Skeins of pink-footed geese have been sighted every morning this week heading north, with the largest skein of 600 seen this morning. Out on the wetlands there are good numbers of teal, wigeon, shoveler, mallard and pintail along with a smaller number of gadwall, tufted duck, shelduck, 3 mute swans and a group of canada geese. Water rail is still regularly being heard calling from Meida hide at dusk. There are plenty of starlings around the reserve although the murmuration over the reedbed has been affected by the wild, wet and windy weather. Barnacle goose have been low this week with only 1250 recorded on the weekly count on Tuesday; we think this is due to the presence of fencing contractors onsite causing noise disturbance when knocking posts in.
Down Rainbow Lane a mixed flock of twite and goldfinch were showing well on Sunday as they perched along the wire fence. The beach, although difficult to walk along this week due to the wind, has provided a number of waders including ringed plover, oystercatcher, curlew and golden plover. Stonechat has been regularly sighted by the beach access at the end of the woodland.
Around the visitor centre and along the hedgerows there has been reed bunting, blackbird, robin, dunnock, great tit, blue tit, chaffinch, goldfinch, coal tit, house sparrow and goldcrest. If you sit down with a cup of tea in the visitor centre, you should be guaranteed to see tree sparrow.
Tree sparrow by the feeders at the visitor centre (Photo credit: Andy Hay)
Keep an eye out for the male hen harrier which was last spotted over the oat field on Wednesday morning. Whilst out working on the predator fencing yesterday a wisp of 17 snipe came from the wetlands directly in front of the visitor centre and the barn owl started hunting along the merse and gorse on Rainbow Lane at 2:30pm and was seen continually until dusk. The winter passerine survey on Tuesday afternoon recorded 115 birds across the arable habitat with skylark being the most numerous with a total of 54 recorded.
Snipe seen from visitor centre (Photo credit: Chris Gomersall )
Although the week has generally been very windy and overcast, Wednesday provided some glorious views and a stunning sunset on the beach.
Sunset at Mersehead (Photo credit: Eric Neilson)