- 23/09/2020
- Nature Notes
A very large high tide and calm, hot day gave good afternoon count conditions for this months survey. Dry conditions have likely reduced number of waders and some duck but highlights are the return of wintering birds like wigeon, and waders like snipe on the hide pools. Lovely to note 3 wood sandpipers. In addition to the count we have spotted returning Short Eared Owls along the sea walls, Merlin near the entry gate and a large raft of Great Crested Grebes on the Swale from the viewing screen.
| ELMLEY NNR | |||
| Elmley Main Marsh | Spitend | Total | |
| Avocet | 58 | 58 | |
| Bar-tailed Godwit | 1 | 1 | |
| Black-headed Gull | 0 | ||
| Black-tailed Godwit | 4 | 4 | |
| Brent Goose (Dark-bellied - bernicla) | 0 | ||
| Canada Goose | 36 | 36 | |
| Cattle Egret | 0 | ||
| Common Gull | 0 | ||
| Common Sandpiper | 0 | ||
| Common Tern | 0 | ||
| Coot | 12 | 12 | |
| Cormorant | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Curlew | 250 | 30 | 280 |
| Dunlin | 10 | 10 | |
| Eider | 0 | ||
| Golden Plover | 276 | 276 | |
| Great Black-backed Gull | 0 | ||
| Great Crested Grebe | 32 | 3 | 35 |
| Green Sandpiper | 0 | ||
| Greenshank | 1 | 1 | |
| Grey Heron | 57 | 4 | 61 |
| Grey Plover | 21 | 30 | 51 |
| Greylag Goose | 57 | 42 | 99 |
| Herring Gull | 0 | ||
| Knot | 0 | ||
| Lapwing | 413 | 212 | 625 |
| Lesser Black-backed Gull | 0 | ||
| Little Egret | 38 | 6 | 44 |
| Little Grebe | 6 | 8 | 14 |
| Little Stint | 0 | ||
| Mallard | 524 | 438 | 962 |
| Moorhen | 6 | 6 | |
| Mute Swan | 20 | 17 | 37 |
| Oystercatcher | 120 | 120 | |
| Pintail | 0 | ||
| Redshank | 1 | 18 | 19 |
| Ringed Plover | 21 | 21 | |
| Ruff | 0 | ||
| Sandwich Tern | 0 | ||
| Shelduck | 1 | 202 | 203 |
| Snipe | 1 | 1 | |
| Teal | 46 | 323 | 369 |
| Turnstone | 0 | ||
| Water Rail | 0 | ||
| Whimbrel | 0 | ||
| Wigeon | 710 | 240 | 950 |
| Wood Sandpiper | 3 | 3 | |
| Grand Total | 2647 | 1655 | 4302 |
