Sitting with a cup of coffee in the centre and watching the usual squirrels hanging upside down to get the nuts from the feeders, and the pheasants and red legged partridge hoovering up dropped seeds is now my favourite way to start the day. Stoats and weasels are now on my list of things to watch for, as quite a few people have reported seeing them running around. One of my favourite sightings of the week was of a very pretty grey wagtail. It was taking a bath in the puddles on top of the storage containers, and was also spotted over the road from the front of the visitor centre.
Out on the reserve, snipe and reed bunting have been spotted in the reeds at Pickup hide, along with a treecreeper around the feeders.
It’s nice to have little egrets being seen more often around the Flashes, and whooper swans are being seen there more often too.
Little egret - Paul Chesterfield (rspb-images.com)
Along the Riverbank trail, quite a few goldcrest have been seen. Goldcrests are the smallest bird in the UK, and tend to tag along with other flocks of small birds. Keep an eye out for that flash of gold on their heads.
Goldcrest - Paul Chesterfield (rspb-images.com)
Goosander, goldeneye, shoveler, pochard, teal, tufted ducks and great crested grebes have all been seen on the Main Bay. There are also plenty of curlews around at the moment, mainly around the Flashes.
Curlew - Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)
- Laura