Sightings

Main sighting: Male Kestrel

Male Kestrel on the forest coal pit side of the Sugar Loaf. A cuckoo calling on Bryn Arw.

Main sighting: Sand Martins

2 Sand Martins over Rhymney River. 2 male and 1 female Bullfinch and a Swallow nr Britannia.

Main sighting: Great White Egret

Great White Egret on Coity Pond. On the mountain: Wheatear (8), Stonechat (13), Willow Warbler (3), Raven (5) and Peregrine. Also dozens of Skylark and Meadow Pipit.

Main sighting: Wood Warbler

Wood Warbler trilling and observed in mixed woodland in Trellech Common.

Main sighting: Spotted Redshank

Evening visit, Two Spotted Redshank in breeding plumage.

Main sighting: Out of County - American wigeon

The five long stay drake American wigeon still present downstream of Ogmore castle. From Junction 35 M4 go south 4 miles then left to Ewenny and right to Ogmore, park beyond Pelican Inn.
Also two chough on clifftop walks east of Ogmore by Sea.

Main sighting: Curlew calling

Curlew were calling from across the valley this morning

Main sighting: Swallow

At the entrance by the car park there were 2 moorhens with 3 chicks on a reen. A swallow flying above a field, blue tits, blackcaps, chiffchaff’s, robins and wren’s around the reserve. At the bird hide there were 4 mallards and chicks, heard a cetti’s warbler, little grebe, heron and 9 little egrets in the tree’s. Buzzard and 11 mute swans in another field. There were 3 species of butterfly seen :- orange tip, peacock and speckled wood. 2 stonechats on reed’s and also heard a reed warbler and a sedge warbler also on and in the reed’s.

Main sighting: House martins

1st sighting of 2 house martins and a swallow

Main sighting: Goosanders

Pair of Goosander on the Rhymney River along with usual Dippers, Grey Wagtails and Mallards. Sparrowhawk hunting over gorse bushes.

Main sighting: Migration

Car park – hide: Wrens, song thrushes, woodpigeons, starlings, blue tiy, herring gulls, pheasant, blackcap, swallows, crows, moorhen, blackbirds, magpies, great tit, mistle thrush, goldfinches, chaffinch, dunnock, linnets, 2 whitethroats and mallards. Hide 1: Skylarks, lesser black-backed gulls, 76 shelduck, 74 avocet, Canada geese, 21 teal, 12 redshanks, 9 shoveler, 2 lapwing, 6 graylags, 2 swans and the spotted redshank finally coming into breeding plumage. Willow warbler en-route to next hide. Hide 2: Coot, 5 ringed plovers, 2 cormorants and 2 oystercatchers. Snipe platform: little grebe and male pochard. En-route back, sedge warbler singing and cettis calling. Back just before car park: Chiffchaff with nesting material, long tailed tit and female marsh harrier over.

Main sighting: Red Kite

Red Kite swooped down to take scrap off car park floor on Mount Pleasant Estate Brynithel.