Here is just a quick update of the sightings we have had here on the reserve over the past week;

The Pink Footed Goose numbers have risen sharply throughout the week, with about 10,000 counted yesterday . There are also 2 Barnacle Geese which can be seen roosting in with the Pink Footed Geese and the Pale-Bellied Brent Geese have continued to be spotted this week.

On the wader front there have been good numbers of Golden Plover seen over the last few days, with 40 counted on the 21st. There were also 60 Knot on the 20th, 19 Dunlin on the 21st and 10 Greenshank on the 19th, all spotted from the visitor centre. In terms of rarer waders, there were 2 Curlew Sandpipers and 2 Little Stints seen at Rossie Spit from the Visitor Centre cameras on the 19th.

A Red-Throated Diver was seen in front of the centre on the 19th and the first Pintails of the season appeared on the 13th, with 10 spotted, and again on the 21st with 4 counted. There were also two interesting sightings here at the Visitor Centre over the last few days. Firstly there was a Magpie seen at the bird feeders, although not a sighting to shout about, it is thought to be the first ever time one has been spotted from the Centre! The Kingfishers have also made a welcome return recently, with a female using the fishing perch in the salt pans for several hours today. This is a good sign that we may be seeing more of them over the winter months, and hopefully as frequently as last year, when we saw them almost daily for a four month period.

Craig Shepherd,

Visitor Centre Assistant Manager.