It's been a good few weeks for waders! We've had 2 great white egrets hanging out on our reserve for a while, with them being spotted every day for about 2 weeks. A cattle egret (below) was seen in the cow field on the 15th of August which was a delight to see as you drove down the track.
Bitterns have been about, being spotted at various hides, one was last seen at Denge Marsh hide on the 18th. An avocet was seen at Firth Hide on the 15th and a spoonbill was seen over the reserve that day too! Green, common and wood sandpipers have been spotted every day around the reserve.
The ARC has come up trumps, being home to a large variety of waders this week including:
bar-tailed and black-tailed godwits
curlews,
whimbrels,
little ringed plovers,
ringed plovers,
greenshanks,
dunlins,
snipe,
golden plovers,
temmincks and little stints,
knots,
redshanks and spotted redshanks.
As well as the waders we have seen black-necked grebes, garganeys and a red-crested pochard on Burrowes pit. Bearded tits have been seen at Denge Marsh, black terns were sighted on Burrowes pit on the 18th. Cuckoos, kingfishers, turtle doves and sandmartins have been seen on the reserve this week as well.
Wheaters and common redstarts were seen on the entrance track on the 18th. Whitethroats and lesser whitethroats were seen at Denge Marsh yesterday. Yellow wagtails, pied and spotted flycatchers, willow warblers and winchats were seen in the hayfields and on the veiwing point this week too.
Birds of prey have also been a common site this week with hobbys over Burrowes pit and Denge Marsh on the 17th, a sparrowhawk flying over the reserve on the 19th, a kestrel hovering over the sheep field on the 16th, a peregrine falcon was seen over Denge Marsh on the 17th and a merlin was spotted on the ARC on the 18th.