November 10th. Cloudy, with rainy spells and moderate southerly wind.
Just a brief look at the sea this early morning: moving south were 5 Common Scoter, 2 Red-breasted Mergansers, a Red-throated Diver and 6 Pintail. A small number of Starlings were arriving off the sea. Elsewhere, there was a male Hen Harrier, 4 Water Pipits were mobile and a Chiffchaff was around Sykes Farm.
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| Sun up at 7.12am on the 9th November 2025 Photo - Nigel Lound |
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| A flat calm of a morning, 7th November 2025 Photo - Nigel Lound |
Tides are dropping now but still over 45,000 mixed waders at the roost on Greenshanks Ridge but no counts at the southern roost. On the saltmarsh were 250 Brent Geese. Visible migration was dominated by Woodpigeons with over 7200 passing through, along with 123 Skylark, 190 Chaffinch, 13 Brambling, 120 Siskin, 125 Goldfinch, 40 Linnet, 355 Starling, 83 Rock Pipit, smaller numbers of Greenfinch, Meadow Pipit, Greenfinch, Reed Bunting and Stock Dove and a single Twite.
Other birds around included a Bullfinch, a Merlin, a Hen Harrier, 4 Cetti's Warblers and a Water Pipit.
A morning ringing session in East Dunes produced 8 new birds: 2 Goldcrest and 6 Blackbird; and 3 retraps: 2 Blackbird and a Robin. This is the last planned session of the year in the East Dunes.
A morning ringing session in the West Dunes resulted in 19 new birds: 6 Blackbird, 6 Great Tit, 3 Goldfinch, 2 Goldcrest, 1 Chaffinch and 1 Blue Tit; and 24 retraps: 15 Great Tit, 3 Long-tailed Tit, 2 Goldcrest, 2 Goldfinch, 1 Blue Tit and 1 Dunnock. This is the last planned session of the year in the West Dunes.
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| Pink-footed Goose, 9th November 2025 Photo - Paul Neale |
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| Rock Pipit, 9th November 2025 Photo - Paul Neale |
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| Male Stonechat, 9th November 2025 Photo - Paul Neale |
This mornings efforts were concentrated on the wader counts for the monthly WeBS. Totals included; 53000 Knot, 3150 Grey Plover, 3930 Oystercatcher, 8800 Dunlin, 2093 Sanderling, 2550 Bar-tailed Godwit, 104 Redshank, 900 Lapwing and 70 Ringed Plover.
Elsewhere on the reserve were 2 Green Woodpecker, 2 Merlin (Beach). On the Saltmarsh were 60 Brent Geese. On the Mere were a Water Pipit and a Jack Snipe. On Fenland Lagoon were 2 Rock Pipit, and a Cetti's Warbler was singing loudly next to Fenella Hope Hide on Tennyson's Sands.
No further sign of the Olive-backed Pipit or Yellow-browed Warbler.
A morning ringing session in East Dunes resulted in 17 new birds: 2 Goldcrest, 2 Robin, a Blackcap, a Redwing, a Song Thrush and 10 Blackbird; and 3 retraps: a Dunnock, a Blue Tit and a Robin.
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| Some of 200+ Cormorants on Greenshanks Ridge, 8th November 2025 Photo - Mike Watts |
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| Curlew, 8th November 2025 Photo - Steve Clipperton |
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| Water Pipit, 8th November 2025 Photo - Steve Clipperton |
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| Water Pipit on the Mere, 8th November 2025 Photo - Steve Clipperton |
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| Kingfisher, 8th November 2025 Photo - Steve Clipperton |
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| Sparrowhawk, 8th November 2025 Photo - Mike Watts |
An excellent late autumn day for birding, involving a big wader roost, wildfowl arriving and moving into the Wash a moderate migration of Finches, Pipits and Larks and a significant arrival of Blackbirds with other Thrushes and Starlings. A minimum of 60,000 Knot arrived at roost with over 6000 Dunlin, 2400 Grey Plover, 1800 Bar-tailed Godwit, 5500 Oystercatcher and 950 Sanderling. 250 Wigeon and 230 Teal arrived from the north and headed south with 35 Brent Geese, 3 Red-breasted Merganser, 5 Goldeneye, 22 Pochard and 9 Pintail. Sea duck were further represented by 22 Eider and 80 Common Scoter.
Blackbirds were arriving all morning with many dropping out of the sky into the scrub, with an increased number of Redwings and Song Thrushes and a few Fieldfare. A count of Blackbirds just on the East Dunes exceeded 300 with a Ring Ouzel still present. Robins remained in very high numbers too, with new arrivals evident over the last couple of days. A Short-eared Owl arrived off the sea and put up a male Hen Harrier from the outer dunes, both being mobbed briefly by a Carrion Crow.
A Pipit heard calling in the East Dunes was eventually relocated, with brief flight views and a few more calls indicating Olive-backed Pipit. A Yellow-browed Warbler was then found in the Half-way Sycamores, possibly a new arrival, although it is doubtful whether this migrant hotspot has been looked at for a week! Late afternoon, a Black Redstart was found around the Coastguards Garden. Cetti's Warblers were again around Fenella Hope Hide, North Hide on Tennyson's Sands and another 2 were around Mill Pond.
