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Alan Else

Flamingo 

A fairly quiet time on the lagoon. Both the new tern rafts on the lagoon have “slipped their anchors”. A coincidence that the other new raft in Crystal, plus the old one in Elf have also “slipped their anchors”?

Black Headed Gull – 140, including some chicks on the beach at the western end of the lagoon.
Oystercatcher - 5, including a pair on one of the tern rafts again.
Avocet, 6 also on the western beach, plus 1 keeping the Oystercatchers company on the tern rafts.
Common Tern, a pair with 1 chick on the other tern raft.
Shelduck – 100+ across the lagoon.
Great Crested Grebe – 4
Gadwall – a group of 8 with the males in eclipse, but identifiable by their white speculums.
Kestrel – seen hovering in several locations across the reserve. 

Thames Viewpoint

 It was high tide and therefore there was nothing to see feeding on the mud flats, or even very much on the water.

Mallard – 3
Oystercatcher – 2
Black Headed Gull – 6
Cormorant – 1, sitting on top of the dredging pipe drying its wings
Common Tern - seen several times flying over and past Clife Fort, carrying small fish in their beaks.

 Black Barn Pools

 Some pools are now completely, or almost, completely dry and those with water still in are becoming quite shallow. 

Lapwings – 40, including 12 juveniles
Redshank – 20
Black Tailed Godwit – 46
Ringed Plover – 1
Green Sandpiper – 1
Avocet – 170
Curlew – 3
Oystercatcher – 3
Shelduck – 100 including 6 young
Mallard – 3
Marsh Harrier – a female
Corn Bunting – 2
Reed Bunting - 1

Radar

Virtually all the birds were on the islands, having an afternoon nap, with very little on the water. 

Avocet – 180
Shelduck 60
Lapwing 10, including 1 juvenile
Great Crested Grebe – 2
Pochard – 2
Tufted Duck -2
Wigeon – 2
Mallard – 2
 

Crystal

Black Headed Gull – 60
Coot – 30
Tufted Duck – 2
Great Crested Grebe – 1
 

Whitethroats could still be heard and seen in several places around the reserve. There were also Reed and Sedge Warblers singing along Mead Way and a Nightingale singing in the scrub at the eastern end of the Saxon Shore Way. There were also small groups of Goldfinches in various places and Southern Emerald Damselflies were seen flying along Mead Way.

thanks to les Edwins, resident volunteer NKM, for this report