Mersehead Recent Sightings 1st – 7th October
The Svalbard barnacle geese are finally here! They arrived 11 days later than last year and we were all starting to wonder where they were. They always seem to appear out of nowhere, one day there are none and suddenly the next they are here. On Thursday we counted 490 on the wetlands looking out from Bruiach Hide.
Photo credit: E.Neilson
The other highlight of this week has to be the pink-footed geese. Each day around 3,000 pinkfeet have been roosting on the sand flats and flying onto the wetlands during the early morning.
Photo credit: R.Flavelle
The high tide count this week recorded 1390 oystercatcher, 457 curlew and 11 redshank. As the tide was going out 116 shelduck were seen feeding on the sand flats. There are still plenty of canada geese on the reserve with 81 counted this week along with 35 greylag. A group of 10 whooper swans have been a regular sighting from Meida Hide. Both marsh harrier and red kite have been spotted from Meida Hide this week too. At West Preston 348 lapwing and 365 golden plover were loafing in the fields at high tide. The path to Bruiach Hide is full of passerines at the moment with goldfinch, greenfinch and linnet all present in large flocks.
Rowena Flavelle, Warden
lovely to hear the Barnacles are back - probably won't get to seem them this year but always a great sight
see my photos on Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/maggyn/