WWT Slimbridge sightings 27 July 2006

Male Ruff on the Tack Piece scrape 27 July 2006 M.J.McGill.
27 July 2006 The migration engine is running, new species are arriving locally with a increase in warblers in the hedges, few more waders and and more duck appearing. At 0745 to 0805 an adult Osprey was cruising the estuary and attempting to fish the tidal creeks off Middle Point. It made many attempts and was harrased by a variety of gulls, Raven and Shelduck. See the inset image below.
The adult male Ruff was showing very well on the Tack Piece scrape where it was joined by up to 8 Green Sandpiper. The back pool of the Rushy held 10 of these medium sized waders. On the Dumbles a party of 5 Raven were among the other corvids. On the estuary c25 Dunlin and 10+ Yellow-legged Gull were noted. The Top New Piece was disturbed by us as we control vegetation (cutting juncus Hard Rush and pulling willows and spreading hay). The levels are being dropped as we have the Environment Agency coming in to build some islands here. Despite this 1 Dunlin, 3 Green Sandpiper, 1 Snipe, 2 Greenshank, 1 Spotted Redshank and a few Black-tailed Godwit and Redshank were seen here.

The South Lake is the most productive site with 130 Black-tailed Godwit, 40+ Redshank, 1 Spotted Redshank, 1 Common Sandpiper, 5 Dunlin, 100 Lapwing, the Greater Scaup and increasing numbers of wildfowl. Around the hedges an increase in numbers of warblers included sightings of 2-3 Common Whitethroat and Lesser Whitethroat.

Osprey over Middle Point 27 July 2006 M.J.McGill