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Friday 24 February 2012

Bowling green marsh

Another good morning on the marsh watched from the hide from 07:45 till 11:00

The marsh was busy as usual when I arrived and a quick count of the bar tailed godwits found 200+ another good count, then a peregrine swooped over the masses of black tailed godwits 600+ again today. Then as I watching 3 pintail on the far side from the hide a female hen harrier flew in over the railway line at 08:16 and dropped onto a post in the far reedbed a fantastic sight and proceeded to sit there till 08:44 the 4 of us in the hide all got some views unfortunatly there were a few reeds in the way to get great views. Then it flew off and was lost for a few minutes before coming back into view being harrased by a group of crows it flew down over the viewing platform and was heading towards lympstone area.

Other counts were 510+ avocet, 10 pintail, 4 gadwall, 6 tufted duck, 1 little grebe, 30+ shoveler, 2 knot, 12+ Dunlin, 3 snipe, 2 lapwing, 5 meadow pipit and a chiffchaff, 500+ Brent geese

From the viewing platform 45+ grey plover, 1 greenshank, 2 goldeneye (1m, 1f) were off lympstone commando

From goat walk 3 great crested grebe and 4 red breasted mergansers