- 20/12/2019
- Nature Notes
Over 21,000 birds were counted around the high tide on Monday 11th November during this month's wetland bird survey across our Reserve, as part of over 40,000 across the Swale as a whole! Well done and thank you to all the volunteer surveyors!
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With a wet winter and recent mild weather there are now large flocks across the marshes and esturary mudflats. The shear numbers of lapwing, wigeon and geese and godwits are wonderful to see.
| Species | Elmley NNR | ||
| Spitend | Main Marshes | Totals | |
| Mute Swan | 18 | 80 | 98 |
| Great-crested Grebe | 6 | 8 | 14 |
| Little Grebe | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| Coot | 10 | 10 | |
| Moorhen | 0 | ||
| Water rail | 0 | ||
| Grey Heron | 2 | 7 | 9 |
| Little Egret | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Bittern | 0 | ||
| Spoonbill | 0 | ||
| Great White Heron | 0 | ||
| Cattle Egret | 0 | ||
| Cormorant | 3 | 10 | 13 |
| Brent Goose | 460 | 11 | 471 |
| Greylag Goose | 1695 | 562 | 2257 |
| Canada Goose | 85 | 185 | 270 |
| Pink-footed Goose | 0 | ||
| Tundra Bean Goose | |||
| White-fronted Goose | 0 | ||
| Shelduck | 1142 | 90 | 1232 |
| Mallard | 237 | 690 | 927 |
| Teal | 612 | 400 | 1012 |
| Pintail | 0 | ||
| Gadwall | 0 | ||
| Garganey | 1 | 2 | |
| Shoveller | 12 | 12 | |
| Tufted Duck | 0 | ||
| Pochard | 34 | 34 | |
| Wigeon | 1712 | 4560 | 6272 |
| Avocet | 52 | 42 | 94 |
| Oystercatcher | 4 | 85 | 89 |
| Curlew | 82 | 148 | 230 |
| Whimbrel | 5 | 5 | |
| Bar-tailed Godwit | 0 | ||
| Black-tailed Godwit | 1090 | 1090 | |
| Common Snipe | 2 | 2 | |
| Grey Plover | 55 | 2 | 57 |
| Golden Plover | 331 | 200 | 531 |
| Ringed Plover | 30 | 30 | |
| Lapwing | 2849 | 3870 | 6719 |
| Greenshank | 0 | ||
| Redshank | 23 | 12 | 35 |
| Green Sandpiper | 0 | ||
| Wood Sandpiper | 0 | ||
| Common Sandpiper | 12 | 12 | |
| Knot | 6 | 230 | 236 |
| Dunlin | 75 | 20 | 95 |
| Curlew Sandpiper | 0 | ||
| Ruff | 1 | 43 | 44 |
| Little Stint | 0 | ||
| Turnstone | 30 | 8 | 38 |
| Totals | 9511 | 12438 | 21950 |
