Funny weather again this week from blowing drizzle to glorious sunshine in the course of a few hours and despite lots of hard looking we have yet to find number 200! Plenty on the move though with an Osprey south on Monday morning at 0900 low across the reserve and then over the river and into Kent. Fortunately my bellowing around the centre alerted everyone in time and most people got out for a look including several surprised visitors waiting outside on the entrance ramp!
Over 100 Swallows and House Martins alongwith a handful of Sand Martins had unusually roosted overnight in the foreshore reedbed and they spent the first few hours of the day feeding and resting on the saltmarsh and around the centre. Amongst them was a Swallow x House Martin hybrid that looked mostly Swallow like bar for a patchy front and throat and a white rump. Not unheard of but definitely strange!
A Common Seal was hauled out on the mud on the south side of the river. This is the rare of the two species up here and were are more accustomed to seeing Bob the bull Grey Seal drifting by.
Yesterday saw a Ring Ouzel briefly around the centre and up to six Wheatears and a couple of Yellow Wagtails still with the cattle while four Wheatears, Whinchat, 3 Stonechats, Yellow Wagtail and a Marsh Harrier were all seen today
Wow I see there has been a Montagus Harrier reported 07/10/10.
Surely that must be a double century.