30 Dark-bellied Brent on the March WeBS Count
More Spring migrants - 30 Dark-bellied Brent Geese recorded today
The undoubted highlight of this morning's count was a flock of 29 Dark-bellied Brent Geese -this flock had settled on the water as the tide flooded but took flight again to tour the estuary basin over high tide. Eventually settling off Middle Point where they floated down towards Purton on the ebb tide. Later they were seen on the shore of the main channel toward the West side of the estuary. A couple of them were quite large with extensive, clear 'cut throat' markings and more well defined flank markings, perhaps these were mature ganders. The count was pushed up to 30 as another adult Dark-bellied Brent was among a small flock of Canada Geese on the Lower Dumbles, this bird remained in the company of the larger geese.
Totals for the Wetland Bird Survey Count as follows
22 Cormorant
3 Little Egret
3 Grey Heron
2 Crane
169 Mute Swan
1 Pink-footed Goose
126 Russian White-fronted Geese
124 Greylag
92 Canada Geese
167 Barnacle Geese
1 Snow x Bar-headed Goose
1 Bar-headed Goose
30 Dark-bellied Brent
256 Shelduck
655 Wigeon
22 Gadwall
176 Teal
415 Mallard
187 Pintail
101 Shoveler
7 Pochard
170 Tufted Duck
84 Moorhen
99 Coot
46 Avocet
22 Oystercatcher (indication of breeding birds)
42 Lapwing (indication of breeding birds)
3 Curlew (majority of the local remaining birds have moved to Frampton Shore)
216 Black-tailed Godwit
1 Redshank
1 Snipe (likely to be very many more if favourite spots were walked through)
12 Little Grebe
2 Great Crested Grebe
265 Black-headed Gull
2 Lesser Black-backed Gull
6 Great Black-backed Gull
21 Herring Gull
95 Common Gull
MJMcGill
