Recent sightings
It has been a great spring so far, especially for nesting Lapwing and Redshank. With half-grown chicks running around the wet grassland area and the first Avocet chicks have now hatched with more nests at the far end of the reserve viewable from the Border hide.
Speaking of chicks, our heronry has been causing a real stir for the visitors, with Grey Heron chicks already fledging. Then the Little Egrets can still be heard making their fantastic bubbling sounds, often described as a Turkey farm in the trees. Plenty of Great White Egrets have been seen but no sign of them breeding and regular sightings of Spoonbill, just on Sunday one was seen from the Visitor Centre with occasional reports of Cattle Egret.
Spoonbill - Ron Thomas
Another highlight for the breeding season has been our Marsh Harriers nesting again in the reedbed at Burton Mere Wetlands. They now have chicks in two nests with a single male working hard to bring food in. You can often catch great views of the male doing a “food pass” to the females. This is when he flies over calls the female up off the nest and they pass food across mid-air. This has been viewed regularly from the Marsh Covert hide and the Reedbed screen.
Marsh Harrier food pass - Nigel Maitland
Other birds of prey that have been generally pretty good have been Red Kite and Peregrine seen occasionally either just passing over or hunting on the reserve. Staff got lucky one sunny afternoon, with a spot from the main office window of a pair of Hobby! We all rushed outside and caught a great view of them hunting insects overhead.
Speaking of birds who like to hunt on the wing; Swift, Swallow, and House Martin are now daily sightings. Sand Martins tend to come in early in the season and don’t stick around with us for very long.
Swift - Paul Jubb
Over the last few months of spring migration we have been quite spoilt. On the main scrape, Bridge Pool, and Centenary Pool we have had a great variety of birds, like a regular view of a male Garganey on the main scrape, then fleeting but clear sightings of Mediterranean Gull, many Spotted Redshank and Ruff in full breeding plumage, then Greenshank, Common Sandpiper and Wood Sandpiper. Then more recently, Ringed and Little-Ringed Plover, huge flocks of gorgeous rusty red Black-tailed Godwit, and unusually for us, both the Bar-tailed Godwit and a great number of Knot hanging around too. Dunlin are looking very smart with their black bellies. Then a great unexpected highlight was the Ten Sandwich Tern seen on the main scrape in April for just one evening.
Male Garganey - Lynne Greenstreet
Between the main hide and the far Border hide the reserve is adorned with bird songs from warblers like Cetti's, Reed and Sedge and Closer to home, just outside the Visitor Centre a Common Whitethroat has been signing away for a couple of weeks now in the same very obvious place on top of our new electric pole, whilst plenty of Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff and Blackcap singing from the woodland and scrubby areas. Highlights up along the Hillfort trail have included dozens of Wheatear and a very showy male Ring-Ouzel, which I can personally testify too as I made it out after work one sunny evening after work. Whilst Lesser Whitethroat have been seen along the trail toward Border hide.
If you head down to the Bunker hide area you are likely to find unto 7 boxing hares in the field. Then over head and landing very close for some spectacular views are the Yellow Wagtails nesting near by.
Yellow Wagtail - John Hewitt
As we move towards summer our visitors have been reporting an array of butterflies, dragonflies, and damselflies adorning the reserve like aerial jewels. We have already been spoilt with the fantastic display of bluebells that carpeted both Gorse Covert Woodland and Burton Point. Other spectacles to look forward to are the five different orchids we get from June onwards, we are already seeing the marsh orchids appear.
Bluebells - Dee Estuary
Newly emerged Black-tailed Skimmer dragonfly - Jeff Hodgson
Star sighting
It is a hard one to pick just one star sighting, with a flurry of rarities seen this year! The Long-Billed Dowitcher being the longest visitor, staying for over a month, then briefly Gull-Billed Tern, Black Tern, and in true form, the elusive Savi’s Warbler only ever heard and my personal favourite for two individual days the male Black-Winged Stilt.
Black-Winged Stilt - Leon Castell
Wardens' wanderings
The warden team continues their rigorous monitoring of the breeding birds across Burton Mere Wetlands and out on the Dee Estuary. Another vital job they have to do regularly is the maintenance of the miles of electric fence. This is a critical part of their work for a successful breeding season, the fence is there to exclude large mammals from predating the vulnerable eggs and chicks.
The volunteer warden team have been very busy recently with the likes of, path and viewing area clearance, dry-stone walling up at Burton Point and gate repairs. the list is endless as are their skills.
The fantastic volunteers in the warden team hard at work - Dee Estuary
Speaking of fences, the team have also been slogging away at the Welsh part of the reserve - Point of Ayr. Working tirelessly over the last month, installing fencing and facilities to protect and manage the Little Tern colony that is now slowly building. We will hopefully have another great year down there, as last year all their efforts really paid off with 40 pairs and around 60 chicks that fledged.
Right - Liz Holmes (Assistant Warden) Left - Bronwen Thomas - one of our fantastic residential volunteers at Burton Mere Wetlands
Get involved
Unfortunately, we have had to pause our summer events due to the new café build taking longer than expected and staff capacity at the moment. We will be running another fantastic Optics Event showing off the great range of Binoculars and Telescopes, this will be over the weekend of 22 and 23 July. Don’t forget you can now take away optics on the day if you purchase with us.
For all other RSPB shopping, we can simply order here for free home delivery orders over £15 and the profits come back to your local reserve.
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