High tides and another freeze up
Apologies for the lack of updates this last week, as you can see the team have been busy with the new look website. The reserve staff are still in the process of learning how to update the new site, we hope to resume regular posts when we possible.
Apologies for the lack of updates this last week, as you can see the team have been busy with the new look website. The reserve staff are still in the process of learning how to update the new site, we hope to resume regular posts when we possible.
Another cold night saw a bit of ice in shallow water areas but the frost soon thawed allowing the birds to resume feeding, a high tide flooded out the lower saltmarsh shelf and may come over onto the Dumbles tomorrow.
Rushy Hide
The Bewick's Swan numbers are still holding up with a few new arrivals this week, at least 116 were present yesterday. Ducks are still much in evidence with a nice flock of over 100 Pintail and 140 Pochard among the Mallards, Tufted Duck and Shelduck. Teal and Lapwing are rather obvious on the lower pond and usually take flight for a short time whilst we feed at 0800am and 4.00pm. Three Green Sandpiper roosted overnight on the 20/21st but flew out for the day. A few Dunlin and one or two Redshank are often feeding on the mud.
Martin Smith Hide
The Jack Snipe showed yesterday (21st) but we have no reports so far today, three Common Snipe were on the central island with a few ducks scattered about the pond. Cetti's Warbler called from the sedge beds.
Tack Piece
500+ Wigeon and 200+ Teal as well as smaller numbers of Pintail, Shelduck and Shoveler. c16 Redshank and 4+ Ruff were on the scrape edge at dawn, later in the day is better for the gathering wader flocks.
Holden Tower
The two Peregrine Falcons were hunting from the E to W cross fence on the Dumbles. A dozen Curlew, 20+ Shelduck and 1500+ Wigeon were viewable on the Severn at high tide with flocks of Canada and Barnacle Geese on the grasslands. The fields North of the Tack Piece were attracting feeding Golden Plover (800), Curlew (60) and 1000+ Lapwing.
South Lake
A new Great Crested Grebe arrived to join the 'resident' bird, the arriving bird sporting breeding plumage to compare with the non-breeding plumage individual. A few diving duck spent the day on deep lake with the Cormorants looking down from their post and rail perches. The wader scrape largely froze but thawed, 100s of Lapwing, c20 Dunlin, 18 Black-tailed Godwit, 20 Shoveler and 80 displaying Teal could be seen.
Zeiss Hide/Top New Piece
Ever changing numbers of waders commuted between here and the Bottom New Piece as various raptor species (Buzzard and Peregrine with suspicions of a Sparrowhawk around too). A flock of c 550 Wigeon had remained, last weekend saw a decent count of 3855 on 19th but the ice forced many out to the estuary today. At least 7 Snipe, 3 Ruff and 3 Golden Plover with the Lapwing.
A Great Spotted Woodpecker was drumming in the Spinney Wood again, 2-3 could be heard in this area yesterday.
Kingfisher Hide
144 Eurasian (Russian) White-fronted Geese grazed the Bottom New Piece field. 28 juveniles were counted among them. They were joined by 500+ Lapwing and 352 Dunlin by 0930am.
