Sightings

Main sighting: curlew sandpiper

Curlew sandpiper, ruff, hen harrier.

Main sighting: Wheatear and Pipits

There are a lot of Wheatears and Meadow Pipits gathering in small flocks around the Foxhunter carpark. Buzzard seen flying above the Keepers. Watched Wheatears all along the foot path.

Main sighting: Common tern

Black Rock this afternoon 20+ redshank, 3 dunlin, 2 ringed plover, 1 wheatear, 30+ yellow wagtail, flock of 24 terns roosting on island, later most flew off down channel. Most to far away for me to id to species, but at least one definitely common and one probable arctic. Also 1 clouded yellow butterfly.

Main sighting: Barn owl

Barn owl over the garden for the third time this week. Late in the evening.
The local sparrows seem to have had a good year with at least three pairs with double broods in the garden. The local post breeding sparrow flocks are in the hundreds in the local meadows.
In contrast not had a single Greenfinch in the garden since about april and swifts are notable by their absence.

Main sighting: Comic tern

Flock of 60+ comic tern just off shore at black rock heading west this afternoon.

Main sighting: Warbler passerines

Dawn visit and joined later by John Lawton. Excellent mornings migration, highlights included 2 buzzards, house martins, 8 lt egrets, 3 herons, 6 curlew (71 more on mudflats), 46 swallows passing through with 6 sand martins, 1 common sandpiper, 1 greenshank, 1 black swan which relocated to the Pill, 10 teal, 21 gadwall, 10 shoveler, 1 cettis, an excellent count of 266 knot, 59 redshank, 233 black-tailed godwits, 1 common snipe, 1st yr male merlin on the seawall, 1 sedge and 2 reed warblers in the reeds opposite snipe platform, and 2 female kestrels. Seawall – the wall had 18 yellow wagtails along it (11 also seen over the lagoons),with 2 wheatears also. 2 grey plovers and 1 whimbrel on the mud. Working their way through the hedgeline opposite the snipe platform was migration in full swing with 2 male and 1 female common redstarts seen with 3 common whitethroats, 1 lesser whitethroat, 15 chiffchaffs, 2 spotted and 1 pied flycatchers. Awesome.

Main sighting: Pair of Sparrow hawks

Witnessed a Pidgeon kill by a Sparrow hawk, whilst another circled nearby in the sky

Main sighting: Common Scoter

A drake Common Scoter was seen between 10-45 and 11-15 at the northern end of the reservoir.
It was not seen again after disturbance by a power boat.

Main sighting: Raptors

8 Common Buzzards and 1 fem Peregrine circling high over garden at 09 30

Main sighting: Little Egret

Only my second Little Egret for this site. Also 15 Goosander and a loose mixed flock of Mistle Thrushes (c.15) and Starlings moving along through the trees beside the river.

Main sighting: Wheatears and Yellow Wagtails

Evening visit. Priors – 300+ Black Tailed Godwits, 30C Knots all took off a were seen feeding on the mud. 25+ Lapwings. 4 + Yellow Wagtails and 4+ Wheatears feeding on flies around the cow heard. Kestrel, Buzzard and Sparrowhawk seen from seawall hide. Big flock of Starlings and Swallows even gulls seemed to be feeding on insects in the air especially around the wall area.
Big thanks to NRW and friends of Goldcliff as expansion to Snipe platform is great.

Main sighting: Canada Geese

128 Canada Geese in front of the first hide at 8:00 am noisily honking as many took off in a large skein. 6 Curlew, 11 Shovelers in eclipse plumage and 8 Shelduck similar. One Greylag. One Great Black Backed Gull juvenile, small number of Black-Headed Gulls, 3 Little Egrets. 3 Kestrel over by the sea wall, ‘Bosprey’ on the end of the fence to the right of the hide, at high tide mixed flock of Dunlin and Ringed Plovers.