Sightings

Main sighting: Woodcock

3 woodcock high over the coombe flying west toward Wentwood .probably disturbed by the guns and driven pheasant at Coombe Farm

Main sighting: Red breasted Merganser

Redhead off Watersport centre

Main sighting: Little Owl

Party of Goldcrests in the churchyard yews. Little Owl sunning itself in the gable end of the barn; GSW doing the same on top of a dead branch! 1 Little Egret, 2 Little Grebe, Dipper, Kingfisher etc etc plus one redhead Goosander

Main sighting: Kingfisher

2 Kingfishers. frequent visitors on this stretch of canal

Main sighting: Yellow-browed warbler

The yellow-browed warbler still present this morning, some 50 m back from the confluence of the Wye and Monnow (i.e. along the bank of the Monnow). The bird was very active in willows, but showing well. Also present were a treecreeper, bullfinch and a chiffchaff, this last with an odd splayed tail. Nearby was a kingfisher close to the footbridge over the Wye.

Main sighting: Disturbance at Goldcliff lagoons

There will be some distubance at Goldcliff Lagoons on Tuesday, between around 10.00hrs and 12:00hrs, when we check the salinties and water levels. We apologise for inconvenience caused.

Main sighting: Jack Snipe

Flushed a Jack Snipe on the moor

Main sighting: Black-tailed Godwit

Back-tailed Godwit 80 Dunlin 150 Redshank 70 Knot 1 Pintail 3 Shoveler 20 Teal 20 Mallard 12 Wigeon 12 Shelduck 30 Stonechat 1. Meadow Pipit 2 also, hundreds of Black-headed Gulls and 2 Common Gull There were very few passerines as we arrived a Falconer was leaving the site with his Lanner type bird flying around the hedgerows.

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.