A cold north wind produced a few interesting seabirds, with single Goldeneye Red-throated Diver and Kittiwake, together with 25 Sandwich Terns past. Also of interest were 2 Whinchats along the sea wall to Thornham, and a single Wheatear. Our Swallows arrived back this morning, and other birds of note included a Black-tailed Godwit on the NWT pools, a Greenshank at Thornham Harbour, a female Black Redstart in the dunes, 2 Cetti's Warblers, 2 Chiffchaffs, 2 Blackcaps, 2 Lesser Whitethroats, 2 Grasshopper Warblers and 6+ Sedge Warblers.
At Walsey Hills c.60 Sand Martins, 30 Swallows and 3 House Martins were feeding over Snipe's Marsh and behind North Foreland Wood for much of the day. A Wryneck was reported in the bushes near the NWT visitor center and in the scrub at Walsey were 4 Chiffchaffs, 3 Willow Warblers, 5 Blackcaps, 1 Cetti's Warbler and 2 Sedge Warbler. 8 Whimbrel were seen passing west during the day, with some alighting on the marsh near the car park with a single Ruff.
Holme Bird Observatory (Header)
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CORONAVIRUS UPDATE – NOA RESERVES TO RE-OPEN FROM MONDAY 13TH JULY 2020
We are delighted to announce that we will be welcoming visitors back to Holme Bird Observatory from Monday 13th July 2020, and we are very much looking forward to seeing you once again. Thank you to all our members and visitors for your patience and understanding during this difficult time. Please be aware that we are not yet able to restore full access.
Some restrictions must continue and these are as follows: Hempton Marsh and Walsey Hills reserves will be re-opening to visitors on 13th July, but hides on these reserves will remain closed. At Holme the following hides will remain closed for the time being: Redwell Marsh hide, Car Park hide, Sea-watching hide, Dell hide and Broadwater hide. The Bus-Stop, Dowson and Richardson hides will be accessible to one household at a time, and the viewing platform and seating area outside the cordon will be available as well, with social distancing in place. The Observatory building will also remain closed to visitors, but a member of staff will be able to come out to meet you. We do regret that for now visitors will not be able to empty moth traps with our staff, but we will retain specimens of special interest for visitors to view at a safe distance. We will continue to charge day permit fees.
We are very sorry not to offer a fuller visitor experience just yet, but these measures are for everyone's safety and we do appreciate your understanding. We will continue to review hide closures, and will post any changes on our website.
