Sightings

Main sighting: Spotted Redshank and Wood Sandpiper

Dawn visit.
Lots of the usual including the following highlights-
Spotted Redshank ( on Monks), Glossy Ibis on Priors, Wood Sandpiper on Priors and Monks Lagoons.
Hundreds of Swallows, Sand Martins and House Martins over the sea wall and Priors Lagoon.
Big flock of 40+ Linnets on the seawall and Wheatear, Yellow Wags, Pied Wags and Whinchat behind the Avocet ( Sea wall Hide)
Good numbers of Black tailed Goldwits, Knot ( early on), and Redshanks. 2 Ruff seen one of them very smart and reddish in colour.
On arriving at the reserve watched a Bat on the wing along the hedgerow near the entrance sign ( at a guess may be a Pipistrelle).

Main sighting: Wood Sandpiper

Kingfisher in reen by the entrance. Hide one – 5 curlew, 5 ringed plovers, 37 lapwing and teal, Hide two – spotted redshank in breeding plumage, 78 dunlin, 16 common snipe, 2 ruff and 2 grey herons. Snipe platform – 286 black-tailed godwits, 1 lt egret, sedge warbler in the reeds and a blackcap. Marsh platform – 2 chiffchaffs, 1 greenshank, 3 yellow wagtails, male tufted duck, 3 common sandpipers together and the wood sandpiper made an appearance close to the godwits before flying off to the 2nd lagoon. Good passage of hirundines coming in from the sea and feeding over the lagoons including at least 200+ swallows with 15 house and 9 sand martins mixed in. Seawall – 4 wheatears with 2 more on the fence back towards the marsh platform, 5 yellow wagtails mixed in with numerous adult and juv pied wagtails along the seawall also and a flock of 40+ linnets. Hide three -male whinchat on the fence to the left of the hide. Last going off the wood sandpiper was showing close in from hide 2 (Glossy ibis spotted by Blair first thing briefly).

Main sighting: Spotted Flycatcher

This morning single Spotted Flycatcher, Redstart and Whinchat. Yesterday three Chaffinches pretended to be Spotted Flycatchers, flying from treetops to catch insects in mid-air.

Main sighting: WHEATEAR

Today’s sightings;4-Wheatears along sea wall area,2-Stock Doves,8-Knot(1 in bp),12-Little Egrets,150+Black’wits,2-Greenshanks,2-Common Sandpipers,up to 5-Yellow Wagtails,2-Common Sandpipers,1-Little Stint with 2-Little Ringed Plovers,large numbers of Black Headed Gulls with just one or two juveniles.10h30-13h00

Main sighting: Juvenile sparrowhawk

Parkapella, 3 stock doves, song thrush, buzzard and wren. Graig, Penallt, juvenile sparrowhawk, 2 ravens, 3 jays

Main sighting: Disturbance

Contractors will be carrying out survey work on the Goldcliff Lagoons starting on Wednesday the 12th August, they should hopefully be finished by Friday 21 August. Sorry for the potential disturbance and incovenience.
Regards, Tom

Main sighting: Yellow Wagtail

At least 5 Yellow Wagtails in around the feet of cattle then at the top of the sea wall – very active. Large numbers of Black Tailed Godwit; Lapwings. Several Dunlin; a few Knot – some still hanging on to the last of their summer plumage; Redshanks; Greenshank; Ringed Plovers; Teal; Little Egrets; Swallows.

Main sighting: Great White Egret

Great White Egret flew in to a small pond on Beaufort Common early afternoon and disappeared into the bulrushes – likely the bird that has been around locally for a while. Flock of seven Lapwings nearby. Unidentified large long-billed wader over – possibly a shank or godwit. Two female Teal in Parc Nant-y-Waun. Two Swifts over Hafod Farm this morning.

Main sighting: Whimbrel

Whimbrel at high tide on seaweed covered rock 200metres North of Black Rock

Main sighting: Common Swift

Adding this sighting in for a single bird as not sure if this will be my last swift sighting as most seem to have migrated already.

Main sighting: Little Stint

Highlights of a morning visit;1-Little Stint,1-Green Sandpiper,1-Greenshank,15-Turnstones on first island,200+Black Headed Gulls with just a single juvenile.The Glossy Ibis flew over and put everything up.10h30-13h00.

Main sighting: Lots of Curlews and Oystercatchers

Evening visit until after sunset.
An hour before dawn the Black Tailed Godwits , Knot and Oysercatchers were feeding on the foreshore. At the mouth of Godcliff Pill large numbers of Curlews were seen and they were steadily joined by waves of Curlews as sunset neared.
At sunset the waders all came off the mud and headed int the lagoons to roost.
Becs= Mainly Black Headed Gulls and Curlews .
Priors Lagoon = Full of waders. Black Tailed Godwits 200+ , Knots 20c, Oystercatchers 100+ ( big flock), Lapwings 20+, Glossy Ibis, 40+ Redshanks. Grey Heron and Little Egrets.
Dunlin 20+
Monks Lagoon = 150+ Curlews , Black Headed Gulls 100c
More on my blog later www.thewildlifeoculus.com

The lagoons were very busy and great to see every lagoon full of birds.

Other – Seawall – Yellow Wagtails very active around the path to the Seawall Hide.
Wheatears.