www.MyShotley.com Birds at Erwarton Bay
High water counts
  2006                   2007             2008      
Species 11.1 10.3 24.4 24.5 21.6 6.7 4.9 3.10 17.11 18.12 17.1 15.2 2.3 12.7 10.8 23.10 5.11 21.1 4.2 5.3  
Avocet                               6          
Bar-tailed Godwit     5         1   3     450     8 15 219   150  
Bewick's Swan                   6                      
Black brant                         1                
Black-headed Gull 8 25 9 30 35 84 130 200 30 7   57 56 56 249   28 14 19 52  
Black-tailed Godwit   19         1 35             5 10 17 1 1 1  
Canada Goose                 3                        
Carrion Crow             1                            
Common Buzzard               5               1          
Common Gull             2   1 1 1 3 4         1   1  
Common Sandpiper             1             2 1            
Common Tern       3 17 2 11 2 2           2            
Cormorant     2 2 5 6 20 11 1 1       6 7 13 3 2 1 1  
Cuckoo         1                                
Curlew 63 35   18 52 90 167 155 67 87 9 54 130 118 47 128 158 213 105 90  
Dark bellied Brent goose 47 82 46 14         111 45 65   400       54 152   25  
Dunlin 198 320         1 20 150 383 24 238 2300 74 22 3000 307 227 133 80  
Golden Plover 80             8           1   250 1 445   2  
Goshawk               1   1                      
Great Black-backed Gull             1         1   1 3 1   1 1 2  
Great Crested Grebe   3 3       6 3   2 3 4 2   8 4   1 9 7  
Great Northern Diver                     1                    
Greenshank                           5   8 3        
Green sandpiper                             1            
Grey Heron               1             1   1        
Grey Plover 3 200   5     16 25 106 8 5 115 2000 1 1 750 10   5 200  
Greylag Goose                                          
Guillemot                     1                    
Hen Harrier                   1     1                
Herring Gull 5 8 1 3 3 10 10 2 3   4 7 5 1 8 3 4 11 7 1  
Hobby             1                            
Kestrel             1 3                          
Kingfisher 1 1           1                          
Knot 250 900             35 166 56 143 1300     3000 252 84 66    
Lapwing 124       20 17 120 15 68 57 100 250   55 93 103 211 1176      
Lesser Black-backed Gull 1   2 2 3 3 2           4   1         1  
Little Egret             6 10 4 3     1 7 7 21 14 2      
Little Tern       1 3 3                       9      
Mallard 45 9 8   7     39 180 18 27 2 11 4 12 50 31 7 19 11  
Marsh Harrier       2     2 2                       1  
Meadow Pipit 1     2 1 1   2   4 1 3 1 1   6     1 5  
Mediterranean Gull         2                                
Merlin               1 1                        
Mute swan       1           2             4 1      
Oystercatcher 23 94 30   22 18 64 1 3 11 6 31 96 61 142 3 47 8 33 69  
Peregrine                   1   1 1         1      
Pintail 6             25   2 3 4       20 7        
Pheasant                                 1        
Pochard 1                                        
Purple sandpiper                                   1      
Redshank 111 84 76 10 57 200 627 618 44 80 135 116 215 429 911 195 207 35 67 90  
Reed Bunting 5     1 1     1         3 1         1 1  
Ringed Plover   2         2 3 1                     1  
Rock Pipit 1                 2 1   1     5 6 6 1 2  
Sand Martin             5                            
Shelduck 33 64 8 11 29 8 15 13 17 18 13 4 10 16 1 4 4 7 8 15  
Skylark 19     2 2 1 1 1 3 14 6 5 1   1 12 7   15 3  
Snipe 10 19             1 19 27 86 76   2 11     16 14  
Sparrowhawk           2 1 5         2     1          
Starling                 1                        
Swallow             33 26                          
Teal 231 112         112 68 323 262 370 152 184   3 85 328 70 155 70  
Tufted Duck         2         1                      
Turnstone 80 76 129 17 13 11 92 204 60 140 12 79 209   155 177 183 140 81 110  
Whimbrell     2       1             1 5            
Wigeon 219 458           58 322 940 874 433 477     367 611 390 604 320  
Wood Pigeon       2     1             2              
Yellow wagtail                           1 8            
Notes
5.3.08
High Tide: 1019hrs Count period: 0945-12350hrs Height: 3.49metres. Counters: Mark Nowers, Rod Plowman, Richard Stace.
Unexpectedly quiet. Good to see numbers of Barwits again – the best site in Suffolk by all accounts. Disturbance from an Apache helicopter caused a bit of stink bringing birds over from the south shore. The male marsh harrier was a much more pleasant interruption.
11.1.06
Today's count was a high water count of birds roosting on the saltmarsh. During the winter months (November to February) the roost normally holds over 2-3000 waders, with Knot, Grey Plover and Dunlin the most abundant. However the count today was remarkable for the the virtual absence of these three species. No cause for alarm though. The strong south-westerly winds probably meant that they were roosting on the more sheltered south shore. One bird of note was a single male Pochard - the first time one has been recorded since RSPB counts began at Erwarton in 1997! This common duck can normally be found in the winter on deep gravel pits and reservoirs, where it dives for plants and aquatic invertebrates, often in the company of Tufted Ducks.
