WeBS (Wetland Bird Survey) seems to come around quicker each month at the moment(!) and February's count was completed recently be keen volunteer WeBS'er Matt Marsh. And it's clear from Matt's counts that spring is on it's way as the number of wildfowl on site dwindles, with birds starting to move back to more northerly breeding grounds. Here are Matt's results....
109 tufted duck
42 wigeon
38 teal
22 mallard
10 gadwall
7 pochard
6 goldeneye
6 mute swan
103 coot
4 moorhen
3 cormorant
3 lapwing
2 snipe
2 great crested grebe
3 black-headed gull
Also on site recently has been a smart female marsh harrier, seen over the visitor trails several times in the last couple of weeks, the first dunlin of the spring moving through, oystercatchers on Phase 1 visible from the visitor trails and very vocal(!), another very vocal bird in the form of a Cetti's warbler singing from reed and willow scrub north of the boardwalk and the ever elusive bittern continues to be seen by the lucky few flying over Phase1, often to and from reed north of the boardwalk.
Wigeon - one species moving north for the breeding season. John Bridges (rspb-images.com)