Early this morning:

The Great White Egret was on a small section of shore on the south side of Ramsdales Ruck and flew off towards the (in name only) 'nature reserve'

1 Pochard at the western end

1 Common Sandpiper on there sailing club shore

5 Great Black-backed Gulls (three adults and two juveniles)

3 Chiffchaffs on Ramsdales Ruck

19 Swifts

5 Shoveler, with three immatures in East Bay and a pair flew over high west

1 Willow Tt at the western end

1 Little Egret around Ramsdales Scrape

1 Oystercatcher on the spit

7 Egyptian Geese still around the sailing club shore

Peak of 114 juvenile Lesser Black-backed and Herring Gulls but much turnover with some birds now arriving from the SW

4 Skylarks down on Ramsdales Ruck

Yellow Wagtail on the sailing club shore this morning,

Info thanks to Bill Harrison

A better than average early morning for the site today:

Juvenile Black-necked Grebe off The Point (closely associating with a drake Common Scoter initially!), eventually made its way deep into Ramsdales 

Male Common Scoter out in the middle of the flash. At c08:30 three immature Common Scoters flew in high from the west, did a big loop of the flash and then departed back off high west!

Three Tree Pipits together inadvertently flushed off Ramsdales Ruck flew off calling high south across the flash

A Yellow Wagtail flew in calling loudly from the north and circled low over Ramsdales Ruck very close to me before also flying off south across the flash

1 Common Sandpiper

1 Little Egret

7 Egyptian Geese still by the sailing club

11 Willow Warblers and 5+ Chiffchaffs on and around Ramsdales Ruck

36 Swifts

387 Lapwings roosting around the spit and Ramsdales Scrape, the flock being flushed for some reason and many of the birds flew off west

2 Great Black-backed Gulls (adult and a juvenile)

64 Tufted Ducks

1 Common Tern

This morning:

7 Egyptian Geese off the sailing club

1 Little Egret

1 Oystercatcher

14 Teal

1 adult Common Tern

Juvenile Great Black-backed Gull in the spit and an adult straight through SW

3 Kingfishers

14 Swifts

11 Willow Warbler and 3 Chiffchaffs around Ramsdales Ruck

Maximum of 71 juvenile Lesser Black-backed and Herring Gulls (the latter increased in percentage slightly)

This morning's highlights included:

Seven Egyptian Geese still present and correct

2 Oystercatchers

128 Lapwing

112 juvenile Lesser Black-backed and Herring Gulls

Juvenile and adult Great Black-backed Gulls 

This morning 7:30-10:30,

Common sandpiper 2, sailing club and point of ruck

Water rail Penghy's

Common tern 2

Egyptian geese 2

Shoveler with 7 chicks Ramsdales, also another four off the sailing club

Tufted duck with 4 chicks Ramsdales also nasal saddle bird still. About 30 birds in total

Swift 7

House Martin 10

Swallow 30

Great black-backed gull 3 (2 adults and juvenile)

Oystercatcher 2

Black-headed gulls - Norwegian and Finnish birds again on car park, also Dutch bird 3,738,977 which I have been seeing pretty regularly since November 2022. This bird was ringed as a nestling in May 2016 so is just over 8 years old now.

Annoyingly I was actually on the car park at 9.40 reading black-headed gull rings when Bill's Great white egret must have flown right over my head. I didn't see it.

Early this morning’s highlights for me:

Ringed Plover flew west over Ramsdales Ruck at 7am

7 Egyptian Geese at the sailing club

3 Oystercatchers

3 adult Common Terns

Peak count of 88 juvenile Lesser Black-backed and 21 juvenile Herring Gulls but the usual frequent comings (from the north/north-west) and goings (generally SW), so many more birds actually involved

2 adult Great Black-backed Gulls

22 Tufted Duck

31 Lapwings

13 Willow Warblers on and around Ramsdales Ruck

Additional birds this early afternoon included juvenile and adult Great Black-backed Gulls, 7 adult Common Terns, 75 Lapwings, 2 Oystercatchers and an adult Little Egret.

