Tuesday 25th August 0900-1845 (with a 2 hour detour to Grimley)
A brisk ENE wind and rain followed by improving but still overcast conditions failed to produce the full-on flood of passage migrants but a few interesting bits and bobs (not you Mr Oakley
) nevertheless
SAILING POOL
1 adult GC Grebe, 9 Coot, 1 Moorhen, 135 Mallard (+100 on stubble field between pool and Hobden Hall Farm), 30 Canada Geese, c100 hirundines first thing.
FLASHES
8 Green Sand, 1+ Common Sand, 11 Curlew (increasing to 20 later), 5 Dunlin (4 juv and moulting adult, later just 4), Greenshank dropped in around 1100, Ringed Plover present this evening, 4 Avocet, 6 Snipe, 260 Lapwing, 3 Oystercatcher flew in at 1830, 120 Mallard, 16 Shoveler, 2 Gadwall, 59 Teal, Tufted Duck (fem) on third Flash, 26 Coot, 42 Moorhen, 1 Grey Heron, 23 Greylag Geese, 2 Raven, Yellow Wagtail over, c700 BH Gull by 1830, 2 Herring Gull, 6 LBB Gull, juv Med Gull Kingfisher, Swift.
MOORS POOL
1 Little Egret, 3 Grey Heron, 2 adult + 3 juv GC Grebe, 20 adult / fledged juv Little Grebe + 2 young, 2 adult + 6 juv Mute Swan, c50 Canada Geese, 23 Greylag Geese flew in from the Flashes, 3 Cormorant, 7 Teal, 6 Shoveler, c100 Mallard, 23 Tufted Duck, 179 Coot, 5 Moorhen, 3 Oystercatcher, 6 Lapwing, 5 Snipe earlier, 125 BH Gull, 2 LBB Gull, 2 Herring Gull, juv Med Gull (pics to follow), c200 hirundines, Cetti's Warbler, Sparrowhawk, Hobby earlier, Goldcrest, Kingfisher, 3 Swift (10 earlier), Grey Wagtail over, 2 Common Tern (4 earlier).
Flashes water level was 0.43 this morning following overnight rain; opened the sluice fully for 9 hours which reduced it to 0.41. Will check again at the weekend when hopefully the revised sluice setting will see the water level reduced to about 0.39 to keep a fresh shoreline for migrant waders.
