Sightings and news to week ending 21 June 2026
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.
