Sightings and news to week ending 11 January 2026
Sunday 11 January
The thaw again underway with milder West winds, the Tack Piece has become a lot busier with birds over the weekend.
Estuary Tower
Peregrine and 17 Cranes on the Dumbles, Pink-footed Goose with the Canada Geese on Lower Dumbles.
Tack Piece
Hunting Peregrine and a Goshawk flew low over field, flood and Robbie Garnett Hide into Decoy
Entrance road fields
Mostly Greylag Geese but 142 Russian White-fronted, adult Pink-footed and Barnacle Goose just about viewable through gateways to North of road
Withy Bed from Estuary Tower Walkway path
Firecrest feeding low in the willow coppice
Rushy Hide
82 Bewick's Swan at dawn with another on Tack Piece, Black-tailed Godwit with the Lapwing flock.
South Lake
Three Avocet on the wader scrape.
Saturday 10 January
Grounds
couple Fieldfare behind Back from the Brink, 2 black cap near the Rushy Hide, Redpol in the birch trees near pond zone
Estuary walkway
2 Firecrest, 2 Goldcrest, 8 Redwing, 10 Long Tailed Tits and 20 Siskin
Dumbles
122 Wigeon, 33 Teal, 9 Shoveler, 20 Dunlin, Ross’s Goose in the Barnacle flock, 4 Linnet, singles of Little Stint, Redshank, Chaffinch, Stonechat, Buzzard, 2 Roe Deer
Tack Piece
3 Little Stint, 200+ Wigeon, 60+ Lapwing, 100+ Teal, 9 Shoveler, 3 Pintail, 8 Shelduck, 2 Bewick’s Swan, Roe Deer and a Fox.
Pillbox Pool
22 Teal, 65 Wigeon, 2 Shoveler.
Kingfisher Hide
10 Roe Deer on Four Score, 9 Teal, 1 Grey Heron, little Grebe, Jay
Bottom New Piece
126 White Fronts, 49 Greylags, 1 Curlew, 2 Golden Plover.
Top New Piece
Bittern seen from Van de Bovenkamp hide in the reedbed below Zeiss hide
South Lake
55 Shoveler, 63 Teal, 45 Tufted Ducks, 5 Shelduck, 67 Pochard, 3 Pintails, 251 Lapwing, 19 Dunlin, 10 Cormorant, 1 Grey Heron, 150 Greylags, 2 White Fronted Geese
Friday 9 January
South Lake
10 Avocet, 9 Shelduck, 62 Lapwing, 104 Teal, 16 Gadwall, 38 Shoveler, 70 Pochard, 20 Tufted Duck, 9 Cormorant seen from Discovery Hide
Snipe, 63 Teal, 4 Shoveler, 2 Shelduck seen from Hogarth Hide
Top New Piece
26 Shelduck, 60 Teal, 2 Shoveler, 17 Wigeon, 57 Lapwing, Starling seen from Zeiss Hide
Curlew, 55 Lapwing, 257 Greylag seen from Van de Bovenkamp Hide
South Finger
Fieldfare, Chaffinch
Kingfisher
4 Roe Deer, Water Rail (h), Little Grebe, 2 Gadwall, 8 Teal
Great Egret, Siskin seen in the grounds
Estuary tower walkway
3 Robin, 1 Wren, 1 Dunnock, 2 Chaffinch,1 House sparrow
Willow hide
6 Blue tits, 2 Great tits,1 House sparrow, 3 Chaffinch, 3 Moorhen, 3 Teal
Knott hide
65 Wigeon
Dumbles
10 Shelduck, 163 Widgeon, 7 Teal, 161 Canada, 135 Barnacle, 20 Dunlin
Tack piece
16 Shelduck, 7 Shoveler, 350 Widgeon, 170 Teal, 37 Curlew, 150 Dunlin, 3 Sanderling, 400 Lapwing, 8 Redshank, 50 Golden plover, 52 Greylag, 50 Canada Geese, 36 adults and 1 juvenile Bewick Swans, 1 Barnacle Goose
Thursday 8 January
Kingfisher Hide
There were 2 Little Grebe, 2 Buzzard, 1 Shoveler, 9 Teal, 5 Roe Deer on the Four Score field.
