Pego Marshes – Nigel Bentley

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This morning at Pego Marsh, after a lowering of the water level, the tractors were out preparing the fields for their crop. This disturbance of the fields’ top layer encouraged a large numbers of birds to feed on them. There were several hundred Glossy Ibis, two European Spoonbill, one Green Sandpiper, about a dozen Little Ringed Plover, an Audouin’s Gull, many Bluethroat (the photograph attached is of one bird with a grey ring on its leg). Several Marsh Harriers, a Buzzard, an Osprey, a couple of Kestrel, around sixty Lapwing, three Great White Egret, several Reed Bunting, one Avocet, as well as the usual large numbers of wintering Meadow Pipit, White Wagtail, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Black-headed Gull, Grey Heron, Little Egret and Cattle Egret. However, I was surprised to see a solitary European Golden Plover sitting in one of the muddy fields.