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