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Barn Owl
A misty start to the day followed by the sun breaking through with a chilly SE wind blowing. Good numbers (1000+) of Whooper Swan on the reserve throughout the day, with many feeding on the waste potatoes on Top Mere. No recent counts to mention but Wigeo
11 December 2013
Today's Sightings
Wader Lake Time/AM Tide/High Shelduck - 5 Teal - 64 Redshank - 27 Lapwing - 62 Greylag - 1 Saline Lagoon Time/AM Tide/High Teal - 36 Redshank - 4 Hawthorn Wood Bullfinch - 10 Chaffinch - 6 Sparrowhawk - 1 Coal
11 December 2013
Recent Sightings
200 Brent Outside the Brent Hide and Limekiln Observatory with Shelduck further out. Redshank forging both on shoreline and Wader Marsh. Main Lake had flock of 20 greylag with 1 Barnacle Goose, 9 gadwall, 1 heron, 6 little egrets and 1 cormorant. The Spoo
10 December 2013
Latest Sightings
Whooper Pond Whooper Swan 140 Tufted Duck 57 Wigeon 120 Shoveler 5 Mute Swan 56 Canada Goose 120 Greylag Goose 3 Folly Pond Green-winged Teal 1 ♂ Teal 200 Wigeon 400 Shoveler 20 Black-tailed Godwit 2 Flood Ground Teal 250 Wigeon 500 Shoveler 10 Goosande
10 December 2013
Wildlife sightings for 10th December 2013
4 Pintail - wader scrape 54 Lapwing - main lake 1 Kingfisher - flew across South route towards carpark 9 Redwing - flew over NW 2 Redpoll - entrance lake December bird highlights: Goosander, Brent Goose, Bittern, Peregrine, Jack Snipe, Dunlin, Green Sandp
10 December 2013
Alarming disappearances among our familiar countryside birds
The latest State of the UK's Birds report, published today, reveals many of our most familiar countryside birds are undergoing sweeping changes with some experiencing 'plummeting population declines', compared with the 1990s. It is now known that in som
9 December 2013
Raptors
Upto 2 Marsh Harriers were on the reserve today along with the family of Peregrines (2 adults 1 juv male) showing well along with Sparrowhawk, Kestrel and Buzzard. The Little Egret is still around and briefly visited the Mere late afternoon. A male Stonec
9 December 2013
Out on the reserve today
Red kite - 1 flew over the centre and main hide Brambling - 2 under the bird feeding station
9 December 2013
Sightings Update
Great views of 4 male and 3 female Goosander on the river today plus good numbers of Teal on Wader Lake
9 December 2013
Latest Sightings
Whooper Pond Whooper Swan 134 Tufted Duck 57 Wigeon 120 Shoveler 5 Mute Swan 56 Canada Goose 120 Greylag Goose 3 Folly Pond Green-winged Teal 1 ♂ Teal 200 Wigeon 400 Shoveler 20 Black-tailed Godwit 2 Flood Ground Teal 250 Wigeon 500 Shoveler 10 Goosand
9 December 2013
Dawn swan count
Whooper swan - 5755 Bewick's swan - 950 These numbers are the populations on the whole of the Ouse washes.
9 December 2013
Wildlife sightings for 9th December 2013
2 Bittern - main lake S+N shores visible from Observatory, Dulverton Hide and Headley Hide 4 Skylark - flew NW 17 Redwing - flew W 7 Song Thrush - flew W 11 Meadow Pipit - flew NW+N December bird highlights: Goosander, Brent Goose, Bittern, Peregr
9 December 2013
Today's sightings
Holden Tower Quiet start to the day here but was really busy over the midday high tide. Peregrine -female Golden Plover 860 Lapwing 1600 Ruff 5 E. White-fronted Goose- 142 (using the Dumbles and Tack Piece to graze). Dark-bellied Brent 1 Barnacle Goose 15
8 December 2013
Little Egret again
The Little Egret was still present, seen in flight over the Mere. Only the juvenile male Peregrine was seen today along with Sparrowhawk, Buzzard and Kestrel. A few thousand Pink footed Geese dropped onto the mere at dusk to roost and there are still c120
8 December 2013
The legend of the fire bird.
It's a quiet time of the year for flamingo behaviour. Flocks are generally not in the mood for courting (although several head-flagging Caribbeans prove me wrong on this score) and the chilly weather means that flamingos may limit their activity somewhat
8 December 2013