Image- Autumn (Migrant) Hawker, MJM.
Upcoming Events
4x4 Photo Safari - Wednesday 16 September
Greater Flamingo on the River Severn
A second calendar year greater flamingo has been sighted on the River Severn close to WWT Slimbridge Wetland Centre. Identified by her green ring ‘LHH’, the young female flamingo belongs to Birdland Park and Gardens, in Bourton-on-the-Water, from where she has recently taken flight and become separated from her flock. Working closely with our colleagues at Birdland, we are monitoring her movements and keeping them updated. She currently appears healthy, coping well and not causing a disturbance to other birds.
Seasonal habitat work, essential maintenance and farming
*Please note that you may encounter farming activity, seasonal habitat management, infrastructure maintenance or survey work around the reserve. This can include the use of machinery. We typically work in one area at a time with a large team to get the job done quickly and safely. We manage the other wetland areas to offer a quiet place to feed and rest, short-term localised disturbance is possible. Our birds simply move to another spot for a time and return once we finish, the first phase of work in the Rushy led to outstanding views of waders on the Tack Piece.
It's important to allow quiet during the evenings and very early mornings when birds are roosting so most work is carried out when a full team is on site between 0800-1630hrs. This work is essential for biodiversity and the annual cycle of the reserve and also to keep the place operational, pumps, filter, pipes and much more need attention. This work also allows us to keep views open to our scrapes and lakes following the breeding season.
Sunday 13 September
Top New Piece
Over high tide- 13 juvenile Curlew Sandpiper, 4 Little Stint (one adult, three juveniles), juvenile Turnstone, 301 Ringed Plover, 458 Dunlin, 27 Sanderling, 2 Avocet, Marsh Harrier, Buzzard and Peregrine, 2 Little Grebe, 165 Teal.
South Finger
Spotted Flycatcher feeding above the path.
South Lake
19 Knot, 203 Black-tailed Godwit, 19 Ruff, 4 Green Sandpiper, 115 Black-headed, seven Herring, single Common and four LBB Gull, 13 Cormorant, 71 Shoveler.
Rushy Hide/Peng Observatory
10 Spotted Redshank, 3 Greenshank, 3 Garganey, 3 Black-tailed Godwit, Green Sandpiper, 5 Snipe, 8 Redshank, 10 Ruff, 24 Coot, 10 Moorhen, 42 Mallard, 5 Shoveler, 48 Lapwing and three Little Grebe.
Estuary Tower
Three Wheatear on the Dumbles cross fence although distant, 20+ Meadow Pipit and 15+ Skylark and 2-3 Yellow Wagtail visiting the dry scrape and grassland nearby, three Marsh Harrier and two Peregrine hunting during the morning.
Middle Point/Shepherds Hut Hide
A Sandwich Tern heard high over, Fulmar and Manx Shearwater on the Severn over high tide, latter was taken by a Peregrine, the former looking unwell. A few Curlew Sandpipers, 19 Sanderlings and juvenile Little Stint among the Dunlin/Ringed Plover flock feeding on the mud on the ebb tide as mud was exposed also 6 Bar-tailed Godwit with 287 Curlew.
Four Stonechat in the Goose House wild headland.
WeBS Count totals
| Canada Goose | 511 | ||
| Barnacle Goose | 89 | ||
| Greylag Goose | 182 | ||
| Mute Swan | 49 | ||
| Shelduck | 278 | ||
| Garganey | 3 | ||
| Shoveler | 102 | ||
| Gadwall | 60 | ||
| Mallard | 615 | ||
| Pintail | 2 | ||
| Teal | 567 | ||
| Pochard | 4 | ||
| Tufted Duck | 65 | ||
| Little Grebe | 9 | ||
| Grey Heron | 16 | ||
| Little Egret | 15 | ||
| Cormorant | 27 | ||
| Water Rail | 2 | ||
| Moorhen | 73 | ||
| Coot | 80 | ||
| Avocet | 81 | ||
| Lapwing | 88 | ||
| Ringed Plover | 317 | ||
| Curlew | 286 | ||
| Bar-tailed Godwit | 6 | ||
| Black-tailed Godwit | 217 | ||
| Turnstone | 1 | ||
| Knot | 19 | ||
| Ruff | 30 | ||
| Curlew Sandpiper | 13 | ||
| Sanderling | 27 | ||
| Dunlin | 500 | ||
| Little Stint | 4 | ||
| Snipe | 8 | ||
| Green Sandpiper | 6 | ||
| Redshank | 8 | ||
| Spotted Redshank | 10 | ||
| Greenshank | 4 | ||
| Black-headed Gull | 227 | ||
| Common Gull | 1 | ||
| Great Black-backed Gull | 12 | ||
| Herring Gull | 23 | ||
| Lesser Black-backed Gull | 19 | ||
| Sandwich Tern | 1 | ||
| Ross's Goose | 1 | ||
| Hybrid goose | 3 | Snow x Bar-headed, Barnacle x Canada, Canada x farmyard or abberrant Canada | |
