This morning Paul Culyer, Richard Ellis, Clive Hurford,
Haydn Garlick and I made another visit to Gupton to record winter birds there.
Numbers of lapwings and golden plovers (more than 1000 of each) had increased
since our previous survey-visit in November, although numbers of both species were still
below peak counts recorded several winters ago. 90+ curlews were also noted - some of these feeding in the damper areas.
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| A small part of the golden plover and lapwing flock resting in the dune reversion grassland area. |
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| Often in the air, the golden plovers and lapwings returned to rest again on the dune grassland |
Other highlights during a glorious sunny morning included c.180 skylarks and c.240 linnets. Generally all passerine numbers were not as high as those recorded in the
past, including only c.50 chaffinches and about a dozen reed buntings for example. Most were feeding in weedy patches where exposed soil with seed and invertebrate sources had been opened-up by cattle.
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| Fairly modest numbers of linnets were recorded today: this being part of a flock of about 200 flushed from one weedy patch |
In the wet valley bottom it was nice to see
good-sized flocks of 20-30 snipe in the air at times, probably when they were being disturbed
by the two resident marsh harriers hunting over the reedbed. Hopefully snipe numbers will increase during the coming weeks.
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| Part of a flock of c.25 snipe over the reedbed - around 150 were recorded in the area this morning |