An exciting breeding success has been the hatching of 3 chicks to a pair of little-ringed plover (19th.). The nest had been in a scrape on the new levelled out marsh area and they have been the first successful lrp’s in several years. Two of the chicks have successfully survived. Also the common tern pair produced a single chick (8th.), which has grown rapidly with all the fish being brought to it regularly by its parents.
The oystercatcher family, now with 3 adult size young, regularly returned to the reserve in squadron formation after feeding in nearby fields.
Other confirmed breeders have been blue, great and long-tailed tits, robin, chaffinch, goldfinch, mallard, lapwing, moorhen, and amongst the warblers sedge, reed, willow, whitethroat, blackcap, chiffchaff and garden warbler. Coots and moorhens have had multiple successful nests, although several chicks have been lost to predation by lesser-black-backed gulls and magpies. Juvenile pied wagtail and swallow have also been seen.
Other sightings around the reserve included several singing reed bunting, willow tit, sanderling, dunlin, little grebe, common and green sandpiper, 2 yellow-legged gulls, grey and yellow wagtail, linnet, kingfisher, both green and great-spotted woodpeckers and gadwall. Also there were large flocks of low-flying swift (feeding at low level due to the continued bad weather) together with house and sand martin and a few swallow. A lesser whitethroat was located near the path to the hide (23rd.). The elusive but vocal cettis warbler could be heard most days but was rarely seen.
There were regular visits by buzzard, kestrel and sparrowhawk.
Compiled by Colin Sedgwick
See you on the reserves,
Best regards,
Chris Edwards