Latest Sightings
Spring is definitely in the air on our Reserve, with some exciting birdlife being recorded in the past few days.
First of all, some long-stayers – the adult male Ring-necked Duck continues to show well from the Discovery Hide, having been here since early December. The Glossy Ibis has also remained faithful to the site, possibly present as far back as September – this is usually seen associating with the flock of roughly 50 Cattle Egret from the Ron Barker hide.
The elusive male Bittern is still in our reedbed – he may be tough to see, but listen for his loud ‘booming’ song, a noise similar to blowing air across the top of a glass bottle. Woodcock have also been seen in this area, and both Cetti’s Warbler and Water Rail can often be heard calling deep in the reeds. A pair of Great Crested Grebe have also been present on the lagoon in front of Harriet Hide, along with 36 Pochard and 16 Tufted Duck.
On the Mere, a whopping 300+ Black-tailed Godwit have been recorded, including a bird carrying a set of colour rings – this information has been sent off, and we are eagerly awaiting information on this individual’s life history. Other birds seen here include 520 Wigeon, 42 Pochard, 220 Whooper and over 1,000 Black-headed Gull.
48 Avocet have been counted on Woodend Marsh, an exciting sign of the breeding season’s approach. 7 Common Gull have also been recorded here, and on the nearby Plover Field, a Dunlin has been sighted with a small group of Ruff amongst the flock of Lapwings usually present here. This Dunlin is the first of the year here at Martin Mere, and isn’t often recorded on site.
Photograph of a Bittern.
