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Enjoyed an afternoon's birding at Gibraltar Point to see the new facilities and to get a good walk in.
YEAR TICK - Chiffchaff. In good voice along paths to Jackson's, Tennyson's hides.
COUNTY FIRST - Brambling. Seen at the feeding station.
Otherwise, nothing of much significance. Usual gulls and waders along the shoreline. 5 Little Grebes, about 20 Avocets on the scrapes, a pair of Goldeneye seen from Mere Hide, several courting Pipits, Skylarks singing 7 soaring.....
Regarding the new facilities - me and my parents agreed that the new cafe was a rather cramped affair, and the range of gifts (particularly the books) available in the shop seemed to have undergone significant contraction.
All three of us agreed that the cafe does not remain open anywhere near long enough to adequately serve birdwatchers' needs. To close a cafe at 15:00 is missing a whole new clientele, namely those that return after their walks to enjoy a last cup of tea, coffee or snack before returning home. My dad suggested that the cafe stays open until at least 17:00 or even 17:30 in the summer.
However, the set of toilets in the building housing the meeting/training rooms remaining open is very, very welcome. There are few things more infuriating than to lose access to a reserve's entire toilet facilities halfway through the afternoon. Sometimes, it's the most appreciated facility on a nature reserve, and I am thankful that I will never have to ask Dad to do an emergency drive around Skegness looking for a toilet to 'offload the wares' ever again!
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