Ten members of IWNHAS joined Dave Fairlamb of Natural Links for an Ornithology Group outing to the Western Yar estuary on 22 December. The group had to contend with very blustery conditions, which made birdwatching quite tricky at times, but we did see a good range of birds, with 36 species seen in total.
The estuary is always a magnet for wading birds in winter and we had a flock of about 100 Golden Plovers in flight along with several Lapwings joining in at times. Other waders included Black-tailed Godwits, Redshanks, Oystercatchers, Dunlins and a couple of Greenshanks.
Golden Plover, Lapwings & Starling Greenshank
The marsh and mudflats held large numbers of Wigeon, Teal and Mallards, with at least 8 Shovelers and 4 Shelducks. Brent Geese grazed the saltmarsh, Little Egrets were actively feeding in the saltmarsh creeks and Cormorants were out on the open water, with a few drying out their wings on the marina pontoons. A Great Crested Grebe was on the water, constantly diving, as it swam along towards the causeway.
Shelduck Great Crested Grebe
A Kestrel somehow managed to hover in the strong wind, a Buzzard was seen over the Mill Copse and a Sparrowhawk flashed by into the Copse, re-emerging high over the scrape and soaring away into the west. Other birds recorded included Black-headed, Herring and Great Black-backed Gulls, Great and Blue Tits, Starlings, Reed Bunting, Dunnock and Greenfinch.
Dave Fairlamb
22 December 2024