Although it’s been a quieter few days on the reserve, there have still been some lovely birds to spot across the site. A particular highlight was a Bittern briefly landing at the back of Vinson’s field - which can be viewed from hides including the Bird Observatory and Ron Barker - on Tuesday!
On the Mere, there have been an array of birds sighted, including one Linnet, one Little Egret, one Great White Egret, four Ruff, four Pink-footed Geese, over five Pied Wagtails, 10+ Swallows, 30 Lapwing and 47 Sand Martins. Several of our wonderful duck species were also spotted, including one Tufted Duck, two Wigeon, and 15 Teal.
From the Bird Observatory, which overlooks a lot of the reserve including the Mere and Plover Field, many birds of prey have been seen, including a Kestrel, a juvenile Marsh harrier, a Buzzard, and a female Peregrine Falcon. One Snipe was also spotted on Plover Field.
Last but not least, up to 57 Cattle Egrets were seen alongside our herd of English Longhorn Cattle. If you’re lucky, you can often find the birds perching on top of the cows backs as they graze.
Picture of a Bittern.
