This week has been a pretty amazing week when it comes to Pink-footed Geese numbers. Tuesday’s count gave us an amazing, Basin recording breaking number of 70,153, but today’s counts is even higher at 78,970! This is a great sign for the health of the species and should make for spectacular viewing on our People’s Postcode Lottery Goose Breakfast next Sunday morning.

Golden Plover numbers have also been unusually high this year, with over 1270 sighted on the Basin at low tide. The Kingfisher can still be seen daily from the Visitor Centre, even remaining long enough for some great photos, along with the more unusual sightings of a Blackcap. Other unusual sightings have been an Osprey seen over Rossie Spit on Wednesaday and a Water Rail at the Salt Pans at high tide.

Little Grebes have made a real return to the Basin this season, with regular sightings at Rossie Spit including 19 seen on Wednesday. Other waterfowl seen at the Basin this week have been 6 Barnacle Geese, 1 Canada Goose, 6 Whooper Swans, 25 Goldeneye, 9 Scaup, 2 Shovellers, 3 Teal, and 24 Pintails. Waders have included 1 Black-tailed Godwit, 17 Dunlin, 4 Greenshank, and 25 Curlew. On the predator front, both a Sparrowhawk and a Stoat have been seen in front of the Visitor Centre along with the daily viewings of Buzzards.

Georgina Bowie, Visitor Centre Assistant