Sightings and news to week ending 3 May 2026
Image- our first Crane chicks of the season have hatched, parents are Wendy and Albert (image- M.J.McGill). This pair won't be viewable from the hides but news hot of the press is that Ruby and the wild male have hatched young on the South Lake, best to look from Hogarth Hide for the South Lake pair. Water levels are better than compared to the same time last year, the dry conditions made it very difficult for them to avoid foxes, as a result no young survived to fledging in 2025. We cross our fingers for the 2026 breeding season.
Ruby and Wild male with at least one chick, from Hogarth Hide, M.J.McGill.
You can just about see a chick between the legs of the male on the right.
Upcoming events
Moth Morning - Tuesday 28 April
Sunday 3 May
Couple of tatty Painted Lady butterflies flew through today.
Rushy Hide
The pair of third calendar year (3cy) or second summer Mediterranean Gulls continue to display (pictured below), plus two 2cy birds among the Black-headed Gull gathering/colony (also pictured)
South Lake
The pair of Cranes with two chicks continue to show well on/off in the duck marsh near Hogarth Hide. A Common Sandpiper was about the wader scrape with 27 Black-tailed Godwit and a few Avocets. Two Tundra Bean Geese were on the north causeway from Discovery Hide and were also seen in the grounds exhibits indicating they are of captive origin, a few have been roving about the Midlands over recent summers.
Estuary Tower
Five Cranes, Peregrine Falcon, Lapwing and Skylarks. Over high tide the Spoonbill, c90 Dunlin and 7 Ringed Plover were on the foreshore.
Knott Hide
Once again the Bittern was in the pillbox pool reedbed at around 1100hrs.
Top New Piece
Common Sandpiper and Greenshank, Crane and six Redshank.
Kingfisher Hide
Male Kingfisher, Common Whitethroat and Cuckoo singing.
Saturday 2 May
Rushy
3 Mediterranean Gulls (2 3cy and 1 first winter), 56 Avocets
Dumbles
Peregrine, 6 Curlew, 3 Great Blackback Gull, 2 Pheasant, 2 Sedge Warbler, Singles of Lapwing, Blackcap, Buzzard, Little Egret, Skylark, Buzzard, Unringed Crane
Knott Hide
Bittern, Lesser Whitethroat
Tack Piece
Cettis, Reed & Sedge Warbler singing, 48 Shelduck, 4 un-ringed Crane, 12 Tufted duck, 1 Wigeon, 13 Gadwall, 15 Barnacle and , Ross’s goose, 2 Oystercatcher, 4 Avocet, 2 Teal, 1 Shoveler, 1 Little Egret
Top New Piece
Spotted Redshank, Spoonbill, 9 Avocet, 1 Little Ringed Plover, Common Sandpiper
South Lake
29 Avocet, 26 Black-tailed Godwits, 2 Cranes and their 2 chicks.
Friday 1 May
Dumbles
Female Goshawk, Dark-Bellied Brent, 4 Red kites (3 over 100 acre), pale Buzzard, Swift, Peregrine, Spoonbill, 3 un-ringed Cranes, Curlew, Sedge Warbler and a drake Mandarin flyover from Knott hide
South Lake
15 Avocet, 31 Black-tailed Godwit, Green Sandpiper, 4 Oystercatchers. Little Grebe and Teal, Shelduck, Tufted and Gadwall
Top New Piece
5 Redshank,19 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Avocet, Greenshank, Spotted Redshank, Bar-tailed Godwit. Cranes (Oakie and Sherbert) incubating single egg. Cuckoo calling and song from Reed , Sedge and Reed Bunting seen and heard from Zeiss Hide
South Finger
Sedge and Reed Warbler predominantly with a single Chiffchaff.
No sign of Kingfisher but will not be far away as incubation continues.
Rushy
88 Avocets, Common Sandpiper, 30 Black-tailed Godwits
Wednesday 29 April
South Lake
Tundra Bean Goose with a Shoveler
Estuary Tower
A few Great Black-backed Gull, 18 Dunlin, 1 Ringed Plover and five Bar-tailed Godwit (one male) on the foreshore briefly, flew off NE with a Whimbrel.
Tack Piece
A pair of Wigeon, 6 Teal, a few Gadwall, Shoveler and Shelduck.
Rushy Hide
30+ Avocets, 38 Black-tailed Godwit, Spotted Redshank
Top New Piece
Dark-bellied Brent Goose, Wood Sandpiper, Ruff, Spoonbill, male Bar-tailed Godwit, pair of Redshank, pair of Oystercatcher, male Lapwing, Shelduck, 10 Teal all on the largest southern island.
Bottom New Piece
Marsh Harrier hunting over and 2 pairs of Redshank.
Estuary Tower
Pair of Cranes and two chicks viewable distantly in fields to the North
Martin Smith Hide
Two Great Egret one ringed Red AHH, Little Egret and a pair of Tufted Duck.
Tuesday 28 April
Moth Morning
We had a chilly morning going through the Moth trap but a lovely variety of moths showed up including a White Ermine, Nut-tree Tussock, Tawny Shears, Green Carpet, Sandy Carpet, Hebrew Character and a Poplar Hawk-moth!
Monday 27 April
Top New Piece
Temminck's Stint initially on the Tack Piece central flood then relocated to the Top New Piece islands.
Dark-bellied Brent Goose, Common Sandpiper, 47 Black-tailed Godwit, Spotted Redshank, 2 Greenshank, 6 pairs of Redshank, Lapwing, pair of Cranes, 13 Teal, 5 Gadwall, Cuckoo calling, 17 Shelduck two pairs of Coot, three pairs of Moorhen.
Rushy Hide
Pair of 3cy Mediterranean Gull displaying but moved to South Lake, 11 pairs of Avocet, Pochard.
Tack Piece
Great Egret, Common Sandpiper, pair of Wigeon, 9 Teal, Gadwall, Mallard and Shelduck, pair of Avocet.
