Sightings

Main sighting: Water rail and jay

1 water rail hoping around low lying trees and reeds, (very vocal despite many cyclists dog walkers etc) 1 Jay flew over path, flock of goldfinches, long tailed tits, Robins, wrens, sparrows, plenty of mallards and moorhens.

Main sighting: Starlings

A flock of 800-1000 Starlings on the fields – very unusual here.

Main sighting: Glossy Ibis

2 glossy ibis still present and showing well from the roadside, cettis and green woodpecker calling also.

Main sighting: Swallow

Haydn and a fellow birder in hide 3 reported seeing a single swallow flying towards the Pill, and as Dan Webb, Paul and I walked past hide 2 possibly the same one flew past. Quiet generally with the water level too high for waders, but of note were the barnacle geese, the juv white-fronted goose in with the Canada’s, greylag geese, 2000+ starlings passing over from the reed bed roost at Uskmouth (0730hrs), plenty of fieldfares and redwings, 2 cormorants, 17 gadwall, 101 teal, 127 wigeon, sparrowhawk, female stonechat, 3 female tufted ducks, curlews (no rings) in front of hide 3 and a chiffchaff contact call back at the car aprk.

Main sighting: YBW

9-30am very wet and blustery morning. YBW showing well 50yds back from confluence of wye and monnow

Main sighting: Common Scoter

5 Common Scoter resting up in front of seawall hide, others included Shoveler, Wigeon, Teal, Shelduck plus large numbers of Fieldfare and Redwing. Everything spooked by male Marsh Harrier later on.

Main sighting: Mandarin Duck

A big increase in numbers of Mandarin on my late WeBS today – a flock of 23. Only one Goosander. Total of 530 Canada Geese flying downriver.

Main sighting: Yellow-browned Warbler

In case you haven’t seen on Twitter: Yellow-browed Warbler at confluence on Rivers Wye and Monnow in Monmouth. Associating with small mixed flock of mainly Blue Tits. Park at Cattle Market car park and walk east along north bank of Monnow. Can be elusive and calling infrequently.

Main sighting: Pink-footed goose

Early afternoon pink-footed goose with flock of 73 greylag geese on neddern

Main sighting: Waders and Winter Thrushes

Dawn visit. Very wet and windy on the reserve.
The wader flock was in front of hide 1 on Monks.
Smaller numbers of Curlews today 20-30.
Large flock of Dunlins 150+ with Turnstones in with them.
Flock of 20 Knots. 10 Black Tailed Godwits x 10.
A Peregrine Falcon was eating its breakfast on the mini-island.

Other lagoons were quiet –
Gadwall, Teal, Mallard, Shoveler,Shelduck and Wigeon

The Hedgerows all over the wetlands are alive with Fieldfares and Redwings.

Main sighting: Waders

Dawn visit. Very dark and wet. Monks had good numbers of waders on it. Curlews x 272, Grey Plover x 3, Knot x 3 , Black Tailed Godwits 10+, Dunlin 100+, Ringed Plover 100+. Barnacle Geese x 4
All flew just after dawn broke.

Priors had good numbers of ducks – Teal, Wigeon , Mallard and Shoveler. Also Tufted Ducks x 4. There was a flock of Black Tailed Godwits 12c on Priors.

A female Marsh Harrier flew in and quartered the lagoons.

Becs had Wigeon, Shelduck and Curlews x 3.

Hedgerows are full of Fieldfare and Redwings

Other – Black Headed Gull, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Herring Gull,Blackbird, Carrion crow, Chaffinch and Robin.

Cettis calling from behind Snipe Platform.

The hedgerows were full

Main sighting: Snipe

6 snipe at Hendre lake, St Mellons; also kingfisher, cormorant, BHGulls, canada geese; coots, moorhens; LTTits, goldcrest.