Burton Mere Wetlands 21st August 2022
After quite a long period of inactivity on the birding front, due mainly to very wet weather (we stayed at home) followed by very hot weather (we sat in back garden trying to keep cool), we eventually had a day out – or at least a few hours out – at Burton Mere Wetlands on 21st August 2022. We didn’t expect too much of interest but, in the end, managed to get a good range of species including four year ticks.
As we approached the reserve, we got very close views of a Buzzard as it crossed over the car and perched on the side (!) of a tree which we parked under. On the wires at the entrance to the reserve were good numbers of Swallows and more Mouse Martins that I had seen all year. There were also a couple of Sand Martins.
As soon as we arrived, we had a look at the pond to the right of the visitor centre and immediately got a Green Sandpiper (year ticks). It flew off before I could get my scope set up but I did manage reasonable bin views. Also on the pond were a pair of Garganey and a Great White Egret; a Snipe was walking around in the water showing well – not too bad a start before we had even shown our cards at reception.
We decided to do the far side of the reserve first and headed for what I still refer to as the Inner Marsh Farm hide. There wasn’t anything much at the first screen but we did see Marsh Harrier and what I could easily have believed was a Bittern dropping into the reeds. Nobody else had reported a Bittern so I wrote that one off – reluctantly. We stopped briefly at the bench on the opposite side of the path from the fish pond and got great views of a Kingfisher loafing around on a perch at the waters edge. At the Marsh Covert Hide the whole area was completely dried out with the only water being over by IMF. At the bridge screen we had more luck and got a year tick Yellow Wagtail mixed in with a couple of Pied Wagtails walking under the legs of some ponies that were grazing on the left edge of the water.
Down at IMF there were lots of Black-tailed Godwits and, rather moulty, Lapwings. Among the large numbers of Godwits we picked out year tick Ruffs and a single Knot but there was also a pair of Dunlin.
We didn’t bother to go up to the Points as it was a very low tide and we didn’t expect much there. On our way back we got good views of a Peregrine Falcon circling above the reeds just beside us and a Kestrel also showed well. We returned to the visitor centre and from there we got three Spoonbills and the usual range of ducks. It is the high season for Canada Geese at the moment, but I believe they all usually disappear together at some point.
It had turned out to be a pretty good day out in the end, admittedly with only 33 species, but we had some good ones inn there as can be seen from the following list.
Bird Sightings : Burton Mere Wetlands 21st August 2022
| Species | No |
|---|---|
| Black-tailed Godwit | 50 |
| Blue Tit | 2 |
| Buzzard | 2 |
| Canada Goose | 100 |
| Coot | 4 |
| Dunlin | 2 |
| Gadwall | 6 |
| Garganey | 2 |
| Great Tit | 2 |
| Great White Egret | 1 |
| Green Sandpiper | 1 |
| Greylag Goose | 10 |
| House Martin | 8 |
| Jackdaw | 2 |
| Kestrel | 2 |
| Kingfisher | 1 |
| Knot | 1 |
| Lapwing | 40 |
| Mallard | 20 |
| Marsh Harrier | 2 |
| Moorhen | 10 |
| Peregrine | 1 |
| Pied Wagtail | 2 |
| Redshank | 1 |
| Ruff | 6 |
| Sand Martin | 2 |
| Shoveler | 24 |
| Snipe | 2 |
| Spoonbill | 3 |
| Swallow | 6 |
| Teal | 20 |
| Woodpigeon | 4 |
| Yellow Wagtail | 2 |