Sightings and news to week ending 20 July
Image- Spotted Redshank from Discovery Hide- (M.J.McGill)
Sunday 20 July
Wild Safaris
Grass Snake, first summer Hobby, two juvenile Marsh Harrier, 120 Avocet.
Long Ground Pool
Two Common Terns called in on the raft.
Rushy Hide/Peng Observatory
34 Gadwall, Snipe, 22 adult Dunlin, Spotted Redshank, 16 Redshank, 2 Greenshank but flew off, broods of Tufted Duck, Mallard and Shelducks.
Tack Piece
Male Ruff, 2 Redshank, 3 Little-ringed Plover, 12 Green Sandpiper, Greenshank but flew off, Great and 6 Little Egrets, 2 Lapwing, 4+ juvenile Yellow Wagtails with 2 Pied Wagtails.
Middle Point
Juvenile Mediterranean Gull among 100s Black-headed Gulls to S of point, also 13 Oystercatcher, 10 Dunlin and 30+ Curlew. Flocks of 4 and 11 Dunlin, Common Sandpiper, 60+ Avocet and 40 Curlew, 3 Oystercatcher to North of the point.
South Lake
Tundra Bean Goose, likely to be a released or escaped bird with Greylags, 8 Shoveler, 19 Tufted Duck, 4 Little Grebe, 6 Pochard, 22 Teal, 65 Coot, 55 Gadwall. Garganey at South end of wader scrape + Common Sandpiper, 90 Black-tailed Godwit, 63 Gadwall, 12 Teal, 12 Ruff (one Reeve), Spotted Redshank, 15 Redshank, 9 Avocet chicks with parents.
Top New Piece from Zeiss Hide
139 Lapwing including the partially leucistic bird, 3 male Ruff, mixed flock of 50 hirundines, 4 Avocet, 18 Teal, 8 Gadwall.
Saturday 19 July
Middle Point
Three Turnstone and 40 Dunlin reported on the Severn mud. Two Stonechat on the fence.
Top New Piece
Spoonbill.
Friday 18 July
South Finger
Jay and a poorly Tawny Owl.
Middle Point
14 Cranes on the Severn. juvenile Stonechat on the fences.
Top New Piece
Bittern and Spoonbill.
Thursday 17 July
Rushy
23 Shelduck, 47 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Ruff, 19 Gadwall, 4 Tufted Ducks (2 Ducklings), 1 Lapwing, Kingfisher flew past heading towards South Lake.
Breeding plumage Wood Sandpiper on the lower pond and a juvenile Mediterranean Gull in the afternoon.
Middle Point
27 Common Scoter (at least 7 females) drifted down and out on the tide
Discovery hide
The Tundra Bean Goose was visible in the afternoon.
Van de Bovenkamp Hide
1 Little Grebe, Male Marsh Harrier flying along the sea wall
Kingfisher Hide
2 Grey Heron, 8 Cranes, Male Kingfisher sat outside the nest
Zeiss Hide
1 Spoonbill and Sparrowhawk
Discovery Hide
2 Common Tern, Avocets with young, 80 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Oystercatcher, 6 Ruff, Redshank
Estuary Tower
3 Green Sandpiper, 1 Little ringed plover, 2 Yellow Wagtail, 21 Dunlin, lots of swallows and house martins
Robbie Garnett Hide
1 Great Egret, 12 Green Sandpiper, 2 Little Ringed Plover, 1 Spotted Red, Redshank, 2 Snipe and a Muntjac in the Withy Bed
*The water issue is now resolved and the site is open as normal today. Thank you *
Top New Piece
Two Bitterns sunning on the reeds along the fleet South of the Zeiss Hide, only viewable from here as the reeds screen them from the Van de Bovenkamp Hide. 35 Dunlin, Green Sandpiper, three male Ruff as well as Redshank and Black-tailed Godwits.
Tuesday 15 July
Top New Piece
Early morning- Snipe, adult Little-ringed Plover, three male Ruff, 25 Redshank, 2 Spotted Redshank, 3 Dunlin, 129 Black-tailed Godwit including colour ringed bird (Orange R with black hoops and Green over Black L), 4 Avocet.
Monday 14 July
Middle Point
Male White-spotted Bluethroat reported. In the high tide roost off the Dumbles- 9 Common Sandpiper, Bar-tailed Godwit, 61 Curlew, 9 Oystercatcher, 3 GBB and 8 Common Gulls.
South Lake
Greenshank, 2 Spotted Redshank, 32 Redshank, 7 Ruff, 25 Avocet, 98 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Little-ringed Plover, 4 Little Grebe, 141 Gadwall.
Top New Piece
Bittern showing in the same place as yesterday, adult Spoonbill, 2 Green Sandpiper, 3 Little-ringed Plover, 2 male Ruff, Black-tailed Godwit, Avocet.
Kingfisher Hide
14 Cranes in the Four Score Ground wheat stubble but dispersing to other areas.
Rushy Hide
Adult Mediterranean Gull, 181 Black-headed Gull, 9 Green Sandpiper early morning.
Tack Piece
Eight Green Sandpiper.
Long Ground Pool
Nine Green Sandpiper.
South Finger
Tawny Owl along the pathway hedge.
WeBS Count
The cattle were a pain today, two herds had gathered in the usual high tide roosts which meant some species were in long grass and hidden over the tide.
| Canada Goose | 17 | plus broods of one and 3 not included in total | |
| Barnacle Goose | 10 | ||
| Greylag Goose | 196 | low count, wheat stubble likely to be attracting them to the fields | |
| Mute Swan | 77 | broods of 4, 3 and 3 | |
| Shelduck | 128 | broods of 7, 18, 3, 3 and 8 seen but many hidden in long grass over high tide | |
| Shoveler | 32 | ||
| Gadwall | 172 | ||
| Mallard | 665 | ||
| Teal | 111 | ||
| Pochard | 7 | ||
| Tufted Duck | 25 | plus broods of 7, 2, total of 13 in Rushy and 1 | |
| Little Grebe | 15 | ||
| Great Crested Grebe | 1 | ||
| Bittern | 1 | ||
| Grey Heron | 10 | ||
| Little Egret | 8 | ||
| Cormorant | 12 | ||
| Moorhen | 46 | ||
| Coot | 165 | ||
| Oystercatcher | 17 | ||
| Avocet | 200 | ||
| Lapwing | 121 | ||
| Little Ringed Plover | 5 | ||
| Curlew | 160 | ||
| Bar-tailed Godwit | 1 | ||
| Black-tailed Godwit | 104 | ||
| Ruff | 9 | ||
| Dunlin | 35 | ||
| Snipe | 2 | ||
| Green Sandpiper | 28 | ||
| Redshank | 35 | ||
| Spotted Redshank | 2 | ||
| Greenshank | 1 | ||
| Kingfisher | 6 | ||
| Black-headed Gull | 849 | ||
| Common Gull | 10 | ||
| Great Black-backed Gull | 5 | ||
| Herring Gull | 58 | ||
| Lesser Black-backed Gull | 37 | ||
| Black Swan | 1 | ||
| Spoonbill | 1 | ||
| Crane | 14 |
