Sightings

Main sighting: Mediterranean Gull

Common Gull 1 Mediterranean Gull 1 ad (NB) Knot 15 Redshank 50 Ringed Plover4 Black-tailed Godwit 1 Dunlin 40 Curlew 3 Pintail 10 Wigeon 12 Teal 30 Mallard 50 Wheatear 2 Mistle Thrush 12 Chiffchaff 2 Swallow 40 Others: Migrant Hawker 2 Common Darter 4

Main sighting: Mediterranean Gull

An evening visit very busy there. High tide, An adult Mediterranean Gull (WP) hawking insects with BHG’s. Wheatear 1 Whitethroat 1.
Migrant Hawker 10 Common Darter 1 Large White 1 Common Blue 3

Main sighting: White Wagtail

0600-noon. Hide one – redshanks, roost of 43 curlew (no ringed birds) and 2 herons. Hide two – 3 snipe, 126 black-tailed godwits which flew off at 0713 climbing high and migrating, 10 teal, 71 lapwing, 2 ringed plovers, 15 shoveler, 8 chiffchaffs in the hedge behind the hide and a female redstart there later, 3 little egrets, 5 common buzzards (4 circling together, 5th one by the Point), ravens, 1 wheatear (3 more on seawall and a further 7 on the hay bales from seawall), 2 oystercatchers, 3 ruff, black headed gulls and large movement of sand martins in flocks of 105, 86, 60 then smaller groups at least 400+ counted through the morning, cettis calling, 2 cormorants, 15 mute swans, 8 stock doves, a pair of kestrels, 2 dunlin only and a white wagtail feeding on the mud opposite the hide. Snipe platform – pintail, 2 little grebes, 2 tufted ducks, 57 more teal, wigeon now at 31, gadwall 11 and a female sparrowhawk (seen 3 times during the morning at one point trying to catch a yellow wagtail on the hay bale). Seawall – 1 gt black-backed gull, at least 73 yellow wagtails counted most of them on the hay bales along with 2 whinchats, 44 more dunlin on the saltings, greenshank and 1 bar-tailed godwit on the 3rd lagoon. A red kite was circling opposite hide 1 on the way back out. Other: 1 common blue, 1 painted lady, speckled woods, small whites, 1 green-veined white, 1 migrant hawker, 5 common darters.

Main sighting: Swift

One swift in amongst the many sand martins and swallows on the move. Kingfisher was very active too.

Main sighting: Short-eared Owl

Evening at the lagoons 17:00-19-50 the hay bales are proving popular with the birds. Wheatear 10 Redstart 4 Whinchat 1 Lesser Whitethroat 1 Yellow wagtail 40 Cuckoo 1 Short-eared Owl 1 Hundreds of Sand Martins Little Stint 2 Greenshank 1 Little Ringed Plover 1 juv
Kestrel 2 Sparrowhawk 1
Sadly some idiot has pushed a hay bale into the reen near the first hide.

Main sighting: Little Stint

1615-1745 – juvenile Little Stint still with Dunlin, Ringed Plover and Sanderling on rising tide. Also 1 Whimbrel and 1 Wheatear.

Main sighting: Little Stint

1050-1420 – Little Stint (from first hide) and Wood Sandpiper (Bec Lagoon) still present. Also 3 Ruff, 1 Greenshank, 3 Black-tailed Godwit. Good numbers of Wheatear and Yellow Wagtail plus 2 Whinchat on posts and wires by first hide. Lesser Whitethroat and Garden Warbler in amongst mixed tit/warbler flock by entrance. 2 Redstart and Whitethroat just past 2nd hide.

Main sighting: Whinchat

Juvenile Whinchat and a Stonechat family among the few birds around in a fresh easterly wind. Sparrowhawk and Kestrel in an aerial tussle over the old Brynmawr reservoir.

Main sighting: Avocet and Little Stint

Outfall Lane to Petersone Gout. Today’s high tide was just high enough to bring the waders close enough to the seawall to observe at length. A good number of small waders on the eastern side of the Gout. Mostly Dunlin and Ringed Plover with 9 knot, 2 juv Sanderling, 5 Turnstone and a juv Little Stint. 5 Avocet were roosting at the waters edge. Also present a number of Redshank, Curlew and Oystercatchers. Around 20 pintail, some Teal and a single Little Egret as well. At Outfall Lane a Common Sandpiper and another 15 Turnstone. Good numbers of Wheatear along the seawall between the two sites.

Main sighting: Wigeon

Autumn is here… Six Wigeon on Dunlop Semtex Pond, eight Teal on Horsetail Pond, Parc Nant-y-Waun. No hirundines about.

Main sighting: Swift

Single Swift still feeding over the garden

Main sighting: Hobby

buzzards x 2,
c.60 housemartin