Sightings

Main sighting: Hobby

Chiffchaff 2, blackcap 1. Hide 1 – swallow 11, curlew 6, cormorant 2. Snipe platform – shelduck 7, ringed plover 25, grey heron 2, redshank 90, black-tailed godwit 296 with 20 knot mixed in, yellow wagtail 2, reed bunting 1, sedge warbler 1, glossy ibis (showed 4 times during the visit), little egret 6, greylag geese (pair with rings and one chick -Z4d and Z4C), ravens, lapwing 9, sand martin 7, skylark alarm calling and a stoat emerged from the soft rushes with a small bird possibly a lark or pipit and ran off down the bank towards the hedge, teal 8, shoveler 6, fem marsh and 2 common snipe. Marsh platform – lt ringed plover 1, Seawall – 46 curlew on the mudflats with 220 shelduck beyond and another 84 on the sea, 2 gt black-backed gulls. Hide 3 – 2 yellow wagtails on the fence, 20 oystercatchers, 26 teal and a single wigeon. Redshank platform – black-headed gull roost comprised 545 adults and 5 juvs, 2 1cy med gulls also, 12 turnstone, common buzzard, 2 common and 1 green sandpipers, 1 sanderling, 35 more ringed plovers, female sparrowhawk and a hobby over. 10 avocet seen one with colour rings (green over white (left leg) green over yellow marked Z (right leg) – sighting submitted to the wader society.

Main sighting: Wheatear

Sorry for late posting, just going over my notes, but a male wheatear was showing well on the mountain towards Mynydd Llangattock where there was a family group of stonechats, 1 redstart, 5 willow warblers and 2 spotted flycatchers.

Main sighting: Green Sandpiper

One Green Sandpiper upstream of the railway bridge. Three Common Sandpipers and a Little Egret. Flock of 55 Lesser Black-backed Gulls in a ploughed field.

Main sighting: Bullfinch

A pair of Bullfinch in the garden recently followed yesterday and today by a couple of newly fledged youngsters one of whom buzzed past my head like an oversized bumblebee! Not yet located the nest.

Main sighting: Dipper

Dipper, also several grey wagtails incl juveniles, song thrush

Main sighting: Migration

AM visit – Car park area – 2 stock doves, 6 house martins and chiffchaff contact call. Hide 1 single greenshank and a grey heron struggling with a three quarter grown coot before finally giving up on swallowing it whole and leaving it. 2 sand martins through. Redshank platform -sedge warbler in the foliage, 10 lapwing, 2 oystercatchers, 21 dunlin, 15 ringed plovers, 7 avocet (2 juvs). Snipe platform – 5 lt egrets, 3 grey herons, 13 knot mixed in with 120 black-tailed godwits most in breeding plumage and one good candidate for a ‘limosa’ race (tbc). 62 dunlin dropped in with the first juveniles amongst them (2), single wigeon, 10 teal, 1 grey wagtail overhead calling, 1 common sandpiper, 1 yellow wagtail overhead calling, cettis calling, reed warbler singing, 2 curlew, male reed bunting, 2 swift and 2 ad and 1 juv lt ringed plovers. Marsh platform – 61 common redshanks, 1 buzzard, 2 swallows, 4 yellow wagtails (1 juv) landed on the fence before carrying on through and 2 shoveler. Hide 3 – 124 dunlin dropped in. Possible rock pipit again from the seawall but could not be relocated (call and flight)Other: emperor dragonfly, plenty of gatekeepers, meadow browns and the first common blue butterfly.

Main sighting: Great White Egret

Great White Egret has been settled at the top lake since yesterday when found by Lee Gregory. Lots of Marbled Whites.

Main sighting: Hobby

Following an explosion of alates this evening we saw: Swift 50 Hobby 2 Lesser B/B and Herring Gulls and the first post breeding Black-headed Gull from our garden. Other species joining in the feast Magpies House Sparrows Long=tailed Tit Jackdaws and House Martins.
Earlier Sparrowhawk 1 Buzzard 2 Greenfinch and Goldfinch.

Main sighting: Red Kite

Three kites over together this afternoon. A tussle between two ended with them locking talons and briefly spiralling down before disengaging. Also Wheatears with young, Stonechats, male Reed Bunting, Buzzard and Kestrel. A Rook on a moorland fence post was unusual.

Main sighting: Upland birds

Juvenile redstart, 2 song thrush, 5 swallows 10 goldfinches. Further upstream just beyond county boundary, between car park and reservoir, heron, buzzard, 5 adult 8 juvenile wheatear, 3 juvenile 6 adult grey wagtails, 4 dippers, 1 adult male and 3 juvenile stonechat, male bullfinch, garden warbler, chiffchaff, 5 ravens, a goosander, juvenile redstart, 1 adult 2 juvenile mistle thrush, and a song thrush.

Main sighting: Common Scoter

there has been 19 Scoter floating/flying up and down between the Severn bridges this pm, still there 6.45pm, also Med gull and Pintail (ES).

Main sighting: Quail

Two birds reported by a friend calling at dusk this time north of the village towards Kentchurch. Haven’t heard the one near my house of late but there appear to be 2-3 calling males near the village.