by ReserveTeam | Mar 25, 2022 | Birds, Management, News, The Fleet
Background As a result of human disturbance and predators driving down the numbers of both Common and Little Terns nesting on Chesil Bank, it was decided to construct an island within the Swannery embayment to aid in their breeding success. The Tern Island was...
by ReserveTeam | Dec 21, 2021 | Birds, News
A lovely end end to the year with a sighting of Great Bustard, seen alongside the Reserve. Swanherd Steve spotted this individual feeding in the fields surrounding Abbotsbury Swannery on Friday 17th December. This is believed to be the same individual that has been...
by ReserveTeam | Sep 19, 2020 | Birds, News
On Friday 18th September 2020, a White Stork dropped in to the outlying fields of Abbotsbury Swannery. There have been fly overs in the past, including a flock of 21, but this is the first to stop in. This individual is a ringed bird, coming from the Knepp White Stork...
by ReserveTeam | Aug 17, 2020 | Birds, Little Terns, Migration, News
On the 25th July 2020 we were lucky to see several colour ringed Little Terns at the Western end of the Fleet, from the Swannery. One of which was a green ring 1XZ, this bird was ringed as a chick at Kilcoole, Co Wickford on 1/7/2015. This is the second Irish Little...
by ReserveTeam | Jul 1, 2020 | Birds, News, The Fleet
In 2019 Cormorants successfully nested and fledged young for the first time on the Reserve and they have repeated their success in 2020. This aquatic bird has made use of an old Tern platform. Up to 50 individual Cormorants can be seen perched on these wooded beams at...
by ReserveTeam | Jan 7, 2020 | Birds, News
There were notable influxes of both Short-eared Owls and Cattle Egrets last winter, with at least ten of the former and up to fifty of the latter frequenting the fields around The Swannery and nearby Clayhanger Farm. The latter have only recently colonised Britain,...
