Hello,
It has been a steady week for sightings on the reserve but it is certainly starting to feel more autumnal out there.
Small flocks of siskins, lesser redpolls and bramblings have been passing overhead this week with some dropping into the trees around the visitor centre. Great spotted woodpecker and jays have been regularly heard and a tawny owl was reported on Saturday.
A walk around the boardwalk and you are certain to hear a yellow-browed warbler or two plus several chiffchaffs and redwings.
On Patsy’s reedbed the little egret roost continues with about 100 birds pre roosting here before heading into Willow wood, whilst the dead trees are home to about 50 cormorants in the evening. Patsy’s reedbed is the favoured area to see pochard and little grebes.
Within the main reedbed the bearded tits have been showing very well and are pinging all over the place. There is one great white egret still loitering around the reedbed pool but it can also be seen on the Freshmarsh. Marsh harriers are becoming more noticeable once again and even the odd skulky cetti’s warbler has shown well this week.
The water levels are finally dropping on the Freshmarsh after all the rain we are experiencing. Some of the wader highlights include 20 avocet, 41 ruff, 2 grey plover, 234 black-tailed godwits, 32 bar-tailed godwits, 150 lapwing, 21 dunlin, 28 golden plover, 2 snipe plus oystercatcher and redshanks. The evening gull roost has produced several yellow-legged gulls and Caspian gull. Several thousand starlings are congregating on the Freshmarsh before roosting in the reedbed. Spoonbills are becoming less frequent but nonetheless a couple have remained this week.
On tidal marsh about 100 oystercatchers are roosting on there at high tide, plus small flocks of turnstone, 21 knot,
On the beach there has been a confiding wheatear feeding along the high tide line and a Lapland bunting has been at Thornham point. The dark-bellied brent geese are starting to return and at low tide they are feeding on the old peat beds found on the beach along with bar-tailed godwits, curlews, sanderlings, oystercatchers and dunlin.
A look at the sea this week has produced several hundred common scoter plus the odd velvet scoter, 1 arctic skua, 4 razorbills and several gannets