Sightings and news to week ending 12 October 2025
Rising tides this week will peak at over 10 metres at Sharpness, we hope to offer the waders additional roosting and feeding options around the scrapes, an attempt to attract them in from the Severn to coincide with the Wild Wader Celebration on Tuesday 7 and Wednesday 8 October. See https://www.wwt.org.uk/wetland... for more details.
Image- Ringed Plover and Dunlin (MJM).
*Please note that you may encounter seasonal work, various infrastructure and habitat projects are ongoing about the reserve from the end of September through to November, we may have machinery such as excavators or tractors working near to hides, birds will move to other quieter areas of the reserve*.
Sunday 12 October
WeBS Count
| Canada Goose | 342 | ||
| Barnacle Goose | 185 | ||
| Greylag Goose | 185 | ||
| Pink-footed Goose | 1 | long staying over summering bird with Canada Geese | |
| Mute Swan | 120 | ||
| Shelduck | 239 | ||
| Mandarin Duck | 2 | ||
| Shoveler | 120 | ||
| Gadwall | 26 | ||
| Wigeon | 85 | ||
| Pintail | 16 | ||
| Teal | 1575 | ||
| Pochard | 10 | ||
| Tufted Duck | 214 | ||
| Little Grebe | 7 | ||
| Bittern | 2 | ||
| Grey Heron | 15 | ||
| Little Egret | 17 | ||
| Cormorant | 21 | ||
| Water Rail | 5 | ||
| Moorhen | 62 | ||
| Coot | 69 | ||
| Avocet | 165 | ||
| Lapwing | 254 | ||
| Golden Plover | 480 | ||
| Grey Plover | 19 | ||
| Ringed Plover | 26 | ||
| Curlew | 131 | ||
| Bar-tailed Godwit | 5 | ||
| Black-tailed Godwit | 119 | ||
| Ruff | 18 | ||
| Curlew Sandpiper | 1 | ||
| Sanderling | 15 | ||
| Dunlin | 360 | ||
| Little Stint | 4 | ||
| Snipe | 24 | ||
| Green Sandpiper | 3 | ||
| Redshank | 10 | ||
| Spotted Redshank | 3 | ||
| Kingfisher | 3 | ||
| Black-headed Gull | 174 | ||
| Mediterranean Gull | 1 | ||
| Common Gull | 3 | ||
| Great Black-backed Gull | 19 | ||
| Herring Gull | 54 | ||
| Lesser Black-backed Gull | 19 | ||
| Ross's Goose | 1 | long staying (years) over summering with Barnacle Geese | |
| Hybrid goose | 3 | Snow x Bar-headed Barnacle x Canada x2 | |
| Black Swan | 1 | ||
| Glossy Ibis | 2 | ||
| Spoonbill | 1 | ||
| Cattle Egret | 2 | ||
| Great White Egret | 1 | ||
| Crane | 18 |
Saturday 11 October
Martin Smith
2 Glossy Ibis, 2 Water Rail
Dumbles
Pink Footed Goose with the Canadas, Cranes 12 unringed, Wendy & Albert, Oakie & Sherbert, Kia & Pepe.
Top New Piece - Ruby & her unringed mate
Rushy
2 Green Sandpiper, Spotted Redshank 1, 78 Teal, 2 Ruff, 8 Redshank, 1 Little Grebe, 5 Snipe, 2 Shoveler
South Lake
12 Black-tailed Godwit, 1 Avocet, 42 Shoveler, 2 Shelduck, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Cetti's,2 Redshank, c200 Teal,44 Black-headed gull, 9 Cormorant, 55 Tufted Duck ,14 Pochard,1 Water rail
Mid Point
58 Curlew, 31 Shelduck, 8 Cranes, 6 Greater Black-backed Gull, 4 Grey Heron, 3 Little Egret, 100+ Dunlin, Ross’s Goose in Barnacle flock, singles of Cormorant and Spoonbill
Top new Piece
1 Bittern, 1 Pintail, 5 Shoveler, 6 Wigeon, 390 teal, 260 Lapwing, 103 Black-Tailed Godwit, 2 Snipe, 3 Redshank, 16 Ruff, 2 Cormorant, 1 Grey Heron, 1 Cettis Warbler, 2 Crane flew towards Dumbles, 1 Marsh Harrier
Kingfisher Hide
2 Kingfishers, 5 Shoveller, 1 Teal, 1 Tufted Duck, 1 Little Grebe, 35 Lapwing
Big Pen
3 Pintail, 1 Black Swan
Friday 10 October
Martin Smith
2 Glossy Ibis, 1 water rail
South Lake
1 Mediterranean Gull, 4 Egyptian Geese, 250c Black Head Gulls, 1 Great Black Back Gull, 2 Snipe, 1 Avocet, 1 Black-Tailed Godwit, 12 Redshank, 4 Spotted Redshank, 170 Teal, 33 Shoveller, 106 Tufted, 18 Pochard
Top new Piece
1 Bittern, 549 Teal, 11 Pintail. 14 Ruff, 93 Black-Tailed Godwit, 2 Redshank, 125 Lapwing, 1 Dunlin and a Cettis
Rushy Hide - Green Sandpiper
WWT Zeiss Hide. Update on waders as tide reaches its peak. 200c Dunlin, 4 Greenshank, 2 Sanderling, 1 Curlew Sand and 1 Little Stint
Mid-point
1 Peregrine,1 Leach’s Petrel, 19 Grey plover, 4 Greenshanks, 12 Bar-tailed godwits, 2 Great crested grebes, Peregrine, Med gull, 5 sanderlings, 270+ Golden plover, 250+ Dunlin/Ringed plover, 3 Stonechats, Little stint, Spoonbill, 126 Curlew, 5 Pintail, 20 Cranes, 2 Rock pipit, 16 Cattle Egret
South Finger
Cettis and Water Rail
Kingfisher Hide
2 Roe Deer and 3 Teal
Long Ground Pool - 15 Shoveler, 36 Teal. 10 Teal at left hand end Stephen Kirk hide.
