Latest Sightings
The reserve team has carried out its third and final breeding bird survey. Most of the birds that can be found on the reserve have already reared their young, which have now fledged. Juvenile birds recorded on Woodend marsh include 10 Avocets, 1 Pied Wagtail, 3 Starlings and 3 Black-Headed Gulls. Elsewhere, other juvenile birds that were spotted mostly consisted of a large number of Canada Geese and Greylag Geese, along with 4 Goldfinch, 3 Blue Tits, 2 Blackbirds, 2 Great Tits, 2 Kingfishers and 9 Shelducks.
Birds that are still nesting on site include Avocets, Lapwings, Great Crested Grebes, Little Ringed Plovers, Marsh Harriers and Moorhen. The majority of the warblers found on site, including Reed Warblers, Sedge Warblers, Chiffchaff and Blackcap. are paired up, with some individuals still performing their courtship behaviour. Numerous Skylark were heard singing during the breeding bird survey, and many still are.
Non-wading waterbirds seen on the main mere this week on Wednesday include 4 Common Terns, 1 Lesser Black-Backed Gull, 11 Shelducks, 1 Shoveler and 1 Pink-Footed Goose. Also found on the mere were 7 Swallows, 9 Cattle Egrets, 1 Grey Heron, 4 Buzzards and 2 Marsh Harriers.
Wader species found on site recently include 3 Oystercatchers (with 1 chick), 3 Avocets and 1 Ruff.
Along the nature trail today, 2 Goldcrest have been seen. 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker was observed from Janet Kear hide, and further along the path from the Harrier hide, 4 Great Crested Grebes and 2 Mute Swans were observed.
From the Mereview hide, 2 Kingfishers were seen. These birds will likely be hunting for fish and other small pond creatures to feed to their newly fledged juvenile offspring.
Photograph of a Kingfisher.