| Black Swan | 1 | ||
| Greater Flamingo | 1 | ||
| Spoonbill | 1 | ||
| Cattle Egret | 5 | ||
| Great White Egret | 3 | ||
| Crane | 12 |
Saturday 12 September
Rushy Hide/Peng Observatory
Male Pintail
Shepherds Hut
1 Wheatear, singing Cettis Warbler, 1 Spotted Flycatcher. 4 Stonechat and 1 Whinchat on Paleochannel.
Image - Spotted Flycatcher - Paul Clark
Dumbles
80+ Avocet, 20 Knot, 50+ Dunlin, 10 Great Black Back Gull, 1 Peregrine, 1 Marsh Harrier, 3 Little Egret
Top New Piece
Large mixed flock of mainly Dunlin and Ringed Plover along with 9 Knot, at least 10 Sanderling, 5 Curlew Sandpipers and 2 Little Stint. A single Curlew, Juvenile Marsh Harrier, 195 Greylags plus farmyard bird, 11 Barnacles, 4 Teal, 1 Little Grebe, 1 Spoonbill
Rushy
35 Lapwing, 3 Greenshank, 2 Snipe, 13 Redshank, 5 Spotted Redshank including 3 juveniles, 4 Ruff, 1 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Great Egret, 3 Cormorants, 3 Garganey, Shoveler, Gadwall, Teal, Tufted
South Finger Reedbed
22 Gadwall, 1 Grey Heron
Kingfisher Hide
9 Gadwall in the channel, 141 Barnacles plus the Ross’s and 3 hybrids on Bottom New Piece
Friday 11 September
Tack Piece
1 Kingfisher, 163 Teal, 3 Redshank, 192 Greylags
Long Ground Pool
12 Teal 1 Black-Tailed Godwit, 1 Greenshank, 1 Green Sandpiper
Bottom New Piece
a Barnacle flock with Ross’s goose
Top New Piece
2 BlkWit, 1 Ruff, 15 Ringed Plover, 44 Avocet. Spoonbill, 2 Juv Marsh Harrier, Sparrowhawk, water Rail, Cettis and 402 Teal
South Lake
18 Knot, 277 BlkWit, 14 Ruff, single Green Sand.
24 Tufted and 4 Pochard
Rushy
1 Great Egret, 4 Greenshank, 8 Redshank, 4 Spotted Redshank, 1 Blackwit, 3 Ruff, 58 Lapwing
Summer Walkway
2 Spotted Flycatchers
Thursday 10 September
Estuary Tower
Flock of c70 Avocet, 100 small waders mostly Ringed Plover and Dunlin but a Sanderling and Curlew Sandpiper was also with them, 2 Peregrine, Marsh Harrier, Yellow Wagtail, 2 Skylark plus 9 Sand Martin and 9 Meadow Pipit south.
Martin Smith Hide
Garganey with Teal and Gadwall.
Rushy Hide/Peng Observatory
Garganey, 2 Spotted Redshank, 2 Greenshank, 2 Green Sandpiper, 13 Ruff, 5 Snipe, 12 Lapwing, Little Grebe and more.
Bottom New Piece
Ross's Goose with a flock of 147 Barnacle Geese.
Top New Piece
Osprey flew south, Spoonbill, Grey Heron and 4 Cranes.
South Lake
At least 25 Knot and 12 Ruff, c30 Lapwing Green Sandpiper, 2 Snipe with the Black-tailed Godwit.
Wednesday 9 September
South Lake
Cattle Egret, 16 Knot, 250+ Black-tailed Godwit, 6 Snipe, Dunlin, 21 Ruff, 12 Lapwing, Green Sandpiper, flocks of the usual ducks, Cormorants and geese.
Martin Smith Hide
At least two Garganey with the Teal, Shoveler and Gadwall.
Estuary Tower/Middle Point
Little Stint, 8 Dunlin, 2 Sanderling, 47 Ringed Plover, 160 Shelduck, 17 GBB Gull + Common, Herring, LBB and Black-headed Gulls, 60 Curlew including Yellow flag Y5, adult Whimbrel, juvenile Turnstone, 2 Peregrine, 3 Buzzard and 2 Raven. Two Wheatear on the fence.
Rushy Hide/Peng Observatory
Three Black-tailed Godwit, 8 Spotted Redshank, Greenshank, 6 Redshank, 10 Ruff, 2 Snipe, 30 Lapwing, Little Grebe, flocks of Teal and Shoveler.
Top New Piece
Spoonbill among the geese on the islands
Tuesday 8 September
Middle Point
Two Yellow Wagtails and two Stonechat.
Rushy Hide
Eight Ruff, a few Spotted and Common Redshank.
Estuary Tower
Wheatear on the Lower Dumbles/Dumbles cross fence, Spoonbill on the foreshore on falling tide, also Little Egrets and Grey Herons, Greenshank, Curlews, 16 a flock of Dunlin and Ringed Plover with Sanderling, one Little Stint and a Turnstone.
Monday 7 September
Tack Piece
Nine Ruff, 2 Green Sandpiper, 100 Teal.
Estuary Tower
A few Yellow Wagtails among the cattle and a Golden Plover on the Dumbles. On the Long Ground Pool a flock of Black-tailed Godwit, a Snipe and a Green Sandpiper.
South Lake
Green Sandpiper, 160 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Snipe, 17 Ruff, 70 Teal, flocks of Shoveler, Teal and Gadwall with a few Pochard among the Tufted Ducks.
Top New Piece
Spoonbill, 170 Teal, 10 Shoveler, flock of Greylag and a few Yellow Wagtails.
Bottom New Piece
Barnacle Goose flock with Ross's and Snow x Bar-headed Goose hybrid
Middle Point
A juvenile Grey Phalarope still SW of the point at 0950hrs, feeding with Shelducks and Black-headed Gulls. In the general vicinity of a dumped green container that is stuck in the mud. Also viewable distantly from Estuary Tower from where it was initially spotted. A second bird was reported during the mid-morning but flew off south.
From the Shepherds Hut Hide there were four Whinchats and three Stonechats in the Wild headland along the Ox Piece and Goose House Ground, they were also in the weeds and paleochannel in the fields.