A morning ringing session in East Dunes provided 52 new birds: 4 Goldcrest, a Robin, a Blue Tit, a Great Tit, 2 Redwing, a Song Thrush, 40 Blackbird and 2 Fieldfare; and 3 retrap Long-tailed Tit.
Ringing Control: BDE3585 Lesser Redpoll, ringed at the Observatory on the 21st October 2025 has been controlled at Elms Farm, Icklesham, East Sussex on the 6th November 2025 by the Rye Bay Ringing Group. A movement of 246km in 16 days, nearly due south. A migrant on its way to continental Europe for the winter, caught not once but twice on its journey south.
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| Cetti's Warbler, 7th November 2025 Photo - Mike Watts |
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| Kingfisher, 7th November 2025 Photo - Mike Watts |
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| Squirrel getting ready for winter, 7th November 2025 Photo - Mike Watts |
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| Confusion abounds with this Hawthorn holding onto this years berries at the same time as thinking its Spring and trying to come into bud! 7th November 2025 Photo - Mike Watts |
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| Believed to be a Hares Foot Inkcap Mushroom (Coprinopsis Lagopus), 7th November 2025 Photo - Mike Watts |
A morning sea watch was rewarded with 4 late Sandwich Terns and 3 Little Gulls, with a southerly movement of Wigeon, Teal and Brent Geese. Also heading south were 4 Pintail and 4 Common Scoter. Overland, good numbers of Chaffinch were heading south with smaller parties of Redpoll, Siskin, Linnet, Brambling and Skylark
An evening walk around the water bodies proved fruitful with a total of 13 Cetti's Warblers heard or seen mainly around the reedbeds. Other Cetti's Warblers reported included one on the Mere Meadow end of the Borrow Pits and another halfway along the the Mill Pond Road which would give a new site total of 15 for the day! On Tennyson's Sands were 777 Teal, 32 Shoveler and 2 Water Rail, with another Water Rail earlier on in the day somewhat unusually on the Storm Ridge.
Also noted around the reserve were 53 Brent Geese, 1 Ring Ouzel and 3 Chiffchaff (East Dunes), 1 Stonechat (Mere Meadow), several Crossbill were up and down the West Dunes including around North Car Park during the morning, a Brambling, 120 Lapwing (West), 80 Redwing (West), a Kingfisher and a Buzzard. Good numbers of Robins, Blackbirds and Redwings were present throughout the dunes during the day.
A morning ringing session in East Dunes produced 20 new birds: a Wren, 3 Goldcrest, 2 Blackcap, a Blue Tit, a Robin, a Redwing and 11 Blackbird.
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| Brent Geese on the New Saltmarsh, 6th November 2025 Photo - Mike Watts |
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| Lapwings heading inland, 5th November 2025 Photo - David Nutt |
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| Little Egret on the riverbank, 6th November 2025 Photo - Mike Watts |
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| Starling eating berries, 5th November 2025 Photo - David Nutt |
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| Crossbill in North Car Park pines, 6th November 2025 Photo - Robert Smith |
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| Thirsty Crossbills in North Car Park, 6th November 2025 Photo - Robert Smith |
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| Crossbill drinking in North Car Park, 6th November 2025 Photo - Robert Smith |
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| Stoat (Note the distinctive black tail tip), 6th November 2025 Photo - Mike Watts |
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| Stoat in hunting action!, 6th November 2025 Photo - Mike Watts |
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| Seals hauled up out of the river out from the Wash Viewpoint, 6th November 2025 Photo - Mike Watts |
On New Saltmarsh were 25 Brent Geese. A Kingfisher was on Fenland Lagoon. On Tennyson's Sands was a Stonechat. A Cetti's Warbler was in the West Dunes late afternoon whilst another was calling from the banks of Tennyson's Sands.
A morning ringing session in East Dunes yielded 22 new birds: a Wren, 3 Goldcrest, a Goldfinch, a Blackcap, a Brambling, 3 Song Thrush, a Redwing, 10 Blackbird and a Fieldfare; and 6 retraps: 4 Blackbird, a Redwing and a Robin.
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| Brambling, ringed 5th November 2025. Photo - George Gregory |
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| Stonechat along Mill Pond Road, 4th November 2025 Photo - Tom Baker |
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| Sparrowhawk, 5th November 2025 Photo - Tom Baker |
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| Redwing, 5th November 2025 Photo - Tom Baker |
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| Pied Wagtail, 5th November 2025 Photo - Tom Baker |
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| Female Reed Bunting, 5th November 2025 Photo - Tom Baker |
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| "Robins Pincushion" or the hairy growth caused by the tiny gall wasps larvae. 5th November 2025, Photo - Tom Baker |
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| Greenshanks Creek at low tide, 5th November 2025 Photo - David Nutt |
Early news involved the female Garganey still present on Tennyson's Sands along with at least 1 Bearded Tit (North of North Hide), 11 Curlew, 28 Shoveler and 400 Teal, 25 Brent Geese on New Saltmarsh and 460 Pink-footed Geese going North early morning out of the Wash. A Great White Egret went West over Jackson's Marsh early morning. The Water Pipit was again on the Mere and a Cetti's Warbler was calling from the Borrow Pits along Mill Pond Road along with 3 Stonechat there also. During the afternoon a Glossy Ibis stopped in on Fenland Lagoon for a while and a Marsh Harrier was over Tennyson's Sands.
