Main sighting: Greenshank

Greenshank (1)
Bar-tailed Godwit (1 – full summer plumage)
Black-tailed Godwit (5)
Whimbrel (6)
Grey Plover (1)
Turnstone (12)
Ringed Plover (10)
Oystercatcher (60)
Curlew (30)
Lapwing (7)
Dunlin (100)
Redshank (100)
Little Egret (2)
Grey Heron (1)
Sparrowhawk
Kestrel

Main sighting: Highlights

En-route to platform: collard dove, blackbirds, house sparrows, blue tits, crows, chiffchaffs, woodpigeons, pheasant, great spotted woodpecker, goldfinches, great tit, 3 stock doves, swallows, lesser black-backed gulls, moorhen, wren and dunnocks. Snipe platform: some water left but little now, black headed gulls, coot, 5 herons, 18 little egrets, 1 great egret, Canada geese, magpie, pied wagtails, 4 dunlin, 6 teal, 1 redshank and house martins aerial feeding. En-route to seawall: linnets and sedge warbler. Seawall: curlew numbers starting to re-build with 18 seen, amazing count of a raft of 844 shelduck (with some young present), 11 oystercatchers, 17 ringed plovers, 5 more dunlin, herring gulls, 3 black-tailed godwits, 1 knot, female shoveler, cettis calling and a harbor porpoise surfacing near the shelduck raft. Hide 3: stonechat, 3 gadwall, 5 more great egrets which were not visible from snipe platform and green woodpecker calling (lagoon 3 totally dry). Hide 1: greylag geese and 3 pale-morph buzzards circling, male kestrel perched on a post. Other: numerous gatekeepers, 1 red admiral.

Main sighting: Little egret

Little egret, 17 redhead goosander, 3 cormorants, 3 herons, a grey wagtail, a common sandpiper, a red kite, great spotted woodpecker and a green woodpecker. Sand martins scarcer here than in previous years.

Main sighting: Spotted Flycatcher

Family of c.5 Spotted Flycatcher by north wall of castle

Main sighting: Great Egret eel eating extravaganza

En-route to hides: Wren, lesser black-backed gulls, pheasant, blue tits, chiffchaff, woodpigeons, robin, crows, blackbirds, swallows, cormorant (perched on a telegraph pole for a change), kingfisher, family groups of 30+ linnets, greylag geese, goldfinches and moorhen. Hide 1: Pair light-morph and 1 normal colour buzzards, Canada geese, marsh harrier, jackdaws, kestrel and 6 ringed plovers. Snipe platform: With the most volume of water, this is where all the activity is, with 1 green sandpiper, 17 little egrets waiting for the 3 great egrets to drop the eels they were catching, 4 oystercatchers, 6 herons, 2 redshank, 191 dunlin, single knot in breeding plumage, mallards, 6 shoveler, coot, 4 teal, 2 lapwing, stock dove (fly-past), 1 great black-backed gull, 1 little ringed plover, pied wagtail, 4 sand martins, reed bunting and sedge warbler. Hide 2: stonechat pair (adult female and juvenile female), 4th great egret flying across to join the others, dunnock and collard dove. Other: meadow browns, gatekeepers, 1 red admiral and 1 green-veined white.

Main sighting: Marsh Tit

1400hrs Walking along raised boardwalk above the marsh there were constant calls from several Nuthatch, only one sighted along with a single Treecreeper and Spotted Flycatcher. Good numbers Gold crest calling but not seen. Plenty of Great and Blue Tits, Chiffchaff and a Marsh Tit that set me a bit of a dilemma to ID but Merlin App suggested Marsh Tit rather than Willow and as it was in a marsh I am going for that!

Main sighting: Swallows

A minimum of 54 Swallows, mostly juveniles were gathered on the telegraph wires.20h00.Good to see they are having a successful breeding season.

Main sighting: Green Sandpiper

2-Green Sandpipers from the Snipe platform.Priors lagoon was the only one with water,so all the bird species were congregated there.Other birds there were 5-Great White Egrets,14-Little Egrets,3-Black Tailed Godwits,30+Lapwings,1-Buzzard,several juvenile Black Headed Gulls.On the foreshore was 1-Spoonbill (distant),good numbers ofShelducks and Oystercatchers.11h00-12h20.

Main sighting: Swifts

Jackdaws, collard doves, house sparrows, crows, blue tits, woodpigeons, magpies, herring gulls, swallows, chiffchaffs, 5 stock doves, starlings, linnets, 6 swifts, reed warbler, skylark, meadow pipits, stonechat, whitethroat, Canada geese, black headed gulls, pheasants, 253 shelduck (6 chicks also seen), curlew, 3 black tailed godwits, mallard, 2 little egrets, grey heron, 2 siskins over, wren, lesser black-backed gulls, redshank, pied wagtail, 3 cormorants, house martins, juvenile female kestrel, reed bunting and lesser whitethroat.

Main sighting: Com sand

5 Com sands

Main sighting: Shelduck & Porpoise

High tide 1230 hrs, while watching three flotillas of shelduck heading downriver a fin breached the surface several times also heading downriver. Twice breaching clear confirming a harbour porpoise !

Main sighting: Goshawk and confirmed via sound ID

Sat in tree after missing a small bird