News and sightings to week ending 27 July
Image- Little Egrets on the Lower Pond from Rushy Hide- MJM
*Note that there has been no sign of the White spotted Bluethroat since early last week*
Sunday 27 July
Dumbles over high tide
The Caspian Tern again roosting on the Dumbles saltmarsh/foreshore over the high tide period.
Middle Point
Six Yellow Wagtails among the cattle, 2 Lesser Whitethroat in the hedges and Whinchat on the fence. The Yellow Wagtails were also visiting the Tack Piece scrape.
Dumbles
Juvenile Marsh Harrier early morning with it or another hunting Saul Warth later, plus adult male male hunting N end of the reserve
Tack Piece
Juvenile Wood Sandpiper, 14 Green Sandpiper, 7 Little-ringed Plover (2 adults), Garganey (pictured- MJM), 2 Little Egret, 5 Lapwing, 16 Teal, 5 Little Egret, 8 Gadwall.
Rushy Hide/Peng Observatory
Two Snipe, the Garganey from Tack Piece called in but returned over the hedge and fence, a juvenile Little-ringed Plover called in, single Black-tailed Godwit and Redshank, broods of Tufted Duck and Shelducks.
Top New Piece
A second Spoonbill, Spotted Redshank, 14+ Ruff, 25 Redshank, 39 Lapwing, 2 Heron, 34 Teal, Pink-footed Goose, Green Sandpiper, 184 Black-tailed Godwit.
South Lake
20 Avocet (at least 8 juveniles) chasing Gadwall and Teal on the scrape, Common Sandpiper, adult Little-ringed Plover, Spotted Redshank, 5 Pochard.
Saturday 26 July
Dumbles saltmarsh foreshore over high tide
Caspian Tern among the gulls.
Tack Piece from Robbie Garnett Hide
Nine Little Egret, 3 Little Ringed Plover, 9 Green Sandpiper, 2 Ruff, 2 Gadwall, singles of Wood Sandpiper, Redshank, Common Sandpiper, Snipe, Grey Heron, Spoonbill
Middle Point
80+ Dunlin, 65 Curlew, 50+ Avocet over, 6 Oystercatcher, 3 Common Sandpiper, 26 Great Black-backed Gull, singles of Ringed Plover, Common Tern, Cormorant, Reed Bunting, Meadow Pipit, Lesser Whitethroat.
South Lake
Avocet 15 adults 4 chicks, Spotted Redshank 1, Black-tailed Godwit 157, Redshank 6, Ruff 2, Pochard 5 drakes and 1 duck, Little Grebe 2 adults with single chick, Tundra Bean Goose on left hand island of deep lake, Cormorant 2.
Friday 25 July
Robbie Garnet
Female Garganey feeding to the left of the hide
6 Little Ringed Plover, 13 Green Sandpiper, Little Egret, Sedge Warbler, 3 Lapwing
South Lake
11 adults and 5 juvenile Avocet. 2 Green and 1 Common Sand, 175 Black-Tailed Godwit, 2 Spotted Redshank, 5 Ruff, 3 Redshank 2 Little Grebe
Zeiss Hide
8 Black-Tailed Godwit, 98 Lapwing, Spoonbill, juvenile Marsh Harrier 1 Redshank, Little Grebe and Reed Warbler
South Finger walkway
1 Sedge warbler and Blackcap.
Kingfisher Hide
12 Crane on four score field, 1 Kestrel, and 1 Great spotted woodpecker.
Estuary Tower
1 Great white egret fishing
Martin Smith Hide
Male Kingfisher
Middle Point
Caspian Tern spotted at lunch time. Wheatear, Whinchat & 8 Yellow Wagtail around cross-fence & 50+ Starling with cows.
Turnstone, 5 Common Sandpiper, 66 Curlew, 15 Oystercatcher, 9 Dunlin, 64 Shelduck, Great Egret & 6 Little Egret on Estuary.
Thursday 24 July
South Lake
2 Juveniles and 1 adult Little Grebes, 8 chicks and 17 adult Avocets, 4 Ruff, 140 Black-Tailed Godwits, 1 Redshank, 1 Spotted Redshank.
Kingfisher hide
8 Cranes (Evie & 3 unringed young cranes, Ruby and Wild Partner, Albert and Wendy) seen in Four score field, 3 Grey Herons fishing down the channel.
