Today I did the WeBS survey for Port Meadow. For those who aren't familiar with this, it's a monthly survey which is carried out across wetland areas throughout the country in order to get an idea of how wetland birds are faring. Today's totals were as follows
660 Wigeon
454 Teal
Gadwall: m.
57 Shoveler
9 Pintail
4 Shelduck
9 Lapwing
4 Oystercatcher
Grey Heron
5 Moorhen
51 Greylag Goose
3 Hybrid Goose
5 Redshank
740 Black-headed Gull
50 Lesser Black-backed Gull
2 Herring Gull
Common Gull
Mute Swan
There were a few snippets of interest in amongst the list: the OYSTERCATCHER count has now gone up to 4; I had a SKYLARK fly over (not listed) and we had the first GADWALL of the year - this duck doesn't overwinter on the Meadow but put's in an appearance each spring. It also confirms my suspicion that I voiced in the previous post that I felt that the numbers were now starting to go down as birds move away for their spring breeding. Most noticeable in this is the Greylag Geese: over the winter we have getting on for 300 of these but now there were only 50 odd. I don't know where exactly they breed but they disappear off in the spring-time only to return with goslings in tow at a later date.
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| Two of the four Oystercatchers this morning |
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