Just 2 Ruff a couple of Snipe and 50 Lapwing today,
N.Eng. have cut down the low bushes immediately behind (70 Acre) side of the Tower hide improving the vbiew especially from the lower leve.
A female Goosander was on Noah’s Lake this morning.l
Goosander 1 female on the now flooded lagoon , an unusual bird for this site, but it flew off when the soft track machine passed. 3 Ruff and 2 Green Sandpiper were the best of the waders, no sign of the Lesser Yellowlegs. An Osprey flew over at 13:15 and 3 Swallows passed through.
Female sparrowhawk put the waders up early yesterday afternoon and, just after 4pm, 2 otters crossed left to right and then returned right to left, disappearing along the channel behind the reeds at the back.
The “scrape” is now underwater, but only just! and the water coming in has now been stopped for a week or so. A muddy edge is just visible as is the vegetation on the main island.
Today Wed 2 Greensands; 4 Ruff; 7 Snipe plus a couple of hundred Lapwing and 2 Glossy Ibis plus usual Duck mainly Wigeon and Teal ,with a few Shoveller and Mallard and a drop in Bittern.
A couple of Bearded Tits appeared briefly on the 70 Acre edge just behind the tower hide this afternoon, first I’ve managed to see there for a couple of months!
Whilst bemoaning the lack of waders on the scrape (which has had low water since the 22nd August and IS NOW BEING FILLED SLOWLY! ) an OSPREY presumably a juv? passsed by heading in an Easterly direction towards Ham Wall it was seen over Decoy/Roughet earlier by the Webs counters..
Just 6 Ruff ; 4 Snipe and 1 Green S’Piper; 2 G.W. Egrets together with 200+ Lapwing and the two Glossy Ibis were the only other things on the ground. A single Bittern, a Kestrel, a Sparrow Hawk and two Marsh Harriers were flybys.
Very quiet on the “scrape” today just 1 Greenshank; 5 Ruff; 100 Lapwing and one Snipe.
The one Snipe was removed in spectacular fashion by a Peregine diving through the Lapwing as they rose in panic taking it cleanly and carrying it off west, after circling a couple of times to gain height
Little Stint, Dunlin , Ruff, Black-tailed Godwit, Snipe & Lapwing all present, also the 2 Glossy Ibis and 1 Great white Egret on the scrape this morning. Yellow-browed Warbler heard from the trees along the track near Ashcott Corner but not seen.
One Little Stint, one Dunlin, one Greenshank and 5 Ruff on scrape this morning.
Thurs.( a.m), 25 Blk Tld. G’Wits; 2 Ruff; 1 Greenshank; 2 Dunlin;. 3 Snipe; 1 Glossy Ibis. Usual couple of G.W. Egrets coming and going. ( There were 15 Great Whites at Blagdon lake yesterday and still 12 over there this morning!) the Blk Wits flew off after a Sparrow Hawk flyover only 3 returning. Once again there was 1 Juv. Common Tern on Noah’s mid day, Returning to the Tower Hide for lunch at 1300 a Little Stint had appeared again and there were now 4 Ruff. The one Glossy was joined by a second and they almost immediately flew off towards Noah’s returning an hour later. Haven’t seen the Garganey since Monday!
Another red kite flew eastwards over Noah’s this afternoon, accompanied by a fighter escort of jackdaws. Also juv common tern fished briefly in front of the hide. Waders on scrape much as reported yesterday, plus the 2 ibis, but no knot while we were there.
Scrape this Tues. morning 5 Knot; 1 Little Stint; 60 Blk Tld G’Wits; 5 Ruff; 1 Greenshank; 100+ Lapwing; just a couple of Snipe. . A Red Kite flew east into the wind behind the scrape at 1320.(seen from Meare Heath hide. The E.A. were using a tractor to cut the South Drain bank and most of the waders were gone apart from the Ruff and Greenshank when I passed by aroud 1430. A Common Tern (looked juv) was over Noahs lake at midday. ANOTHER CAR BROKEN INTO in Ashcott car park early p.m.
Pump has been running again today, level is now quite low but may fill if the forecast rain arrives over the weekend!
No change from yesterday wader species wise, nos. are dropping! Just ! Stint, 1 Greenshank, 2 Ruff and 7 Blk Wits. The Garganey is still present.
The locally ringed juv. Great White Egret Red AAC was present for a while this morning.
Nothing new today Thurs. Just one Little Stint; 2 Greenshank; 2 Ruff; 52 Black Tld. G’Wits plus many Snipe and 50 or so Lapwing. A Garganey was on the long spit on the LHS of the scrape resting in the vegetation!
The Two Glossy Ibis seen earlier coming from Ham Wall westward as I drove into Ashcott corner car park around 0945, I saw again over Noah’s around 1100 heading towards the scrape where indeed they were at mid day. Quite mobile and they left around 1230 when the RSPB quad machine drove through.
No sign of Pec Sand today Fri at least not between 1130 and 1445. Black. Wits 135: 3 Stint still present as we’re the other waders from yesterday but no Knot
2 Knot and 53 Blk Wits were the additions on the scrape today; still present were , 1 Pec. Sand; 2 Green Sands; 2 Greenshank; 3 Little Stints; 3 Ringed Plover; 1 Dunlin; 5 Ruff ; many Snipe; and 50 Lapwing. One Hobby seen over Meare Heath wood.