Sightings

Main sighting: Tundra Bean Goose

In the field at the back of the Snipe hide 19:00 Tundra Bean Goose and White-fronted Goose. Also Black-tailed Godwit 260 Avocet 55 Shoveler 30 Gadwall 6 Tufted Duck 12

Main sighting: Lesser Whitethroat

Lesser Whitethroat

Main sighting: Common Whitethroat

High tide so not a great deal of water birds. AM visit saw a common whitethroat in partial song and showing sporadically, also noted 4 singing chiffchaffs, 1 willow warbler in song, 1 singing blackcap and a cettis calling. Other – skylark singing, 90 common redshanks (1 ringed bird) in the outfall poo. On the high tide 18 teal, 1 great black-backed gull and numerous herring gulls and several black headed gulls. In the ploughed field were 107 rooks with jackdaws mixed in, 2 buzzards overhead and a male reed bunting in the hedge. On the exposed grasses and mudflats – 3 little egrets, 141 shelduck, 126 curlew and 38 oystercatchers.

Main sighting: Lesser Whitethroat

Bird on shrub outside my patio window 6′ away thought it was my wren at first.

Main sighting: Soaring ravens and raptors

56 ravens, 13 buzzards and a sparrowhawk soaring. One other sparrowhawk, 4 swallows, grey wagtail, female yellowhammer, song and mistle thrush, 2 wrens, great spotted and green woodpecker, stock dove, chiffchaff

Main sighting: Swallow

Our first swallow over Vedw wood, a week earlier than last year, also Brimstone yesterday

Main sighting: Wheatears

A pair of male wheatears just on the bend for the turning from Beaufort to Llangattock with a third seen later. At llangattock – 4 buzzards, 2 red kites, female sparrowhawk, pied wagtails nest building in a dry stone wall, 6 ravens and 2 chiffchaffs.

Main sighting: blackcap

Blackcap singing in woods also Buzzard soaring over area and being mobbed by several
LBB Gulls.Chaffinchs singing throughout theRisca area not seen for sometime

Main sighting: Red Kite

Kite seen lunchtime hovering quite low over Stelvio and Handpost area. Being mobbed by gulls and watched by a buzzard. My first sighting of Kite in this area.

Main sighting: House Martin

In the morning gloom a flock of 30 House Martins later, Peregrine 1 Sparrowhawk 1 Chiffchaff singing.

Main sighting: Cettis Warbler

Walk from Goldcliff to the seawall produced a singing cettis warbler, 5 skylarks (2 pairs displaying), 9 linnets, displaying meadow pipits, 1 lapwing, 125 Canada geese, 8 greylag geese, 11 avocet roosting on the tideline, 2 common redshanks, 1 buzzard, the male peregrine from Goldcliff earlier that morning flying through towards Red Barn hide and a pair of gadwall.

Main sighting: Golden Plover and Little Ringed Plovers

3 singing chiffchaffs, 3 cormorants, pair of male pheasants. Hide one – 136 shelduck, 2 common redshanks, lapwing (2 sitting), 1 skylark singing, 16 dunlin, 1 lt egret, 20 ringed plovers, 2 gt black-backed gulls and a male peregrine came in and took a dunlin out on its own and moved to the edge of the 2nd lagoon to start plucking. Redshank Platform – 6 pairs of tufted ducks, 2 pair of pintail (later flew over the seawall), 11 teal, 1 grey heron, white-fronted goose still present, male reed bunting singing, 75 avocet (no ringed birds) and 49 shoveler. Snipe Platform – 9 gadwall, 2 pairs of wigeon, 7 sand martins and the bean goose still present. Drake scaup present (hybrid bird)? Hide three – a pair of little ringed plovers on the left side feeding, single golden plover on the island, 45 black-tailed godwits, 4 swallows passing with 2 more sand martins, 10 common redshanks (one pair copulating), with 38 oystercatchers and 42 curlew from the seawall. The male peregrine made another pass through also.