Dumbles - Buzzard on river edge, 13 Greylags
Thursday 9 October
Martin Smith hide
2 Glossy Ibis, Water rail
Top New Piece
2 Bitterns, Marsh Harrier, 9 Ruff, 13 Ringed plover, 2 Little Stint, 185 Dunlin, 278 Golden Plover, 84 Black-tailed Godwit, 3 Spotted Redshanks
summer walkway
9 Redwing, Yellowhammer
Tin shed field
9 Cattle Egret with the Long horn cattle, 2 Water Rail heard calling and 3 Roe Deer
Kingfisher hide
5 Roe deer
South Lake
10 Snipe. 20 Redshank, 8 black-tailed Godwit, Ruff, Avocet, Black Swan
Dumbles
11 Cranes, Dunlin flock, 300 Golden Plover, Curlew,
Wednesday 8 October
Martin Smith
2 Glossy Ibis
Zeiss Hide
390 Dunlin, 51 Golden Plover, 20 Ruff, 48 Avocet, 2 Curlew Sandpiper, 1 Little Stint, 320 Lapwing, 145 Black-tailed Godwit, 1090 Teal, 3 Redshank,10 Sanderling, 2 Bittern
South Lake
48 Avocet, 137 Black-tailed Godwit, 1 Mediterranean Gull, 17 Pochard, 2 Pintail, 96 Tufted Duck, 18 Shoveler, 1 Common Gull, 193 Teal and 1 Marsh Harrier
Middle Point
97 Curlew, 15 Bar-tailed Godwit, 7 Little Egret, 30 Avocet, 3 Cormorant, 3 Spoonbill, 1 Great Egret, Peregrine, flock of 500 small waders (including Golden Plover)
Summer walkway
Yellowhammer and Cettis warbler
Pill box pool
1 Green sandpiper, stonechat
Rushy
1 Spotted Redshank
Tuesday 7 October
Martin Smith
2 Glossy Ibis, Grey Wagtail,
Shepherd’s Patch
40+ Cattle Egret
Decoy Hide
22 Tufted Duck, 55 Mallard, 3 Cormorant, Grey Heron
Mid point
Four Whooper Swans (three adults and a juvenile),100+ avocets, 200+ Golden Plover, 16 Ruff, 100+ Lapwing, Bar- Tailed Godwits, Curlew, Flock of avocets, Marsh Harrier and Buzzard.
South Lake
Sparrowhawk, 6 Siskin, 1 Avocet,
Top New Piece
3 Spoonbills, 2 Bitterns,
Monday 6 October
Tack Piece (*note that seasonal cutting will take place here this week, likely to begin on 7-9 October).
73 Wigeon with the Teal flock + a few Shoveler and a Black-tailed Godwit.
Martin Smith Hide (*note that seasonal cutting will take place here this week, likely to begin on 7-9 October).
Two Glossy Ibis feeding on the island that was cut last month.
South Lake
At least 13 Avocet, 47 Lapwing and a Spotted Redshank among the Black-tailed Godwits, four Cattle Egret in the afternoon plus an Egyptian Goose.
Top New Piece
Bittern reported, Spoonbill, 12 Ruff with 255 Lapwing and Teal flock, a few Wigeon, Pintail and Shoveler. Marsh Harrier hunting over.
Estuary Tower
Two Whooper Swans on Top New Piece. On the foreshore- 3 Spoonbill, at least 21 Grey Plover, 2 Bar-tailed Godwit, flocks of Curlew, Ringed Plover, Dunlin, Avocet, Shelduck, GBB and other Gulls, Barnacle and Canada Geese + Pink-footed Goose.
Middle Point
Three Little Stint, a Curlew Sandpiper, flock of 200 Golden Plover, 12 Sanderling, 21 Grey Plover.
Rushy Hide
Five Spotted Redshank, 12 Redshank, 23 Lapwing, 18 Snipe, a Green Sandpiper, a Ruff and a range of duck sp. Little Egret following the Cormorants, a few Pied and a Grey Wagtail.
