Sightings and news to week ending 21 June 2026
Image- juvenile Kingfisher, Martin Smith Hide
Upcoming Events
BSL Support Day - Sunday 28 June
Wild History Walk - Saturday 4 July
4x4 Photo Safari - Thursday 16 July
The Urban Birder's 20th Anniversary: Guided Birding Walk - Tuesday 21 July
Guided Birdwatch Walk - Tuesday 4 August
Birding for Beginners - Wednesday 5 August
Summer Walkway
We are hoping to open the summer walkway as soon as possible, we are currently monitoring three Cranes that have been using the area as a safe hiding place whilst they moult. To reduce stress to these flightless bird and give them space we are delaying opening the path. Summer herds of cattle are due to go out onto the Top New Piece and Dumbles, we will monitor where these flightless birds choose to hide and feed and make a plan around their movements to keep them safe. Sorry for the delay, we are doing what is right for these birds at a vulnerable stage. Thank you for your understanding.
Sunday 21 June (Midsummers Day)
Tack Piece
Three Curlew, three Lapwing, Green Sandpiper plus Teal and Tufted Duck. Wigeon at the Martin Smith Pool.
Estuary Tower
Two juvenile Bitterns showing in the Pillbox pool reed bed, at least one wandering to the meadow but was chased back to reeds by a Moorhen. 7 Cranes on the Dumbles.
Images- M.J.McGill
Juvenile Stonechat on the Middle Point fence and Summer Walkway.
Three Curlew and three Lapwing on Tack Piece.
Bottom New Piece
Pair of Cranes with a chick
Top New Piece
The returning breeding plumage Spotted Redshank and Ruff back today with 35 Redshank + two chicks, 8 Lapwing and Oystercatcher. Two un-ringed Cranes, 24 Teal, Little Grebe, Egyptian Goose, 20+ Gadwall + 2 ducklings.
South Lake
Little-ringed Plover, 2 Black-tailed Godwit, Redshank, 5 Oystercatcher, 10 Teal, pair of Cranes with juvenile, 10 Shoveler, flocks of Gadwall, 8 Avocet on nests, 2 chicks have hatched.
Wild Safari
Corn Bunting singing.
Saturday 20 June
Decoy Hide
Greylag families of 4, 3, 1, 2 Tufted Duck, 2 Shelduck
Kingfisher Hide
2 Cranes on Bottom New Piece in the tall grass, Dunnock, Reed Bunting, Blackcap and Reed Warbler singing
Tope New Piece
36 Redshank, 2 Lapwing, 3 Avocet, 12 Teal, Reed Warbler singing, 1 Shelduck
South Lake
39 Avocet, 19 Shoveler, 2 Oystercatcher, 74 Gadwall, 21 Teal, Little Grebe chick, 5 Pochard, 5 Tufted Duck.
Rushy
13 Avocet juvenile (4 large) visible, Tufted duck with 8 juvenile, 2nd brood of 6
Tack Piece
Juvenile ringed Kingfisher, 1 Little Egret, 2 Reed Warbler seen from Martin Smith
1 Buzzard, 5 Green Sandpiper, Male & Female Marsh Harrier, 2 Oystercatcher, 1 Curlew, 5 Crane over, 1 Common Tern briefly seen from Robbie Garnett hide
Dumbles
5 Crane, 1 Spoonbill, 1 juvenile Marsh Harrier, 2 juvenile Stonechat, 1 Sand Martin, 6+ House Martin, 1 Corn Bunting, 9 Lapwing upriver, 1 Linnet, 4 Pied Wagtail (2 juvenile), 1 Roe Deer
Long Ground pool
Two Bittern
Friday 19 June
Pill Box Pool
Juvenile Bittern for 35 minutes from 8:04,
Decoy Hide
Grey Heron, 5 Shelduck, Greylag family of 2
Kingfisher Hide
5 Gadwall, Mute Swan family of 1 cygnet, Grey Heron,
Top New Piece
2 Cranes, 10 Gadwall plus family of 2, Reed Bunting, 27 Redshank, 2 Lapwing, 17 Teal, adult Bittern
Rushy
Spoonbill, 25 Avocet Chicks, 6 Black-headed Gull chicks, 12 Tufted Ducklings
South Lake
30 Avocet, 76 Gadwall, 6 Teal, 21 Shoveler, 8 Tufted duck, Pochard, Little Grebe
Thursday 18 June
Severn Ground
The bird seed crop has been really effective at supporting our winter finches and buntings in particular, even a few Corn Buntings have wintered, we have gone one step further. A male Corn Bunting has taken up a territory and is singing. We really hope to re-establish this species as a breeding bird, the last singing individual was around 1990. This bird should be audible (listen for the 'jangling keys' song) and will be viewable from the Wild Safaris that are currently running on weekends. Very distant telescope views also possible from Estuary Tower, or, when it opens, the Summer Walkway.
Corn Bunting, Severn Ground, (MJM).
Entrance Road
A male Redstart on the hedge and fences.
South Finger Walkway
One Mute Swan, 1 Cetti's Warbler and 2 Reed Warbler.
South Finger
From Kingfisher Hide, 1 Moorhen, 2 Mute Swan, 2 Mallard, 3 Reed Warbler, 1 Reed Bunting and 2 Common Whitethroat.