24.4.06
Spring is here and most birds have headed north!
21.6.06
0820-1115hrs, Height: 3.51m. No surprise with the low numbers considering that it was mid-summer's day. Two summer-plumaged Mediterranean Gulls flying up river was a welcome bonus and the Common Terns were taking advantage of fry on the falling tide up against one of the sandbanks – quite a sizeable flock for a high count. Maybe breeding birds coming off Alton Water? Only the second time that I have recorded Tufted Duck on a count.
6.7.06
High Tide: 0808hrs Count period: 0745-1045hrs Height: 3.22 metres; Returning Curlew and Redshank are starting to build up now, otherwise very quiet still
4.9.06
High Tide: 0900hrs Count period: 0840-1210hrs Height: 3.15 metres. Counters: Mark Nowers, Rod Plowman, Tim Nicholson, Jane Crapnell and Liz Cutting. The virtual absence of Dunlin and Grey Plover, attributable to the ‘low' high tide and a lower than expected Redshank count for this time of year symptomatic of this too. Rod had a field day with the raptors - one of the Marsh Harriers was a male.
3.10.06
High Tide: 0834hrs Count period: 0820-1125hrs Height: 3.14 metres. Counters: Mark Nowers, Rod Plowman, Jane Crapnell and Liz Cutting. Grey Plover and Dunlin most likely roosted on the south shore because of the ‘low' high tide. Typical showing of Pintail at this time of year – they don't tend to roost on this saltmarsh through the winter nowadays. A female Merlin gave the roost a bit of scare and the remaining raptors were ‘seen from' rather than over the saltmarsh – a magnificent count
17.11.06
High Tide: 0908hrs Count period: 0845-1150hrs Height: 3.46 metres, Counters: Mark Nowers, Rod Plowman, Tim Nicholson and Liz Cutting. Dry conditions, but a strong south-westerly no doubt accounted for low figures of ‘grey' waders.
18.12.06
High Tide: 0951hrs Count period: 0925-1245hrs Height: 3.49 metres. Counters: Mark Nowers, Rod Plowman, Liz Cutting, Jane Crapnell and Richard Stace. An impressive Wigeon count, almost double the usual figures. Bewick's Swan is an extremely scarce visitor to the Stour . The ‘ring-tail' Hen Harrier seems to be wintering around the estuary – the Peregrine took exception to its presence at one stage. A large, presumably female, Goshawk came from the south west and went high overhead. Very low numbers of juvenile Brents. A flock of 259 birds on the water flushed off the fields contained only five juveniles, a recruitment rate of less than 2%, compared to near 30% last year.
17.1.07
High Tide: 1011hrs Count period: 0945-1225hrs Height: 3.46 metres. Counters: Mark Nowers, Rod Plowman, Liz Cutting, Tim Nicholson and Richard Stace. Another high count of wigeon and teal. A strong south-westerly and driving rain kept the waders on the more sheltered south shore – even the curlew and turnstone did not fancy roosting in such conditions. The soaking received was alleviated by a guillemot just off Ness Point (new to the estuary for me) and a great northern diver
15.2.07
High Tide: 0953hrs; Count period: 0930-1230hrs; Height: 3.39 metres. Counters: Mark Nowers, Rod Plowman, Liz Cutting and Richard Stace. The saltmarsh continues to show its importance for Wigeon with another healthy count. Highlight was the staggering figure for Snipe flushed off the marsh, the highest figure in the 4+ years I have been doing this count.
2.3.07
High Tide: 1056hrs; Count period: 1030-1405hrs; Height: 3.74 metres. Counters: Mark Nowers, Rod Plowman, Tim Nicholson, Jane Crapnell, Liz Cutting and Richard Stace. Just shy of 7000 waders hanging in the air, backdropped on a clear blue sky on a high tide wondering whether to roost on the north or south shore of the estuary is an incredible sight. Add a few raptors in and a sprinkling of wildfowl (including a rare goose) and it turns out to be quite a nice day.
12.7.07
High Tide: 1030hrs; Count period: 1005-1315hrs; Height: 3.47 metres. Counters: Mark Nowers, Rod Plowman, Jane Crapnell and John Glazebrook. Good to see birds trickling back – autumn is on the way! Looking back through the records, the redshank count is typical for this time of year
10.8.07
High Tide: 1020hrs; Count period: 0940-1310hrs; Height: 3.34 metres. Counters: Mark Nowers, Rod Plowman, Jane Crapnell, Tim Nicholson and Liz Cutting. A healthy redshank figure, which came as a bit of a surprise considering it was a ‘low’ high tide. Turnstones are back after a nil count last month and good to see the first teal back. Snipe is unusual for this time of year.
