Sightings

Main sighting: Disturbance at Goldcliff Lagoons

We will be checking the water levels and salinities at Goldcliff Lagoons on Monday morning, between around 10.30am and 12pm. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Main sighting: Bittern

En-route to hides – swallows, jackdaws, woodpigeons, crows, mallard, family group of chiffchaffs, moorhen and green woodpecker. Hide one – 10 teal, pied wagtails, linnets, Canada and greylag geese. En-route to hide 2 – cormorant, blue tits, magpies, common whitethroat, gt tits and skylark. Hide two – most activity from this hide with the brambles in front holding juvenile whinchat, 2 sedge and 1 reed warblers and reed buntings. Also seen 1 lt egret, 6 more teal, 7 dunlin, 6 redshanks, ls black-backed gulls, bittern at 0750 which was quite high over hide 3, following the edge of the reserve before dropping in somewhere near the farmers arms pub area, 1 heron, cettis, 6 house martins, 4 black-tailed godwits, ravens and 2 ringed plovers. Snipe platform – 23 mute swans, coot, lt grebes, family group of tufted ducks, black headed gulls and 8 more house martins. Seawall – 1 gt black-backed and herring gulls, 38 curlew, 8 oystercatchers, 96 shelduck and a flock of 100+ sand martins aerial feeding. Hide three – fem marsh harrier (1st year bird), meadow pipits, female sparrowhawk perched on post plucking prey, goldfinches, 0923 the bittern flew across the reserve landing in the reeds by hide 2, 1 snipe calling. Back at hide 1 – buzzard on the post, blackcap singing and starlings. Osprey seen over the car park area (see Red Barn sighting). Other: Meadow browns, gatekeepers, 1 small tortoiseshell, 1 red admiral, 5 green-veined whites, large whites, fem black-tailed skimmer and numerous common darters.

Main sighting: Osprey

10.00 hrs, osprey flew in quite high and over the right side of Goldcliff lagoons before moving over and dropping in what looked to be around the area of Red Barn. However, a search of the area a short while later revealed nothing, so I am wondering if it continued over the sea wall to the salt marsh area?

Main sighting: red kite

Surprised to disturb a red kite from its road kill while driving on A466 north towards Llandogo @1400 hrs.

Main sighting: Whimbrel

A single Whimbrel on the estuary Black-tailed Godwit 150 Little Ringed Plover 4 Lapwing 24 Redshank 35 Dunlin 12 Little Egret 5 Bittern 1 Coot 55 Little Grebe 11 Mute Swan 14 Marsh Harrier 2 Swallow 20 Sand Martin 12 Lesser Whitethroat 1 Blackcap 2 Chiffchaff 2 Reed Warbler 3 Blue Tit 2
Other: Meadow Brown 15 Large White 1 and the first Gatekeeper of the summer. No Dragons or Damsels!

Main sighting: Bittern

Bit quieter today bird wise. En-route to hides: blackbird, pheasants, chiffchaffs, swallows, crows, woodpigeon, wren and goldfinches. Hide one – skylark singing, 4 oystercatchers, 115 black-tailed godwits, 2 lapwing, Canada geese, mallards, linnets, shelduck, 10 redshank, pair tufteds with 2 young, 1 snipe up and calling, herring gull and female peregrine. Juvenile bittern flew in and landed on the mud to the left of hide 2 but quickly walked into the reeds. Not seen again. En-route hide 3: 18 swifts, goldfinches and magpie. Hide three – 9 more lapwing, 1 lt ringed plover, 21 ringed plovers, 15 dunlin, 7 swans. 1 cormorant, 4 gadwall, coot, 119 black-headed gulls (3 were juvs), meadow pipits, 2 lt egrets, ls black-backed gulls, juvenile stonechat, 4 sand martins, fem marsh harrier hunting twice, 6 house martins, 26 more redshank, heron, reed bunting and 2 shoveler. Seawall: 11 curlew. Snipe platform: 2 pairs lt grebes, 32 adult coot and a moorhen. Other: meadow browns.

Main sighting: Pied Flycatcher

Male Pied Flycatcher in woodland south of the The Narth to Pen y Fan Green on lane past Springfield House to Beech Cottage.

Main sighting: Work to be commenced on Electric Fence

The society has been informed by the Senior Land Management officer for NRW who manages the Goldcliff Lagoons nature reserve of essential maintenance to the electric fence.

Work will commence on Monday 15th July 2024 and could potentially last until Saturday 31st August 2024.

The NRW appreciates that this is a during the time of Autumn Passage when some potential rarities pass through the reserve.

However, this is the only time between the breeding season and the SPA winter roosts ( and potential wet conditions) that the work can be carried out.

Whilst this will be quite significant work and likely to lead to some disturbance at the reserve. apologies in advance for any inconvenience caused to birders but it is for the greater good of the nature reserve.

Main sighting: Turnstone

There was a flock of 75 Turnstone on Bec’s island highest number we have seen here. Little Ringed Plover 10 mix of adults and juveniles. Also a large flock of Black-headed Gulls at the far side of the island. Several Swifts were hawking insect low over the lagoons and three Swallows took a short-cut flying through the door and out of the viewing slats of the Curlew hide.
It has been a terrible year for butterflies Meadow Brown 3 Small Tortoiseshell 1 and a single Blue-tailed Damselfly.

Main sighting: Whinchat

Single male Whinchat seen perched and calling for extended periods. Also: Stonechats, Meadow Pipits and Skylarks.

Main sighting: Skylarks

10+ skylarks, 4 mistle thrush, 2 ravens, a buzzard, numerous willow warblers.

Main sighting: Lesser Whitethroat (singing)

46 Species: Blackbird; Blackcap; Blue Tit; Bullfinch; Buzzard; Canada Goose; Carrion Crow; Chiffchaff; Coot; Cormorant; Dunnock; Goldcrest; Goldfinch; Great Crested Grebe; Great Spotted Woodpecker; Great Tit; Greenfinch; Grey Heron; Grey Wagtail; Herring Gull; Lesser Black Blacked Gull; House Martin; House Sparrow; Jackdaw; Jay; Lesser Whitethroat; Little Grebe; Long Tailed Tit; Magpie; Mallard; Moorhen; Mute Swan; Nuthatch; Pied Wagtail; Raven; Robin; Song Thrush; Sparrowhawk; Starling; Stock Dove; Swallow; Swift; Tufted Duck; Wood Pigeon; Wren