A little movement here and there
Passage migrants continue to arrive and locally fledged young are wandering
A few new in birds arrived on the reserve over the last couple of days, yesterday saw a couple of adult Turnstone in breeding plumage along with a couple of Sanderling and a few Ringed Plover, all of these birds accompanied the Dunlin off Middle Point with the high tide period being best. Today a duo of juvenile Arctic Terns were resting on the sandbank along with Black-headed, increasing numbers of Common Gulls and dozens of juvenile Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gulls. A few of our now fledged juvenile Little Grebes have begun to wander, one has made it onto the Rushy top pond.
Other highlights include the following
See https://twitter.com/slimbridge_wild for images and videos.
Tack Piece
Spotted Redshank (but regularly commutes to the Rushy), 3 Green Sandpiper, 24 Black-tailed Godwit, 5 Teal and 9 Redshank, It was rather quiet by 1100am which was just as well, the island creation work continued.
Top New Piece
Monday 2 August- 3 Garganey, 45 Dunlin, three Redshank (2 juveniles), 12 Teal, 3 Black-tailed Godwit. The Ross's Goose has returned with 20 Barnacle Geese.
Sunday 1 August- at least one Garganey, 29 Teal, 20 Shoveler and 30 Gadwall, 163 Black-tailed Godwit, 49 Dunlin, 10 Redshank (2 juv), 2 Snipe, 4 Ruff, broods of Gadwall and Shelduck, 10 Teal
Rushy Hide
Monday 2 August- Three juvenile Little-ringed Plover, Ruff, 10 Redshank, 3 Green Sandpiper, 19 Lapwing, 51 Black-tailed Godwit, Common Sandpiper, 3 Avocet, Mandarin, female Wigeon with drake Chiloe Wigeon hybrid, 6+ Pied Wagtails, House Martins feeding over + duck broods.
Sunday 1 August- 2 Ruff, Common Sandpiper, 5 Avocet, 4 Green Sandpiper, 17 Redshank, 116 Black-tailed Godwit, Mandarin, broods of Shelduck, Gadwall and Tufted Duck, female Wigeon and a variety of commoner wetland birds
Duck Decoy
Two Little Grebe, 10+ Tufted Duck- all females with young ranging from a fluffy late hatch brood of at least 4 to near fledged, a few Shoveler and Teal and a Blackcap.
Sunday 1 August 2pm Wild Safari
Adult Mediterranean Gull, 11 Avocet, 2 pair of Crane, 3 Roe Deer, 2cy Hobby, Buzzard, Grey Heron, Small Red-eyed, Common Blue and Blue-tailed Damselflies, Emperor, Black-tailed Skimmer and Common Darter Dragonflies, Common Blue and Skipper Butterflies.
