Monday 13th was the best day of the month, not only was it my birthday but also the date at which wader counts peaked on the lagoon at Freiston with: 1,500 knot, 1,208 oystercatcher, 1,200 dunlin, and 2,600 black-tailed godwit.
Little stints have been recorded regularly through September with a peak count of 13. A pectoral sandpiper was seen often through the month on the wet grassland reservoir, which has increasingly become a popular spot with waders. A peak count of nine curlew sandpipers was recorded in September.
Raptors during September included a honey buzzard on the 8th, and a hobby on the 28th. Two hundread and fifty pink-footed geese were seen flying over on the 28th, and a peak count of 2,000 wigeon was recorded on the lagoon on the same day.
Offshore sightings included up to 8 black terns and a Sabine’s gull, on the 6th.
September was a busy month on the wet grassland at Freiston with a bulldozer on site for much of the time. This big piece of kit has filled in some redundant field ditches and created some new pools, which we hope will allow us to hold water on site for longer during the spring, which will benefit the breeding lapwing and redshank. Some new bunds have also been created to help us hold water at the top half of the site.
The bulldozer was followed by a 360 excavator which finished off a few of the jobs, as well as putting some stone to try and slow erosion of the banks immediately around the sluices that enable us to let water onto and off the lagoon.
Also, on site were some fencing contractors to replace part of the fence between the wet grassland and the seawall but the damp conditions have brought this work to a standstill.
A grand party of volunteers – twelve, which I think is a record for one job! - came out last week to help Graham, John and I to hand weed the two largest shingle island. These are popular with black-headed gulls and common terns in the spring, and this work creates suitable nesting habitat for them, as well as improving the area for roosting waders.
My trips to Freiston included a good walk around the whole site with a clipboard, before updating the Visitor Risk assessment. This included having a good wander round the world war II structures on the inner sea bank, which did make me wonder what wildlife was there back then. Freiston definitely has an interesting history with the derelict marine hotel a clue to its beach resort past, now popular with feral pigeons! It does make you wonder what the future holds…
Please do come and make a visit to this fantastic reserve.
Jenny (Assistant Warden)