South Lake
From Discovery Hide there were 98 Dunlin, 1 Redshank, 245 Lapwing, Pochard, Gadwall and Tufted Duck.
Top New Piece
From Zeiss Hide 500 Lapwing, 100 Dunlin, 1 Ruff and 109 Golden Plover and on the Bottom New Piece there were 7 Snipe, 1 Fox, 3 Roe Deer and 1 Shelduck on the back scrape.
Through the grounds
In the Alders near the Nene pen there were 50 Goldfinch, Long-tailed Tits and 5 Siskin feeding.
Spinney Wood
One Grey Heron and 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker drumming.
Rushy Hide
A male Blackcap has been spotted through the morning in trees by the Rushy Hide, Bewick's swans still present on site, 2 Redshank and small Dunlin flock still using the ice.
Tack Piece
From Martin Smith Hide there were 137 Canada Geese, 2 Teal, 2 Shelduck, 6 Curlew, 1 Redshank, 100 Dunlin, 100 Golden Plover, 400 Lapwing, 2 Fieldfare, 1 Redwing, 1 Marsh Harrier with Goldcrest and Long-tailed Tit, and Redwing along the Estuary Walkway too.
Wednesday 7 January
Tack Piece
From Robbie Garnett hide, 12 Curlew, Canada and Greylag flocks, 1 Bewick's Swan, 2 Redshank, 200 Dunlin, 20 Golden Plover before high tide and 2 Little Stint seen at 12:15. Siskin and Redwing were also seen along the Estuary walkway.
South Finger Walkway
A Bittern was spotted in the reeds by the Dragonfly Pool at 12:10.
Willow Hide
One Goldcrest seen by the feeders.
Dumbles
From Estuary Tower, 20 Golden Plover flew by as well as a Marsh Harrier, 300 Dunlin on the last on the mud of the river, 1 Peregrine, Greylag and Canada Geese.
South Lake
From Discovery Hide there were 7 Dunlin, 152 Tufted duck, 48 Pochard, 27 Shoveler, 2 adults and 1 juvenile Bewick's Swans and 50 Lapwing.
Top New Piece
From Zeiss Hide and Van de Bovenkamp Hide there were 2 Great Egret, 84 Dunlin, 50 Golden Plover, 320 Lapwing, Buzzard, 250 Greylag and 2 Crane.
Kingfisher Hide
32 Lapwing on the Four Score, 2 Little Grebe, 1 Marsh Harrier and 3 Roe Deer.
Through the Grounds
By the Eider pen and the bust of Sir Peter Scott were 10 Redpoll.
Tuesday 6 January
Tin Shed Ground
Two Tundra Bean Geese with the Greylags.
Tack Piece
Fifteen Tundra Bean Goose with Russian White-fronted Geese.
South Finger/Kingfisher Hide
Stonechats and Lapwings following the tractor in Bottom New Piece, 2 Marsh Harrier. Fieldfares, 2 Little Grebe, 9 Teal, 8 Roe Deer.
South Lake
Dunlin and 3 Sanderling roosted for a time on the ice, drumming Great Spotted Woodpecker, 437 Teal, 4 Wigeon, 17 Pochard, 110 Tufted Duck, 70 Shoveler, 40 Mallard.
Grounds
A male Kingfisher continues to fish in open water along the Matrix central pathway.
Monday 5 January
South Lake
One of the busiest places for birds on site. At least a 100 Russian White-fronted Geese with Greylag Geese but flew out to the fields. Four Egyptian Geese, 78 Pochard, 100s of ducks on the deep lake.
Decoy Boardwalk
Siskin with Goldfinches.
Grounds/Matrix
Kingfisher in the open water areas.
Hogarth Hide bridge
Two Siskins.
Robbie Garnett Hide
Firecrest at 1203hrs
Estuary Tower
Red Kite over the Dumbles at 1127hrs. Pink-footed Goose with the Canada Geese.
Tack Piece
Seven Tundra Bean Geese at 1059hrs plus 61 Russian White-fronted Geese.
Two Tundra Bean Geese from Van de Bovenkamp Hide at 1107hrs.
Rushy Hide/Peng Observatory
83 Bewick's Swans (four in the image) and a Whooper Swan early morning.
