TIME - 13:30 to 16:15
WEATHER - nippy and blustery
Concrete has gone down as base for visitor centre now, with a third hide yet to be constructed. Scrapes look fab, and already with a good level of wildlife using them.
SPECIES SEEN:Hen Harrier - 1 hunting near the hedgerows at the rear of the reserve
Short-eared Owl - 1 hunting over scrapes
Goldfinch - 1 medium-sized flock
Chaffinch - 1 calling (breeding call)
Great Tit - 2
Long-tailed Tit - 5
Robin - 1
Blackbird - 7
Fieldfare - 2
Pied Wagtail - 4
Reed Bunting - small flock near car park
Starling - 2 flocks on scrapes, 1 on outer salt marsh and another in fields
Lapwing - 20 on scrapes
Redshank - 20
Curlew - 20 around reserve
Knot - 10 on scrapes
Little Egret - 1
Grey Heron - 1
Mute Swan - 8
White-fronted Goose - 5 (see end)
Brent Goose - large flock moving around on outer salt marsh
Shoveler - 5 male, 3 female
Shelduck - 5
Teal - 1 male
Mallard - 15
Tufted Duck - 5 on reservoir
Moorhen - 3
Coot - 5
Black-headed Gull - usual
Herring Gull - 2
Magpie - 9
Carrion Crow - 5
Jackdaw - 5
Pheasant - usual in fields on journeys to and back from reserve
Usual Collared Doves and pigeons
Regarding the white-fronted geese, Another birdwatcher I met says he thinks these geese might be pink-feet rather than white-fronts, mentioning anomalies in relation to bill shape and darkness of upperpart plumage....