The evening high tide watched from Mill Hill revealed a wader spectacular with the tide coming into the Wash a lot further than expected. Waders were reeling around Greenshanks Creek ridges and Millennium Ridge for well over an hour before the high tide with numbers in excess of 50,000. They were made up of counts of 40,000 Knot, 3000 Grey Plover, 6500 Oystercatcher, 2000 Dunlin, 1000 Sanderling, 200 Bar-tailed Godwit and 100 Curlew. There were a further 1500 Bar-tailed Godwits still flying over the Wash Estuary as dusk fell that never came up the coast to Greenshanks.
Also on Greenshanks Creek during the high tide were 100 Mallard, 100 Teal, 250 Wigeon, 30 Tufted Duck and 8 Little Egrets along with a hunting Peregrine.
A morning ringing session in West Dunes provided 6 new birds: a Wren, 2 Goldcrest, a Robin, a Blue Tit and a Chaffinch; and 7 retraps: a Robin, 2 Goldcrest, 3 Great Tit and a Blackbird.
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| Glossy Ibis arriving on Fenland Lagoon, 4th November 2025 Photo - Mike Watts |
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| Glossy Ibis on Fenland Lagoon, 4th November 2025 Photo - Mike Watts |
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| Garganey on Tennyson's Sands, 4th November 2025 Photo - Stuart Ainsworth |
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| Marsh Harrier over Tennyson's Sands, 4th November 2025 Photo - Mike Watts |
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| Male Peregrine on the beach harassing waders, 4th November 2025 Photo - Nigel Lound |
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| Water Pipit on the Mere, 4th November 2025 Photo - Tom Baker |
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| Brent Geese, 4th November 2025 Photo - Tom Baker |
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| Teal, 4th November 2025 Photo - Tom Baker |
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| Curlew on Tennyson's Sands, 4th November 2025 Photo - Tom Baker |
A sea-watch in the morning produced 120 Wigeon, 2 Pintail, 11 Tufted Duck, 1 Goldeneye, 8 Common Scoter, 3 Goosander, 6 Red-breasted Merganser, 11 Great Crested Grebe, 2 Arctic Tern, 1 Jack Snipe, 3 Red-throated Diver and 2 Merlin, all South. Going North was a single Gannet.
On Tennyson's Sands were 1 Mute Swan, 1 Garganey (Female), 37 Shoveler, 808 Teal and 1 Black-tailed Godwit, whilst over Croft Marsh there were 3500 Golden Plover and 700 Lapwing.
Elsewhere on the reserve were 1 Great White Egret (South over the Plantation), 2 Peregrines (One South and one in off the sea), 2 Stonechat (Tennyson's Sands), 1 Kingfisher and 1 possibly 2 Water Pipits (Mere).
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| Moody Skies over the beach, 31st October 2025 Photo - David Nutt |
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| Great White Egret, 3rd November 2025 Photo - Tom Baker |
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| Grey Plover, 3rd November 2025 Photo - Tom Baker |
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| Kingfisher, 3rd November 2025 Photo - Tom Baker |
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| Water Pipit, 3rd November 2025 Photo - Tom Baker |
Another morning with good numbers of Finches, Pipits, Larks and Starlings moving south including 25 Brambling. Offshore, 2 Sandwich Terns, an Arctic Tern, 2 Goosander, 11 Pintail and a Great Northern Diver flew south, with another Great Northern Diver fishing close inshore. The Water Pipit remained at the Mere.
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| Grey Plover, 31st October 2025 Photo - David Nutt  Photo - Stuart Ainsworth  Photo - Stuart Ainsworth |
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| Redshank, 31st October 2025 Photo - David Nutt |
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| Stonechat, 31st October 2025 Photo - David Nutt |
Redwings and Starlings were on the move in good numbers early morning with some arriving off the sea with a small number of Song Thrush and Fieldfare. At sea, several flocks of Wigeon and Shelduck moved south with a Black-throated Diver, a Goldeneye and a Great White Egret.
Overland, small parties of Chaffinch were moving south with other Finches and Skylarks.
Two Swallows were feeding over West Dunes, a Kingfisher was on the Fenland Lagoon and a male Hen Harrier was over the Old Saltmarsh in the afternoon. Tennyson's Sands held 645 Teal, 34 Shoveler and a Cetti's Warbler. Elsewhere there was a Firecrest (East Dunes), a Mistle Thrush, 18 Siskin and 2 Crossbill.
A wind-restricted morning ringing session in West Dunes produced 2 new birds: a Goldcrest and a Song Thrush; and 3 retraps: 2 Robin and a Blackbird.
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| Hebridean Sheep where once there was water! 31st October 2025 Photo - David Nutt |
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| Hebridean Sheep on what's left of Tennyson's Sands, 31st October 2025 Photo - David Nutt |