Pill box Pool
Adult and juvenile Bittern spotted this morning.
Top New Piece
One Reed Bunting, 13 Redshank with 2 Chicks too, 3 Tufted Duck, 2 Mallard, 3 Reed Warbler, 2 adult Crane with Juv, 26 Lapwing, 1 Black-tailed Godwit and 8 Teal.
Tack Piece
Two Lapwing, 1 Oystercatcher, 2 Barnacle Geese, 2 Grey Heron and 9 Gadwall.
Dumbles
Reed Bunting, Skylark, Sedge Warbler, 2 Pied Wagtail with 3 juveniles, Linnet, 9 Crane and House Martins picking up mud from the scrape edges.
River
One Bar-tailed Godwit, 11 Curlew, 4 Oystercatcher and 3 Little Egret.
Rushy
28 Avocet visible with chicks, 19 Tufted Duck with 3 broods, one of 8 ducklings, 1 Pochard, 53 Gadwall, broods of Shelducklings and 2 Oystercatcher.
Car Park
Two Chiffchaff, 2 Blackcap, 2 Common Whitethroat, 3 Sedge Warbler, 1 Reed Warbler, 4 Oystercatcher, 1 Great Egret and a Buzzard also flew over.
Wednesday 17 June
South Lake
18 Redshank, 40 Black-tailed Godwit, 5 Oystercatcher, 108 Avocet, Little Grebe 1 adult with 1 Juvenile, Whitethroat, Sedge Warbler, Blackcap and Chiffchaff on the approach to Discovery Hide.
Grounds
Cuckoo heard calling.
Tack Piece
Singing Sedge Warbler and Cetti's Warbler, 3 unringed Crane overhead.
Estuary Tower
Bittern adult seen flying between pillbox pool and Zeiss reedbed, Juvenile Bittern spotted briefly too. 10 Crane seen on the Dumbles later in the morning. Three Little Egret on the long ground pool, Heron, Tufted duck pair and Little Grebe and juvenile on pill box pool.
Rushy
At least 9 Avocet chick visible from Rushy Hide.
On the River
83 Shelduck, 11 Curlew, 6 Avocet and 4 Oystercatcher.
4x4 Land Rover photo safari
Non-breeding plumage Bar-tailed Godwit on Severn with Curlew.
Some images below.
Tuesday 16 June
Estuary Tower
Bittern feeding young in the pillbox pool reed bed and Little Grebes with chicks.
Distant waders on rising tide- 80 Ringed Plover, 19 Sanderling, 6 Dunlin, 13 Curlew, 6 Oystercatcher + Shelducks and gulls (lots of the latter feeding on insects high over the estuary), Red Kite heading north on far side of river, 6 Cranes on the Dumbles+ 3 juvenile Pied Wagtails.
Top New Piece
31 Redshank, 4 Lapwing, 2 Avocet, pair of Cranes with chick, small flock of Teal and Gadwall (including female with 2 young), 2 broods of Mallard, pair of Tufted Duck, numerous Reed Warblers and Reed Buntings, a few Black-headed Gulls.
South Lake
98 Avocet, 39 Black-tailed Godwit, 3 drake Pochard, flock of Gadwall and Tufted Ducks with a few Teal and Shoveler, Black-headed Gulls with chicks and fledged young
Grounds
Singing Whitethroat near Sanderson Bridge, Bullfinch around Welly Boot Land.
Monday 15 June
Goshawk being mobbed by Black-headed Gull over Tack Piece (MJM).
This individual hunted over South Lake, putting up every bird on wader scrape but didn't manage to catch anything, it then made repeat flights high over grounds and reserve before drifting off to the south.
Tack Piece
Two Oystercatcher, 2 Redshank and three Lapwing, 8 Gadwall and 8 Shelduck plus 15 Black-headed Gulls.
South Lake
42 Black-tailed Godwit, 80+ Avocet, 6 Redshank, 8 Oystercatcher, 5 Cormorant, also numbers of Tufted Duck, Little Grebe, Teal, Gadwall, Black-headed Gull and Shoveler. Swallows and House Martins feeding over.
Top New Piece
Crane pair with chick, Gadwall with two young, Mute Swans with six young, Little Grebe, 10 Lapwing, 7 Redshank, 2 Avocet + Teal and Gadwall.
Estuary Tower
Three Cranes on the Dumbles, flock of small waders mostly distant in flight, 86 Ringed Plover, 6 Dunlin, 14 Sanderling, 2cy Curlew Sandpiper and 7 Curlew, gathering of Shelduck, Oystercatcher and gulls on foreshore. A distant Quail singing on Dumbles early morning (beware of the Pheasant family, the tiny chicks making short flights just east of the Dumbles scrape).
Estuary Tower/Knott Hide
The female Bittern continues to make feeding flights from Top New Piece to offspring in Pillbox pool reedbed, Little Grebes feeding young on the pool, abundant Reed Warblers, Song Thrush singing in Decoy Wood.
Kingfisher Hide
A juvenile Kingfisher and juvenile Great-spotted Woodpecker along the fleet.
General
Singing Whitethroats near Discovery Hide, Decoy/Grounds, South Finger and two in the car park area + three more on the reserve. Bullfinches around Rickyard Building and Chiffchaff and Blackcaps now singing around the site ready for second broods.
A new brood of four Shelduck walked young into the grounds.
