Sightings

Main sighting: Sparrow Hawk

Walk around Crumlands wood. 6 Skylarks,5 song thrush,8 jackdaws,In my field 1 sparrowhawk,3 red kites,2 buzzard,2 siskins,numerous goldfinch,chaffinch and greenfinch

Main sighting: Skylark

Skylark singing and displaying above meadow by surgery in Trellech – perhaps Spring is here!

Main sighting: Pochard

En-route to hides – collard doves, woodpigeons, blackbirds, chaffinch, wren, herring gulls, magpies, starlings, great tit, jackdaws, crows, goldcrest, robin, song thrushes and male sparrowhawk overhead. Hide one – 2 little egrets, 2 cormorants, mallards, shelduck, Canada geese (some now paired up and showing territorial signs), 93 teal, 110 wigeon, 20 shoveler, 2 gadwall only, coot, cettis calling and meadow pipits. En-route to hide 2 – greenfinches, skylarks, pied wagtail, low numbers of redwings and fieldfares. Hide two – 10 lapwing only, fem marsh harrier and lesser black-backed gulls. Snipe platform – moorhens, 2 mute swans, pair of common pochard and tufted ducks now at 7 males and 5 females. Hide three – 36 more teal, 14 more shelduck, 10 more shoveler and a pair of stonechats. Seawall – 1 great black-backed gull, 36 curlew, 10 oystercatchers, 3 grey plovers, single dunlin, distant male peregrine and sparrows. Back near hide 2 – female kestrel perched up. Back in hide 1 a large flock of 70+ waders briefly showed over the seawall, may have been godwits but not enough time to verify.

Main sighting: Chiffchaff

Pheasant, chiffchaff seen and contact call heard followed by partial sub-song, long tailed tits, wren, starlings, blue tit, herring gulls, skylark, crows, magpies, coot, mallards, pair gadwall, cettis calling, 5 greylags, 1 shelduck, 2 shoveler, fem marsh harrier, 5 teal and 2 curlew.

Main sighting: Barn Owl

Flying beside the A40

Main sighting: Pintail

Early this morning at high tide I saw the following – Flock of 12 Pintail Flying towards Sudbrook, Kestrel ( female), Shelduck x 20, numerous Stonechats, 6 x Reed Bunting, Dunnock, Blackbird,Magpie, Carrion Crow, Woodpigeon, Wren, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Robin, Herring Gull, Lesser Black Backed Gull and Grey Heron.

Main sighting: Pair of Lapwing Flying/Displaying

First time I have seen these birds in this area.

Main sighting: Red Kite

Red Kite.

Main sighting: Goosander

Male goosander, Wye/monnow confluence. 225 common gulls, school playing fields

Main sighting: Partial roundup

Rain stopped play so only hide 1 visited – en-route collard dove, wren, starlings, herring gulls, crows, chaffinches, pheasant, song thrush, woodpigeons, blue tits, magpies, moorhens and redwings. Hide one – 10 black-tailed godwits, 108 wigeon, 95 teal, 25 shoveler, 2 gadwall, blackbird, 5 mute swans and 1 lapwing.

Main sighting: Woodcock

Woodcock flushed from the undergrowth along side path in the Tumble valley near the lower foot bridge. This is my 4th sighting of a woodcock in the area this winter.

Main sighting: short eared owl

1330hrs Flushed a SEO from Magor pill area and it flew NE towards the private area of foreshore, viewed at distance before disappearing into the spartina.
Bit disturbed at seeing 3 guys with shotguns walking along the shoreline but as this is private land difficult to object.