Print pageStar species
Our star species are some of the most interesting birds you may see on your visit to the reserve.
Watch elegant avocets 'scooping up' microscopic, aquatic life in their amazing, sickle-shaped beaks. They nest in mini colonies on the islands. |  |
Flocks of black-tailed godwits can be seen on in spring - when they rest and feed here before heading north to Iceland to breed - they are resplendent in their 'tomato soup-red' breeding attire. On their return in autumn, you can pick out the scaly-backed juvenile birds if you look closely. Some birds also spend summer here. |  |
Watch the nesting lapwings here chasing predators that may come too close to their nests or show too much of an interest in their chicks. The protective parents regularly give chase to crows and do not stop their 'mobbing' attacks until the danger has passed. |  |
Many pink-footed geese assemble here from late September through to March. They roost on the mudflats and fly inland at dawn to feed in nearby fields. |  |
During winter, flocks of wigeons are a daily sight, with several thousand often on the reserve. Wintering birds arrive from early September and numbers build up to a peak, usually in January. |  |