A very showy bird that was seen most days on the shore pools to the northern end of the reserve at the start of the month.

Another nice surprise were the eastern yellow wagtails that graced us with their presence on various occasions, with three birds being counted.

Flocks of snow bunting, with a highest reported count of twenty, have been prevalent throughout the month along the beach as well as some small flocks of twite and a Lapland bunting. Three glossy ibis were reported at the southern end of the reserve along with the now frequential sightings of great white egret; with a high of four birds being present. Other notable appearances across the reserve: ringtail hen harrier, short-eared owl, merlin and four whooper swans were observed flying inbound.

Visitors to Hen Reedbeds during the month may have noticed a few changes whereby we’ve tinkered with a few of the pools and done a bit of island-scaping in front of the hides and viewing platforms. These changes will not only improve the opportunities for viewing wildlife for visitors but will also offer a welcome refuge for wildlife.

As for sightings across the reserve: a solitary snow bunting lingered for the better part of a week mostly along the main track of Wolsey Creek. A short-eared owl was observed hunting across the saltmarsh, a spotted redshank fed on the estuary and some sizable mixed flocks of finches that included siskin, redpoll and goldfinch have been frequently flitting between the tree tops from the car park to the Wang Marshes viewing platform and further across the Gwatkin. Curlews also continued to arrive and fed in good numbers on the arable uplands and across the estuary.

With temperatures on the slide, it remains to be seen what surprises December might have in store across our coastal reserves. Do please keep your sightings and photographs coming in, they're always welcomed!