Image- Northern Wheatear, Dumbles (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.
*Note that we intend to work on the South Lake this coming week*
Sunday 20 September
Middle Point
Osprey on the sands at around 1600hrs, feeding on a fish with a few Carrion Crows for company
Stonechat in the reed bed, 15 Sanderling, 2 Knot, 21 Avocet and a flock of c300 Dunlin/Ringed Plover on the mudflats
South Lake
Spoonbill, 132 Black-tailed Godwit, Green Sandpiper, Water Rail on wader scrape.
Top New Piece
18 Ruff viewed from Estuary Tower but most moved to the South Lake.
Tack Piece
Five Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Spotted Redshank (moved here from the Rushy), c40 Teal.
Martin Smith Hide
Kingfisher, Water Rail and Garganey (later joined the trio in the Rushy later).
Wild Safaris
Flock of 13 Cattle Egret, juvenile Hobby, male Marsh Harrier, two Whinchats in Goose House Ground headland and paleochannel.
Estuary Tower
Two distant (probably) Arctic Terns downriver, Peregrine hunting over area, 12 Cranes on estuary and Dumbles
Rushy Hide/Peng Observatory
Three Garganey, 33 Red Knot (all juveniles) 8 Spotted Redshank, 4 Greenshank, 5 Redshank, 3, Black-tailed Godwit, 9 Ruff, 7 Snipe, 20 Lapwing, Little Grebe + Teal, Gadwall and Shoveler.
Friday 18 September
Van de Bovenkamp Hide
Four Cattle Egret.
South Finger Reedbed
36 Gadwall.
South Lake
26 Knot, 209 Black-tailed Godwit, 17 Ruff, 3 Green Sandpipers, 11 roosting Cattle Egret (since flown out), Spoonbill , 25 Tufted Duck, 4 Pochard, 61 Shoveler, Little Grebe and a juvenile Marsh Harrier.
Top New Piece
26 Teal, 2 Ruff, Green Sandpiper, and a female Marsh Harrier.
Bottom New Piece
Barnacle flock with Ross’s Goose. Juvenile Marsh Harrier and 3 Roe Deer.
Tack Piece
133 Teal, 107 Greylag, 8 Canada Geese and 4 Barnacle Geese.
Long Ground Pool
52 Teal, 2 Black-Tailed Godwit, 5 Shoveler and a Lapwing.
Dumbles
From the Estuary tower - 155 Barnacle Geese with two Canada hybrids.
Rushy
3 Snipe, 3 Black-tailed Godwit, 8 Redshank, 1 Spotted Redshank, 50 Lapwing, 3 Ruff, 13 Gadwall, 38 Teal, 2 Greenshank, 1 Green Sandpiper, 2 Cormorant, 4 Shoveler, 2 Garganey, 1 Little Grebe, 2 Greylag Geese and a Canada goose.
Thursday 17 September
Estuary Tower/Middle Point
A Great Skua feeding on a seabird carcass, Manx Shearwater or auk, after a feed it rested on the mud for a time, then flew down to the main channel at c0835hrs. Also a juvenile Yellow-legged Gull with the mixed age GBB, LBB and Herring Gulls on carrion. 32 Meadow Pipits on Tack Piece.
Tack Piece
Two Spotted Redshanks.
Rushy Hide/Peng Observatory
Garganey, Ruff, Spotted Redshank, Greenshank.
Bottom New Piece
An adult female Marsh Harrier, a Stonechat and two Roe deer.
Top New Piece
17 Gadwall, 110 Teal, 4 Tufted Duck, 4 Mute Swan, Grey Heron, Curlew, Lapwing, Green Sandpiper, Cetti's Warbler,
3 Pied Wagtail and 6 Barnacle Geese.
South Lake
Cetti's Warbler, 2 Green Sandpiper, 2 Snipe, 11 Ruff, 116 Black-tailed Godwit, 62 Lapwing, Little Grebe, Grey Heron, 8 Cormorant, 40 Tufted Duck, 6 Pochard and 30 Shoveler.
