WWT Slimbridge and local sightings 9 to 12 May 2007

Male Yellow Wagtail

Golddust...Lapwing chicks on the 50 Acre

12 May 2007 I did a bit of birding with Neil Smart, Paul Taylor and Rich Baatsen this afternoon but we had nothing of any note.

11 May 2007 A Whinchat at Middle Point, single Dunlin on the Top New Piece and South Lake and a c500 on the estuary. A breeding plumaged Curlew Sandpiper was also present with 40 Ringed Plover and 25+ Sanderling. A male Garganey, pair of Teal and pair of Shoveler were on the Top New Piece and Teal was on the Tack Piece. A Whimbrel flew upriver at dusk with a female Pintail on the estuary. The Great Skua and a Common Tern were also on the estuary.

10 May 2007 The Top/Bottom New Piece had 3 male Garganey, 1 Whimbrel and a male Shoveler as well as lots of wildfowl, gulls and Lapwing. I watched a Temminck's Stint fly in and land on the edge of a ditch on the reserve but it soon dissapeared into the vegetation and cannot be seen from any hides. A Little Tern was fishing off Middle Point before and after the tide and the river finally got going with 500 Dunlin, 6 Sanderling, 20 Ringed Plover and a Turnstone off Middle Point. The Great Skua was also still present. At least 200 Swift, 1 Sand Martin, 30 House Martin and 150 Swallow were around the reserve. Locally I also saw 3 Little Stint and 25 Dunlin.

9 May 2007 I did see 3 Little Stint and a male Ruff locally.