A dry, at first cold but becoming overcast, start to 2026 saw a total of 68 species reported for the new year list. The highlight was a female Goldeneye in the estuary with counts, mostly from the late afternoon high tide, including 570 Teal, 360 Wigeon, 185 Curlew, 124 Shelduck, 70 Common Gull, 30 Sanderling, nine Ringed Plover, eight Greenshank, two Avocet, two Red-breasted Merganser and a Great Northern Diver.
Elsewhere 24 Great Crested Grebe, 18 Common Scoter, seven Great Northern and five Red-throated Diver were offshore late morning, four Shoveler and several squealing Water Rail on the ponds, the Cetti's Warbler briefly in song on the Golf Course and in the bushes at least five Chiffchaff, four Goldcrest, a Redwing and a Coal Tit. At dusk a site record 48 Magpie arrived to roost in the Entrance Bushes.
Year List
1. Herring Gull
2. Magpie
3. Robin
4. Carrion Crow
5. Black-headed Gull
6. Shelduck
7. Canada Goose
8. Dark-bellied Brent Goose
9. Linnet
10. Moorhen
11. Oystercatcher
12. Woodpigeon
13. Redwing
14. Blackbird
15. Dunlin
16. Grey Plover
17. Bar-tailed Godwit
18. Knot
19. Turnstone
20. Great Black-backed Gull
21. Cormorant
22. Curlew
23. Greenshank
24. Sanderling
25. Ringed Plover
26. Red-breasted Merganser
27. Little Egret
28. Wigeon
29. Teal
30. Redshank
31. Great Crested Grebe
32. Shag
33. Common Gull
34. Grey Heron
35. Skylark
36. Rock Pipit
37. Pied Wagtail
38. Dunnock
39. Wren
40. Snipe
41. Mute Swan
42. Avocet
43. Blue Tit
44. Great Tit
45. Shoveler
46. Chaffinch
47. Long-tailed Tit
48. Starling
49. Mallard
50. Water Rail
51. Chiffchaff
52. House Sparrow
53. Red-throated Diver
54. Great Northern Diver
55. Guillemot
56. Razorbill
57. Goldeneye
58. Cetti's Warbler
59. Goldcrest
60. Greenfinch
61. Meadow Pipit
62. Jackdaw
63. Raven
64. Great Spotted Woodpecker
65. Kestrel
66. Common Scoter
67. Lesser Black-backed Gull
68. Coal Tit
Other Wildlife: At least two Harbour Porpoise and a Grey Seal were offshore.
