Ducks in the Rain

The car was in for service at Kidwelly today so I hoped for a few hours birding.  Gale force winds and heavy rain forced me to stay around the Welsh Wetlands Centre.

Northern Pintail

Firstly I sat in the Heron Wing's Hide for an hour watching the large assembly of ducks.  There were around 70 Pintail, 40 Shoveler and 30 Gadwall.  Smaller numbers of Shelduck, Teal, Mallard, Wigeon and Tufted Duck were also present.  The heavy rain seemed to cause few problems for the birds roosting and feeding.

Black-tailed Godwits in the rain

In between showers I moved to the British Steel Hide where 150 Wigeon were whistling happily and feeding on muddy fringes of the scrape.  About 60 Lapwings plus a few Black-tailed Godwits and Redshanks completed the scene. All that was left was for an ambitious Sparrowhawk to dash across the scrape and make an unsuccessful attempt to nail a Lapwing.