Entrance Road fields
Cattle Egret with the cattle in the field to north of road, they also visited south of the road.
Wednesday 16 September
Some images from the 4x4 Photo safari
Rushy Hide/Peng Observatory
9 Spotted Redshank, 27 Ruff, 3 Greenshank, 2 Green Sandpiper, 2 Garganey, 12 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Snipe, 3 Great Egret and a Little Grebe.
Tack Piece
Two Ruff, 3 Spotted Redshank and a Kestrel hunting over the hedge line.
Martin Smith Hide
A Male Kingfisher flew south towards the Decoy.
Mid Point
Two Reed Bunting, a Whinchat and Wheatear amongst 5 Stonechat along the fence line, 43 Curlew, 2 Ringed Plover, 3 Great Egret, 2 Grey Heron and 7 unringed Cranes on the Severn.
South Finger Extension
A Water Rail, 2 Jays, a dozen Gadwall, 2 Cetti's Warbler calling and a Little Grebe.
Top New Piece
Eight Curlew Sandpiper, Spoonbill, Peregrine, Buzzard, Marsh Harrier, 112 Teal and a Stonechat.
South Lake
Nine Cattle Egrets, 30 Knot amongst 206 Black-tailed Godwit, 7 Ruff, 2 Green Sandpiper, 3 Snipe, 49 Tufted duck, 128 Lapwing, 6 Pochard and 35 Shoveler.
Tuesday 15 September
Top New Piece
'Several' Curlew Sandpiper, Little Stint and 4 Sanderling with the Dunlin and Ringed Plover flock over high tide, all were flushed by a Sparrowhawk.
Rushy Hide/Peng Observatory
Four Garganey, Green Sandpiper, 7 Ruff, 6 Redshank, 10 Spotted Redshank (4 juveniles, two of which have flown to Tack Piece), 60 Teal, 5 Pintail, 12 Gadwall, 13 Shoveler, 40 Lapwing, Kingfisher, Grey Wagtail.
Top New Piece
Four Great Egret all dispersed to Severn, Spoonbill, 2 Ruff but a Marsh Harrier flushed everything.
Estuary Tower
18 Crane on the mudflats early morning until the tide flooded, 5 Stonechat, Whinchat and Wheatear at Middle Point, Yellow Wagtail among the cattle.
Monday 14 September
An Osprey flew over the grounds at 0935-0940hrs.
Top New Piece from Zeiss Hide
Over high tide- 14 Curlew Sandpiper (all juveniles), 4 Little Stint (adult and three juveniles), 19 Sanderling, 307 Ringed Plover, 530 Dunlin.
Shepherds Hut Hide
Five Stonechat and Whinchat in the Goose House Ground weeds and wild headland.
Rushy Hide/Peng Observatory
Seven Spotted Redshank (one juvenile), 5 Redshank, 8 Snipe, Greenshank, Garganey, 7 Ruff, 3 Little Grebe
South Lake
Three Green Sandpiper, 25 Tufted Duck, 6 Pochard, GBB Gull, 21 Ruff, 3 Snipe, c100 Black-tailed Godwit, (one new-in colour ringed with Red over yellow/black line Left, yellow over red over yellow Right). Over high tide, 20 Knot among the Black-tailed Godwits and 10 Cattle Egret late afternoon.
Estuary Tower
Marsh Harrier on Dumbles foreshore, 2 Yellow Wagtail, 12+ Meadow Pipit, 25 Curlew on the Dumbles. A dozen Cranes over high tide, four on the far side of the estuary.
Tack Piece
170+ Teal, Green Sandpiper, 3 Snipe, 1-4 Ruff, 2 Spotted Redshank, 5 Black-tailed Godwit. Golden Plover arrived calling, another calling in the field
Martin Smith Hide
Two Wigeon with Gadwall
