This week we have carried out our Wetlands Bird Survey Counts for the reserve and estuary. Some of the high counts of Waterfowl include 354 Teal, 79 Wigeon, 5 Goldeneye, 3 Tufted Duck, 2 Pochard and 59 Mallard. Other water birds seen this week include our first Great Crested Grebe since the summer and 10 Whooper Swans flew south on the 18th.
It has been a good week for raptors again with sightings of Peregrine over the estuary, 2 Sparrowhawks on the reserve and a few Buzzards nearby.
Gull numbers are building gradually. The low tide count found that 229 Herring Gulls, 60 Common Gulls, 22 Black-headed Gulls and 8 Great black-backed Gulls were using the estuary to feed.
It has been a good week for Thrushes too. Robins and Blackbirds are in every tree now. There are a few Redwings amongst them and out first decent flock of 29 Fieldfare flew through on the 16th. A Mistle Thrush, our first for a while, was around the Ganol on the 14th.
Warbler wise, the Firecrests are still on the reserve. Seen almost daily, there are now at least 3 Firecrests and a Goldcrest about. The three Firecrests were all calling together by the bridge pond on the 16th. There are two wintering Chiffchaffs on the reserve. One a typical (Collybita) British/C.European looking greenish bird, and the other a brown (Abietinus) Scandinavian type Chiffchaff.