Today's sightings
Holden Tower over high tide Avocets- Five came into the Top New Piece, best viewed from the Zeiss Hide. They are showing lots of territorial/pairing behaviour today. The party of five often meetin [...]
Holden Tower over high tide
Avocets- Five came into the Top New Piece, best viewed from the Zeiss Hide. They are showing lots of territorial/pairing behaviour today. The party of five often meeting in a circle head to head with tails up and calling rapidly. Regular skirmishes are taking place and it seems that we have one distinct pair plus a trio. The trio have two males and I think that the female has already chosen a mate and the 'extra' is just trying his luck. The 6th bird has not been seen so far today and may be skulking somewhere. It was always on the fringe of the party of four from the first day they arrived.Will these birds settle to breed. I have already scraped two platforms of sandy silt into two islands two weeks ago so fingers crossed. In August/Sep 2010 and 2011 The Rushy lower lake was also developed to make it more suitable for Avocets with the addition of islands, improvement to the scrape and natural edges to the islands.
On the tidlline...
Grey Plover 1
Ringed Plover 3 (possibly first of the year)
Dunlin 5
Common Gull 8
Black-headed Gull 22
LBB Gull 4
GBB Gull 1
Curlew 1
Tack Piece
Cackling Canada Goose 1
Canada Goose 5
Egyptian Goose 1
Greylag 18
Wigeon 90
Shoveler 24
Pintail 8
Shelduck, Tufted Duck, Mallard, Gadwall
Cetti's Warbler 1 singing
Feeding station Willow Plantation
Reed Bunting 2
Water Rail 1
tits and finches
Top New Piece from Zeiss Hide
Avocet 5
Black-tailed Godwit 40+
Redshank 12
Teal 60
Zeiss Hide
Redshank 18
Gadwall 38
Shoveler 32
Rushy
Lesser Scaup female with a variety of wild duck