TIME: 15:05 - 16:45
WEATHER - cold, windswept and dry.
Windswept - there's an understatement and a half! I nearly got blown off the spit jutting out into the salt marsh! Standing there, I did have an ego moment when I said to myself "I am as hard as a bastard!" in the same way Richard Hammond once yelled out on Top Gear whilst driving a Bowler Wildcat off-roader: "I AM A DRIVING GOD!"
The high winds must have unsettled a lot of birds as time and again through my visit, many flocks of birds went hither and thither. they couldn't remain in place for more than five seconds or so without flying first into the wetland, then in the fields bordering theother side of the reserve and then settling on the islands in the lagoon!
Species seen:
1 BARN OWL hunting over the banks (WHOOPEEEE!!!!
)
5 Little Grebes
Usual Mallards
Wigeon - 40
Brent Geese - 700
Canada Geese - 100
Goldeneye - 7
Cormorant - 3 over, flying NE
Black-headed Gull - 35
Herring Gull - 5
Greater black-backed Gull - 2
Lesser Black-backed Gull - 3
Lapwing - 2000, some giving very close views from the hide.
Golden Plover - 4000-strong flock on lagoon
Dunlin - small flock of 100 fighting over wetland puddles close to car park, looking rather cute and endearing.. awww!
Curlew - 3
Black-tailed Godwit - 6
Redshank - 20
Kingfisher - 1 (reported - I arrived 5 mins late again!)
Mistle Thrush - 2
Blackbird - 15
Chaffinch - 1
Wren - 1
Great Tit - 3
Blue Tit - 2
Robin - 1
House Sparrow - 5
Tree Sparrow - 1
Starling - two flocks of about 30 in total
Pheasants in fields as per usual
Magpie - 4
Collared Doves and Woodpigeons
Jackdaw - 6
No raptors.....