Info thanks to Phil Rhodes

Some early morning sightings:

1 Common Sandpiper

32 Swifts

4 adult Common Terns

49 Lapwings

1 Oystercatcher

A peak of 119 juvenile Lesser Black-backed and Herring Gulls (c10% of that total being Herrings)

This morning,

Garden warbler 2 in bushes near the leaning posts on the ruck

Common scoter 2 drakes dropped in briefly but departed at 9:30

Egyptian goose 7 at the sailing club

Little egret 2

Greylag 6

Tufted duck 20+ including female with 4 tiny chicks in Ramsdales

Common tern 4 adults. Juveniles seem really thin on the ground this year. In July 2024 I saw a maximum of 9 juveniles from 14 visits. Compare that to 2023 when I saw a maximum of 42 juveniles from 26 visits. I do feel that 2023 was a better than average year but even so.... Also on 2nd July this year I had a flock of 18 adults drop in briefly before departing west, presumably all non-breeders.

Great White Egret on Ramsdales Scrape at 5:50 this morning.

Info thanks to Barry Hulme

This morning, still three-figure numbers of juvenile Lesser Black-backed (predominately) and Herring Gulls but some disturbance on the water sent many off, a single adult Great Black-backed Gull, Little Egret, 72 Swifts and the first broods of Great Created Grebes appearing.

Early this morning:

93 juvenile Lesser Black-backed Gulls maximum peak though plenty of comings and goings

3 juvenile Herring Gulls

2 juvenile Common Sandpipers (almost certainly the same as Phil Rhodes had yesterday evening)

Female Shoveler on Ramsdales Scrape now has seven young (lost one!)

Flock of 8 Shoveler flew over high west

6 Common Terns, including one juvenile

Female Common Scoter still present this evening, also two Little Egrets, four Common Terns and three Oystercatchers.

Info thanks to Phil Rhodes

This morning’s highlights included:

10 Black-tailed Godwits

1 Redshank

5 Common Terns

Drake Common Scoter

Info thanks to Barry Hulme

Great White Egret present this morning, initially perched in a tree by Teal Scrape, perhaps having roosted and then flew off west over Ramsdales Ruck around 7am (record shot attached).

Also, a moulting pair of Common Scoters

Four Common Sandpipers

A peak of nine adult Common Terns (some movement between here and probably Bickershaw CP)

One Little Ringed Plover

Two Oystercatchers

Seven Egyptian Geese off the car park, the five juveniles of which did a flying circuit of the East Bay at one point

A Coot which flew along the full length of the flash at c200 feet height and headed off west!

413 Woodpigeons in small flocks (maximum of c160) NW over the eastern side of the flash up to 9am

Little Egret through SW

c170 Swifts

One adult Great Black-backed Gull

Single juvenile Lesser Black-backed Gull

This morning so far,

Black-necked grebe 1 juv off eastern reed bed then drifted more towards Horrock's 

Common scoter 1 drake diving!

Common sandpiper 4 on the spit

Common tern 4 adults

Tufted duck female with 3 tiny chicks on canal 

Early afternoon today:

4 adult Common Terns

1 adult Little Egret

63 Swifts

2 Buzzards

2 Oystercatchers 

6 Stock Doves through south along with good numbers of Woodpigeons (uncounted)

Plenty of young Willow Warblers around

Single juvenile Lesser Black-backed Gull

This morning,

Pochard 1 (eclipse drake?) off the car park at 7am but not seen subsequently

Common scoter 1 drake

Common sandpiper 2 on the spit

Common tern 5 adults

Oystercatcher 2

This morning a maximum of 15 Common Terns present, four Common Sandpipers, two Little Ringed Plovers, two Oystercatchers, 180 Swifts and a fairly brief flock of 36 Sand Martins.

This morning 7:30am - 10:15am,

Black-tailed godwit 1 adult breeding plumage on the grass at the sailing club

Common scoter 1 drake 

Common sandpiper 1 at the sailing club

Common tern 10 including 2 juveniles at the sailing club

Redshank 1 on the spit

Little egret 2

Late news for yesterday evening:

2 Common Sandpipers at the western end

2 Little Egrets in Ramsdales Scrape

4 adult Common Terns

59 Swifts

26 Lapwings

2 Oystercatchers

Info thanks to Phil Rhodes

This morning 21 common scoter, all drakes, until about 9.15am when they were flushed by a boat.

Thanks to Barry and Bill for the tip off.

4 Little Egrets flew through SW at 9:35 this morning, also present, 5 Common Sandpipers, 3 adult Mediterranean Gulls, 3 Common Terns, 93 Swifts, a female Teal, 3 Shovelers and a Water Rail in Pengys.

Info thanks to Phil Rhodes