23.10.07
High Tide: 0942hrs; Count period: 0920-1215hrs; Height: 3.48metres. Counters: Mark Nowers, Rod Plowman, Tim Nicholson and Richard Stace. Very strong sunlight made for difficult viewing. A quiet start, but then disturbance on the south shore brought 5000+ waders across. The easterly wind kept unsettling them as they buzzed back and forth, before finally deciding to return to the south shore with the persuasion of a female sparrowhawk. Avocet are rare in Erwarton Bay and most likely came across with the main flock
5.11.07
High Tide: 0802hrs; Count period: 0730-1110hrs; Height: 3.41metres. Counters: Mark Nowers, Rod Plowman, Tim Nicholson, Liz Cutting, Richard Stace and Alison Looser. ‘Grey’ waders scarce, no doubt roosting elsewhere on the estuary. Few greenshanks still lingering – interesting to see if they stay for the winter. Rock Pipits in higher numbers than usual for the second month running.
21.1.08
High Tide: 1025hrs; Count period: 0955-1315hrs; Height: 3.65metres. Counters: Mark Nowers, Rod Plowman, Tim Nicholson, Richard Stace, Alison Looser, Jane Crapnell and Anne Lansdown. A stiff south-westerly kept knot and dunlin on the sheltered south side of the estuary. It was left to the larger waders to tough it out on what was left of the saltmarsh at high water. Fantastic count of Bar-tailed Godwits. At least once a year now, 2/300 barwits are recorded either on WeBS or high water counts at Erwarton. 1000+ lapwing is an excellent count for this part of the estuary too. The Peregrine was loitering on the lightship mid-channel. Purple Sandpiper was a first for Erwarton and the first on Stour Estuary reserve since 1993. Joyous!
4.2.08
High Tide: 0950hrs Count period: 0930-1210hrs Height: 3.29metres Counters: Mark Nowers, Rod Plowman, Jane Crapnell. Very quiet. Few grey waders, but a good number of wigeon. Almost caught the sun is was so balmy out there.
Low Water counts
  2005 2006             2007      
Species 9.12 9.1 6.2 7.3 13.9 13.10 13.11 12.12 12.1 12.2    
Avocet 1                      
Bar-tailed Godwit 2 7 13 6 3 8 3 10 4      
Black-tailed Godwit 3 23 37 20 39 36 21          
Canada Goose 158                      
Cormorant 2       17 10 4 1        
Curlew 42 89   41 59 53 90 31 52 39    
Dark bellied Brent goose   440 61 9 4 230 119 3 400      
Dunlin 971 852 625 979 12 388 457 1693 1063 660    
Golden Plover 340 116 120 38   531 300 90 97 180    
Great Crested Grebe 5 9 16 4 4 9 2     5    
Green Sandpiper         2              
Greenshank         6 2            
Grey Heron 1       1 2 1          
Grey Plover 80 75 69 87 65 47 35 96 55 45    
Greylag Goose 3                      
Knot 404 325 379 158 3   48 840 2500 60    
Lapwing 112 289 592 1 4 83 8 152 140 242    
Little Egret 2       11 23 1   1      
Mallard 22 20 16 4 60 44 21 14 40 2    
Mute swan   2 1                  
Oystercatcher 49 76 94 64 156 134 149 56 124 91    
Peregrine       1                
Pintail   6     11 4            
Redshank 42 119 75 80 349 304 66 106 54 71    
Ringed Plover 12 33 6 19 36 1 10 3 1 5    
Shelduck 32 77 178 84 28 33 55 38 33 14    
Teal 88 96 201 81 90 174 36 93 82 44    
Turnstone 234 125 74 123 21 95 96 104 143 165    
Wigeon 428 450 581 457 22 234 486 253 294 387    
Notes
7.3.06: a male Peregrine caused a bit of disturbance towards the latter part of the count, before heading across to the south shore
13.9.06: Green Sandpipers are unusual for Erwarton. These two were on the pools and creeks in the saltmarsh. First brents of the autumn and good to see a few duck building up.
13.10.06: Ducks, geese and waders are flooding in now for winter. A healthy number of brent geese fresh in from a 10,000km journey from the Siberian breeding grounds. Wigeon numbers should double by next month.
13.11.06: A strong south-westerly wind kept the numbers low for this time of year. I assume that the majority birds were feeding on the more sheltered southern shore. A hefty female Peregrine caused a fair degree of disturbance. A ring-tail Hen Harrier (uncommon on the Stour ) and Sparrowhawk also put in an appearance, but did not disturb anything.
12.12.06: Large numbers of Dunlin and Knot, certainly one of the highest counts in the last couple of years at low water. A Marsh Harrier floated through late on.
12.1.07: Another good month for Knot and Dunlin, with birds in from the east early on which I can only assume moved in from Hamford.
12.2.07: A quiet count with severe disturbance. A rampaging spaniel racing over the mudflats put absolutely everything up and then later on a peregrine came through on a couple of occasions putting birds up. It took to perching on the lightship mid-channel afterwards