 Whitethroat - scrape, sheltered lagoon 2 Chiffchaff - wildside &n
14 July 2014
Kingfisher regulars?
We could well be seeing a return of regular sightings of Kingfishers with one known sighting yesterday and two today. All these were seen in different parts of the reserve so could be seen anywhere from the ditches to wetlands discovery boat safari. Littl
13 July 2014
Greenshank
Only the second Greenshank of the year, this time a bird on return migration. As the month progresses we should see more evidence of passage birds moving through the reserve. Other waders included 3 Common Sandpiper, 6 Ruff, 10+ Avocet, 100+ Lapwing, 6 Oy
13 July 2014
Today's sightings
Holden Tower Hen Harrier- male flew over reserve, circled for ten minutes or so before drifting off S 1125-1135hrs High tide-Dumbles edge Curlew 150 Mediterranean Gull adult breeding plumage Yellow-legged Gull 3 adults Great Black-backed Gull 20 Ringed Pl
13 July 2014
Moth count on a soggy Sunday
[gallery ids="40048,40049,40050,40051,40052,40053,40054,40055"] Despite the wet conditions, our moth trap still produced 46 species and approx 150 individuals this morning. Not bad going! Quite a few flew off before we had the chance to photograph them b
13 July 2014
Today's highlights
Green sandpiper x 4 (main obs) Greenshank x 6 (Friends hide) Common sandpiper x 2 (main obs) Marsh harrier (main obs) Cuckoo Dunlin Wood sandpiper Little egrets
13 July 2014
Wildlife sightings for 13th July 2014
WeBS count highlights: 31 Teal - main lake and marsh channel 5 Shoveler - sheltered lagoon 2 Ruddy Duck - males, main lake 2 Mandarin - world wetlands 8 Little Grebe - site count 3 Little Ringed Plover - pair still nesting on scrape, plus ju
13 July 2014
Little Egrets
Wader numbers continue to increase with at least 11 Ruff now from Ron Barker Hide, with 4 Little ringed Plover and 3 Common Sandpiper. Up to 30 Black tailed Godwit were seen from United Utilities Hide and another Common Sandpiper was on the Mere. The Barn
12 July 2014