Recent sightings from 18 to 24 March 2019
The stars of the week were without a doubt once again our Otter family (probably a female with three young ones) which showed themselves nicely and were seen nearly every day. It is just always a very special encounter to see these fascinating animals in the wild. There were also some sightings of Weasels and a Water vole was spotted on Wednesday. With some great sunny weather there were sure signs that spring has well and truly arrived at the Wetlands. Chiffchaffs could be heard all over the reserve, a Swallow brought a hint of summer on Friday and on Sunday, a Wheatear was around on Wednesday and on Sunday a Grass snake was spotted as well as an early Willow warbler. While the Bittern continued booming, the Little owl remained a regular sight and a Red kite made a rare appearance on Saturday. Another species which became a favourite with visitors during the last few months is the Glossy ibis and it was seen quite often this week both at Goldcliff lagoons and flying over the reserve. It will be very interesting to see how long it will be staying around. Goldcliff lagoons were well worth a visit once again this week. Lots of Wigeons and Shovelers were joined by quite large flocks of Black-tailed godwits and the ever popular Avocets. A Spotted redshank was still present in amongst the usual waders such as Ringed plovers, Lapwings and Redshanks. Another highlight was a pair of Pintails on Friday and a Rock pipit was seen on Wednesday. Once again the Peregrine offered some great views as well. Check our Twitter page for some spectacular photos. It is anybody’s guess which summer visitors might make an early appearance during next week so it will stay exciting at the Wetlands.
Avocet, Bittern, Blackbird, Black-headed gull, Black-tailed godwit, Blue tit, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Canada goose, Carrion crow, Cetti's warbler, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Coot, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunlin, Dunnock, Fieldfare, Gadwall, Glossy ibis, Goldfinch, Great spotted woodpecker, Great tit, Green woodpecker, Greenfinch, Grey heron, Greylag goose, House sparrow, Jay, Kestrel, Lapwing, Lesser black-backed gull, Linnet, Little egret, Little grebe, Little owl, Long-tailed tit, Magpie, Mallard, Marsh harrier, Moorhen, Mute swan, Oystercatcher, Peacock, Peregrine, Pheasant, Pied wagtail, Pintail, Pochard, Raven, Red kite, Redshank, Redwing, Reed bunting, Ringed plover, Robin, Rock pipit, Scaup, Shelduck, Shoveler, Skylark, Sparrowhawk, Spotted redshank, Starling, Swallow, Teal, Tufted duck, Water rail, Wheatear, Wigeon, Willow warbler, Woodpigeon and Wren.
Please note that we take our recent sightings list from the visitor sightings board that anyone can contribute to. This is great as everyone can get involved, but obviously can lead to potential errors too as they aren’t always verified! We try to keep this list as accurate as possible but if you see something unusual feel free to comment here!
Photo credit: Avocets by Jeremy White