Cress Marsh

A productive, late afternoon visit to site after work produced two site firsts for me.

The tractor was working on the area immediately adjacent to the car park, so disturbance around the lagoon and scrapes near the hide was minimal.

Species recorded were:

Linnet (20)
Greenshank (2)
Green Sandpiper (4)
Mallard ( 8 )
Ringed Plover (4) - all birds were sheltering out of the wind on the lagoon bank between the hide and the blue water pipe in the corner of the lagoon.
Pied Wagtail (5)
Black-headed Gull (105)
Little Ringed Plover (1)
Carrion Crow
Magpie
Woodpigeon
Swallow
Snipe (4) - a site first for me. All birds were feeding on the exposed mud bank opposite the blue water pipe.
Ruff (1) - a real surprise and another site first for me! The bird was on the island furthest away from the hide. It walked out from behind vegetation onto the exposed mud opposite the blue water pipe. After feeding and then preening for several minutes, it walked back behind the vegetation and I didn't see it again!

Think I may have misled wrt deflectors:- they are on the electricity wooden pole wires along the path but not on the higher wires supported by pylons which go across the scrapes.
The vegetation was being grubbed up today and looked to be almost completed. Everything is, unsurprisingly, very dry.
The disturbance meant there were fewer birds than usual....LRPs, RPs, Greenshank, Greensand2, Yellow Wag, juv Buzzard posed nicely, mini-murmuration of starlings... no new species.

Hi Jim

The deflectors have been installed . The car park is closed so you still need to park in front of barrier but you are off the road.

Have the deflectors now all been installed on the overhead cables by the power company?

Also, is the car park open or is it still a matter of parking on the roadside?

Spent an hour at the site from 17:00 - 18:00 this evening. The weather consisted of light rain / drizzle and a westerly breeze.

The earlier reported Spot Fly had moved on, but a few birds had started to return following the earlier disturbance by the tractor carrying out ground works. Whilst I was there, the tractor was raking the scrape area between the road and the hide (area to your left as you walk up to the hide).

Bird species noted were:

Linnet (10)
Starling (15)
Herring Gull (3)
Black-Headed Gull (20)
Greenshank (2)
Mallard (10)
Pied Wagtail (7)
Green Sandpiper (2)
Ringed Plover (2)
Magpie
Woodpigeon

Spent an hour at the site from 17:00 - 18:00 this evening. The weather consisted of light rain / drizzle and a westerly breeze.

The earlier reported Spot Fly had moved on, but a few birds had started to return following the earlier disturbance by the tractor carrying out ground works. Whilst I was there, the tractor was raking the scrape area between the road and the hide (area to your left as you walk up to the hide).

Bird species noted were:

Linnet (10)
Starling (15)
Herring Gull (3)
Black-Headed Gull (20)
Greenshank (2)
Mallard (10)
Pied Wagtail (7)
Green Sandpiper (2)
Ringed Plover (2)
Magpie
Woodpigeon