News
Cold weather prompts late swanfall at Slimbridge
The sudden change in the weather has prompted an overdue influx of endangered Bewick’s swans to the WWT Slimbridge Wetland Centre in Gloucestershire. The swans migrate from arctic Russia each year to spend the winter at Slimbridge, the former home of co
3 December 2012
Today's sightings
Holden Tower E White-fronted Goose 59 on the Dumbles Raven 1 Barnacle Goose 140 Egyptian Goose 1 Tack Piece View from Holden Tower, Stephen Kirk, Robbie Garnett or Martin Smith Hides Long-billed Dowitcher 1 Black-tailed Godwit 120 Golden Plover 300 Lapwin
3 December 2012
Record numbers of Whooper swans at WWT Martin Mere
A dusk count yesterday morning of Whooper Swan produced a record number of 2480 birds at WWT Martin Mere Wetland Centre. Centre Manager, Andy Wooldridge, said: “We usually get peak numbers of Whooper swans in mid to late December so I still think number
3 December 2012
Wildlife sightings for 3rd December 2012
1 Bittern - main lake N shore a.m. 1 Peregrine - charing cross hospital ledge 11 Redpoll - sheltered lagoon, south route + 2 flew E over the river 28 Redwing - entrance lake + flew SW,W 1 Linnet - flew NW Recent bird highlights: Great White Egret, Bitte
3 December 2012
Latest Sightings
With the overnight snow fall, most of the water bodies are not just ice covered but also snow covered. Due to this all the wildfowl, bar the birds on the Whooper Pond, have moved into the free flowing rivers and estuaries around the reserve such as the Ri
3 December 2012
TODAYS SIGHTINGS
WADER LAKE/AM/MID TIDE/ 100% FROZEN Moorhen - 1 HAWTHORN WOOD/AM Nuthatch - 1 Bullfinch - 3 Coal Tit - 7 Blue Tit - 7 Blue Tit - 6 Great Tit - 3 Robin - 3 OTHER BIRDS/AM Goosander (Window on the Wear) - 1 Grey Heron (Window on the Wear) - 2
3 December 2012
Today's sightings
The Zeiss Hide BITTERN 1 showed very well this afternoon Grey Heron 1 Water Rail 2 Cetti's Warbler 1 Buzzard 4 Raven 2 The Rushy Bewick's Swan 118 Pocahrd 180 Pintail 100 The Tack Piece LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER 1 Black-tailed Godwit 180 Ruff 4 Spotted Redsha
2 December 2012
Record count of Whooper Swan.
A dusk count of Whooper Swan produced an average of 2480 birds. The highest previous count was 2100 in 2010. Interesting to note that many of the previous high counts have occurred during cold snaps which seem to encourage birds which roost elsewhere to v
2 December 2012
Wildlife sightings for 2nd December 2012
1 Woodcock - flew NE over wildside 2 Bittern - main lake (including one bird flying across the lake) 1 Peregrine - flew from the tall red crane SW towards wildside 6 Siskin - south route, entrance (with Goldfinches) + 3 flew SW 2 Stonechat - marsh 5 Red
2 December 2012
The winters first Bewick's Swan and Waxwings
Two or three Waxwing were seen around 13:20 between the Gladstone and Janet Kear Hides. It's a good year for Waxwing with many thousands now in the UK. More Waxwing were seen near the reserve between Red Cat Lane and Laurel Avenue in Burscough. Of course
1 December 2012
Todays Sightings
HAWTHORN WOOD/AM Great Spotted Woodpecker - 2 Nuthatch - 2 Willow Tit - 1 Long Tailed Tit - 8 Sparrowhawk - 1 Bullfinch - 11 OTHER BIRDS/AM Reservoir Tufted Duck - 26 Shelduck - 2 Teal - 19 Mallard - 14 River Grey Heron - 4 Black Headed Gull - 114
1 December 2012
Wildlife sightings for 1st December 2012
58 Wigeon - wader scrape, sheltered lagoon 3 Pintail - grazing marsh 4+ Siskin - south route, entrance Additional sightings from yesterday: 2 Stonechat - grazing marsh 40+ Greenfinch - wildside 6 Redpoll - sheltered lagoon 6 Siskin - sheltered lagoon Rece
1 December 2012
Todays Sightings
Rushy Bewick`s Swan Around 100 with more new arrivals overnight Pochard 170 Pochard type hybrid 1 male Pintail 65 Robbie Garnett Hide Hard frost this morning but thawing rapidly. Some waders sitting around on ice with more arriving as conditions thaw. Wig
1 December 2012
'Swanfall' and a Riddle!
The swans came flooding in to Slimbridge last night under a full moon and clear skies as temperatures dipped to a chilly -2.4°C. Our first ‘swanfall’ of the season saw 38 new birds arrive increasing the count to 86! This means that nearly 60 swans ha
30 November 2012
Great birding
The Tack Piece LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER 1 Spotted Redshank 2 Redshank 27 Ruff 4 Snipe 5 Dunlin 1100 Black-tailed Godwit 187 Curlew 12 Golden Plover 90 Lapwing 1400 Teal 900 Wigeon 1600 Pintail 120 Common Crane 4 The Rushy Bewick's Swan 80+ Pochard 175 The
30 November 2012