Sightings

Main sighting: Hundreds of Waders

Late evening visit to the reserve an hour before sunset.
Most amount of waders I have seen in a long time.
Monks had a big flock of small waders – Dunlins, Ringed Plovers, Turnstones and Knots x 300 +. As sunset approached maddive flock of Curlews came up from the Pill and sea wall and settled in Monks to roost 300+ ( Not all settled on Monks more landed on Becs)
Big flock of Black -Headed Gulls 100+, Great Black Backed Gull.
Peregrine came in on at least 2 occasions and caused havoc.
2 x Whimbrel also on Monks and Lapwings 30+.

Priors had the flock of Black Tailed-Godwits, Knots and Redshank ( only watched from a distance).

Ducked on the Pectroral.

Main sighting: Whimbrel

06-30 – 11.15: 30 swallows on the wires with starlings by the entrance. Hide one – 220 black-headed gulls (6 juvs), 2 chiffchaffs (contact calls) and a view of about 5 mins of the pec sand before it flew off towards the seawall. Redshank platform – excellent count of 271 ringed plovers (my highest count here), 25 shelduck, 5 turnstone, 3 grey herons, teal numbers jumping now at 110 but only 3 common snipe today, 158 dunlin with 1 little stint mixed in, 1 mute swan over,3 yellow wagtails, 2 skylarks, 2 knot, single siskin overhead calling, 7 sand martins, 15 lapwing and 3 ravens. Snipe platform – 231 black-tailed godwits (including the ringed bird), 3 ruff, 58 redshanks, 5 little egrets, 12 knot, 2 greenshank flying through, 1 common sandpiper, green woodpecker calling and 1 stock dove (no sign of the ibis or last weeks wood sandpiper). Marsh platform – single garganey. Hide three – 2 wheatears and a yellow wagtail amongst the sheep, another greenshank and a whimbrel. 42 curlew on the mud had a ringed bird present (sighting submitted).

Main sighting: Pectoral Sandpiper

Pectoral Sandpiper first seen near the first hide (photos on Gwent Birding Site thanks to John Lawton) Also: Little Stint 2 Ruff 2 Little ringed Plover 4 and lots of Ringed Plover and a large flock of BK-tailed Godwits and Kingfisher.
Other: Ruddy Darter 3 Emerald Damselfly 4 there were Hawkers not specifically Identified but thought to be Migrant.

Main sighting: Great White Egret

Great White Egret still present at upper Garn Lake, Garn yr Erw

Main sighting: Curlews

Approximately 100 Curlew at 16:45 as tide pushed higher; along with 140 Dunlin.
At 15:45 approximately 200+ Swallows feeding at the Caldicot levels behind Rogiet.

Main sighting: Bonxie

There was a Bonxie off Sudbrook/Black rock yesterday(16th) pm, it was floating down river with the tide, and when it reached the second Severn crossing would fly back up again and repeat the exercise. Next day(Monday) at approx. 6.30am there was two briefly, unfortunately I got called away briefly and when I returned, they were gone, but Trees seen two birds fly off.
I posted yesterday information yesterday, but probably because of my error it did not did not get submitted. There was also six Greenshanks at Black rock this morning. Also seen was an Oak Eggar moth.

Main sighting: Swift

Just a couple of additions to Blair’s list. Swift 2 near entrance Glossy Ibis 1 Black-tailed Godwit 373 (our highest count) Knot 19 Whitethroat 1 Little Ringed Plover 3. Also, Small Tortoiseshell 1 Meadow Brown Large White.

Main sighting: Little Stints

This mornings visit resulted in at last a sighting of two Little Stints in the channel on Monks Lagoon ( seen from first hide or the first platform).
Large numbers of Swallows, House Martins and Sand Martins near the sea wall.
Yellow Wags, Pied Wags , Wheatears , Meadow Pipits and Linnets around the sea wall hide.
Raven x 1, Buzzard x 2, Ruff x 2, Common Sandpipers x 2.

Main sighting: Bonxie

Bonxie feeding off surface off Black rock still 6.45 pm

Main sighting: Little Stint

From this afternoon: 5 Little Stint, (1 adult, 4 juv), 7 Turnstone, 4 Greenshank, 2,Ruff, 1 Spot’ Red’, 1 Common Sand’, 1 Green Sand’, Glossy Ibis (no surprise there), 5 Yellow Wag’, 4 Whinchat, 1 Swift and a fly through Hobby.

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).