Youngsters emerge

It’s interesting to see juveniles popping up from their hidey holes all around the site. Birds that we haven’t seen for a while seem to be making themselves known with a trail of youngster behind them. For me the highlight was the Tufted duck chicks yesterday on one of the pond near the old quarry also amongst them were little grebe and their offspring.  The mute swan cygnets seem to be getting to a good size now a far cry from this shot taken by Christine Redgate earlier in the season. Call me a sucker for cute but it’s one of my favourites.

(Credit C. Redgate)

Other highlights yesterday while doing a bird count for reserve records included large numbers of redshank, lapwing and oystercatcher taking advantage of the shelter and also food on the thin layer of soil on the island. If you have time it’s worth having a look out from the area where people feed the ducks near the car park. The duck seem to be enjoying themselves there with pochard, red-breasted mergansers, tufted duck and great crested grebe congregating to left of there. I also had gadwall there a few weeks ago so well worth a look.

I had a look down to Haverigg point yesterday. There was a sizable flock of curlew calling and flying around the salt marsh and shingle area there. This is the start of their migration back to coastal areas and perhaps signalling the end of.... dare I say it ....summer.....well summer from a bird’s point of view hopefully! There was also sandwich tern youngsters hanging about on the spit at Haverigg beach which as I said in my last blog is encouraging, at least somewhere has been successful.

As always any sightings you have get in touch with me or post at the bottom of here. As waders get on the move who knows what might turn up ....Dowitcher....Stilt....what’s next? Hopefully you can get down and have a look.

Cheers

Mhairi