Sightings at Sculthorpe Moor (7th May 2017)

The weather continued to be cold and drizzly throughout the day. Therefore, it was unsurprising that the temperatures never exceeded 10°C, and this ultimately had an impact on the wildlife we managed to see.

On a more positive note it was excellent to see at least two Sand Martins entering the artificial nesting chambers, next to Victor's Hide. It was especially surprising since the Sand Martin Bank was only completed in the last three weeks and there was little expectation that it would be visited so soon.

Anyway, the following was seen since our arrival at 9.30am:

Little Grebe x 2 

Canada Goose x 3

Bullfinch x 3

Grey Heron x 1

Kingfisher x 1 - It was seen hovering in front of Whitley Hide for nearly a minute. It then headed towards the scrape.

Marsh Harrier x 1 - A single female gliding low over the reed bed in front of the Whitey Hide.

Reed Bunting x 3

Sedge Warbler x 1

Swallow x 1 - It was gliding over the surface of the water outside Victor's Hide, possibly drinking.

Nuthatch x 3

Whitethroat x 1 - It was seen just beyond the gate to private land, halfway down the track from the Visitor Centre.

Buzzard x 1
Green Woodpecker x 1 - It was heard calling to begin with, followed by a clear sighting between the feeders and Water Vole bridge. 

Sand Martin x 2 - The pair were seen flying above Peter Johnson's hide.

Also seen once again was the Water Vole at the Dyke Viewing Platform. It seemed to be unconcerned by our presence and continued to feed for several minutes. 

The following was a short video I managed to capture at the time: