Latest sightings
Sightings, Saturday 28th Jan
Rushy Bewick's Swan 152 Pintail 77 Pochard 45 Redshank 1 Dunlin 5 Little Stint 1 Hybrid Wigeon Holden Tower and Hides Whitefronted Goose 120 (flew in at 09.45) Barnacle Goose 120 Wigeon 850 Lapwing 140 Dunlin 20 Knot 12 over the estuary. Crane 3 Great Cre
28 January 2017
Foggy dawn, sunny day.
Once the fog cleared from the site we were left with a day of sunshine. Zeiss Hide Snipe flocks were feeding in the cut rush, image below was taken this morning. Yesterday Water Rail and Cetti's Warbler also showing well here. Van de Bovenkamp Hide At
24 January 2017
Sunny Saturday Sightings
One of two Bitterns on view from the Van Der Bovenkamp hide this morning. A very sunny start to the day giving great views of the birds from the hides: Van De Bovenkamp Hide Bittern- One showing very well for prolonged periods of time in front o
21 January 2017
Bright frost and more Whitefronts.
Hard frost this morning so activity confined largely to the ice free areas of the Rushy, South Lake and Zeiss Hide. Rushy Bewick 154 Pochard 120 Teal 180 Lapwing 70 Dunlin 1 Little Stint 1 Snipe 5 Redshank 1 South Lake Looking great in the sunshine. 1350
20 January 2017
WeBS count info for 15 January.
The monthly WeBS (Wetland Bird Survey) count was rather disappointing for numbers, the drier winter has had an impact as well as the count following a freeze up which causes dispersal. The totals follow below as well as some highlights for the last two da
16 January 2017
Knot a bad hide round
South Lake Returning waders on the wader scrape was a welcome sight, at least 27 Red Knot and 150 Black-tailed Godwit were roosting and feeding with the Lapwing flock. The Red Knot has a rather misleading name at this time of year. All of these birds are
10 January 2017
Waders returning after the freeze up
Thick fog prevented viewing first thing this morning fortunately it did clear enough to allow bird watching by 0930am but descended once again late afternoon. It was great to see the waders returning after the repeatedly cold, frosty days last week. Wade
8 January 2017
Saturday Sightings- Pink footed goose and ruff
A cloudy day with patches of fog made visibility difficult but the following birds were noted this morning: Rushy Pen: Pink footed goose- adult present with the greylags although rather mobile today. Bewick's swan 142 Dunlin 1 Little Stint 1 Redshank 1 Ho
7 January 2017
Today's highlights
We had another cold night so many ponds and the fields were frozen meaning less waders about the reserve. Highlights today included... Two Bitterns at the South Finger, one near Kingfisher Hide the other from Van de Bovenkamp Hide. Little Stint on the Rus
3 January 2017
Bittern bonanza
Its been a great few days for Bittern sightings on the South Finger, with birds seen from Zeiss Hide, Kingfisher Hide and the Van de Bovenkamp Hide. At least two birds have been seen this morning so if you're visiting now the fog has cleared be sure to
30 December 2016
It's cold outside
A rather cold morning and the majority of the reserve is frozen, although there is still some open water on the South Lake and Long Ground Pool, the latter viewed from the Holden Tower. Lapwing roosting on the ice at South
28 December 2016
Awash with waders
Its a lovely sunny Boxing Day with clear blue skies and a reserve full of birds, not least the Tack Piece and New Piece fields. Zeiss Hide A great display from the Peregrines this morning causing chaos amongst the birds. Ducks include around 400 Wigeon,
26 December 2016
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Rushy Hide & Peng Observatory A count of 111 Bewick's Swans this morning, with many birds already heading out on the fields to graze, including a family with 3 cygnets on the Tack Piece. Most of the swans are currently heading for The Dumbles, but w
21 December 2016
Highlights for 20th December 2016
Holden Tower The Dark-bellied Brent Goose was still on the Dumbles with Canada Geese and a flock of 1200 Wigeon were on the scrape. Zeiss Hide/Kingfisher Hide 2500+ Lapwing feeding and of course flying about when disturbed by raptors. A flock of 2
21 December 2016
Wetland Birds Survey (WeBS)
Although I managed to get an early start, the count was made very difficult when fog rolled in mid morning, this blocked out the estuary and distant fields. Fortunately it cleared enough to get the missing wader counts in the afternoon, all were vey mobil
18 December 2016