Middle Point
1 Whinchat, 1 juvenile Stonechat, 1 juvenile Yellow Wagtail, 5 Dunlin, 8 Little Egret, 40 Curlew, 3 Raven, 12 Greater black-backed Gulls and 4 Oystercatcher
Rushy Lake
22 Shelduck, 2 Little Egrets, 1 Grey Heron, 2 Oystercatchers, 38 Gadwall, 2 Lapwing, 3 Redshank, 3 Black Tailed Godwits, 13 Tufted Ducks, 1 Green Sandpiper
Tack Piece
22 Little Egret, 2 Grey Heron, 11 Green Sandpiper, 2 Ruff, 1 Great Egret, 2 Little Ringed Plover
Zeiss Hide/ Top New Piece
Pink-footed goose, 1 Avocet, 106 Lapwing, 8 Black-tailed Godwit, 1 Green Sandpiper, 3 Ruff, 1 Spoonbill
Wednesday 23 July
South Lake
183 Black-tailed Godwit, 7 Ruff, 6 Cranes flew over, 15 Avocet with 6 juvenile, 1 Green Sandpiper, 6 Redshank, 2 Kingfisher. Tundra Bean Goose.
Middle Point
12 Little Egret, 40 Curlew, 1 Common Sandpiper, 11 Oystercatcher, 3 Dunlin, 1 Whinchat, 2 Stonechat, 1 Wheatear and 3 Yellow Wagtail. Also a Red Knot in breeding plumage.
Rushy Lake
2 Little Egret, 2 Black-tailed Godwit, 6 Redshank and 1 Ruff
Tack Piece
11 Green Sandpiper, 3 Little Egret, 1 Heron, 1 Ruff
Zeiss Hide
1 Bittern, 2 Spotted Redshank, 190 Black-tailed Godwit, 22 Redshank, 12 Ruff, 7 Avocet, 1 Hobby, Pink footed Goose, 1 Sparrowhawk, c20 Sand Martins.
Tuesday 22 July
South Lake
Common Sandpiper, 10 Avocet chicks with parents, 30 Teal, 2 Dunlin, Spotted Redshank, flock of roosting Black-tailed Godwits, Redshanks and Ruff, 5 Pochard, 5 Little Grebe, Tundra Bean Goose with Greylag flock.
Middle Point
Three Turnstone and 2 Sanderling with 57 Dunlin, Oystercatcher, brood of 5 Shelduck, 15 Curlew, 100s of gulls on the mud, Meadow Pipit and Reed Buntings along the track.
Top New Piece
Bittern came out into the open on the East shore but eventually flew toward Kingfisher Hide. Five Cattle Egret, 90 Lapwing including partially leucistic bird, 3 Ruff and a flock of Greylag.
Tack Piece
13 Little Egret, Little-ringed Plover, 16 Green Sandpiper, 19 Teal. Rushy Hide/Peng Observatory- Common Sandpiper, 3 Redshank, 2 Snipe, 3 Lapwing, Little Egret and broods of ducks (Tufted Ducks, Mallard and Shelduck).
Rushy Hide
An adult White winged Tern in moult called in briefly in the afternoon, it relocated to Frampton on Severn later where it was seen to 23 July, also a Common Tern.
Juvenile Water Rail.
Monday 21 July 2025
Top New Piece
Bittern again from Van de Bovenkamp Hide, six Cattle Egret, Pink-footed Goose with Canada/Greylag flock, Common Sandpiper on a post, 2 Green Sandpiper, 6 Dunlin, Snipe, Avocet, Redshank, 3 Ruff, 98 Lapwing, 36 Teal + Shelducks, Gadwalls and Mallards
Kingfisher Hide
7 Cranes on the Four Score Ground wheat stubble.
Middle Point
Three Little ringed Plover on the drier mud to SW of the point, (the Tack piece trio on an outing). The juvenile Mediterranean Gull again among the 100s of gulls, Greenshank, 35 Dunlin, 7 Little Egret + Shelducks, Oystercatchers and Curlews S and W of the point, 8 Grey Heron, 2 Little Egret and 50+ Avocet in the heat haze to the N of the point.
Tack Piece
17 Green Sandpiper, 2 Lapwing.
Long Ground Pool
Green Sandpiper. Pill Box Pool- Green Sandpiper.
South Lake
Ruff and Redshank among the Black-tailed Godwits, Common Sandpiper, broods of Avocets, newly hatched Little Grebe chick with parents on deep lake + a raft of Pochard, Tufted Duck, Gadwall, Shoveler and Teal. Tundra Bean Goose with the Greylags.
Rushy Hide/Peng Observatory
14 Little Egret, 6 Redshank, Kingfisher, Snipe, new brood of Tufted Duck.
Grounds
We still have singing Song Thrush, Blackcaps and Greenfinch with Blackbird singing yesterday.
