Sightings

Main sighting: Weekly roundup

En-route to hides: robin, collard dove, starlings, pheasant, pied wagtails, chiffchaffs, wren, chaffinches, woodpigeons, little egret, 3 stock doves, crows, gt spotted woodpecker, magpies, greylag geese, goldfinches, moorhen, blackcap in full song, raven and blackbirds. Hide 1: Canada geese, 21 redshanks, 12 wigeon, 11 teal, 4 lapwing, mallards and dunnock. En-route to next hide 1 redwing, blue tits and cettis. Hide 2: skylark, 795 black-tailed godwits and 1 bar-tailed mixed in, 218 knot, 1 ruff, great tits, 3 avocet, 6 shoveler, 1 dunlin, lesser black-backed gulls, pair spotted redshanks (possibly a 3rd but not relocated), heron, 3 cormorants, gadwall, peregrine and female marsh harrier. 2 swallows over prior to platform. Snipe platform: 3 male and 1 female tufteds, coot, 5 more gadwall, herring gulls, 2 more little egrets and a linnet. Seawall: 7 oystercatchers, 8 curlew, 15 more teal and meadow pipits. Hide 3: pair pintail, 37 more shelduck, 46 more shoveler (good number now), 67 more avocet (1 colour ringed bird), pink footed goose and 4 ringed plovers. Back at hide two: 11 snipe.

Main sighting: Bar tailed godwit

Bar tailed godwit from middle hide at goldcliff 3 ringed plover , 100s of bar tailed godwits ,15 avocet ,the highlights

Main sighting: Mandarin duck

Pair of mandarin – male photographed in riparian tree

Main sighting: Chiffchaff

Chiffchaff calling

Main sighting: Black - crowned Night Heron

Over M4 from Ridgeway at first light

Main sighting: Hooded Crow

Whilst conducting the WeBS count for the Goldcliff Point – Magor Pill coastal area the numbers of waders and wildfowl are starting to recede but still in excess of 100 Wigeon and Teal, wader highlights included 60 Oystercatchers, 54 Redshank and 7 Knot. Skylarks were in double figures in the sunshine. The real highlight though was a Hooded Crow flying east over the farm fields near Redwick.

Main sighting: Red kite

Red kite, 7 buzzards, 5 ravens, cormorant, 2 song thrush, wren, ltt, chiffchaff, stock doves, great spotted woodpecker, green woodpecker, 2 fieldfares, 2 pairs goosander and a skylark.

Main sighting: Knot

Highlights of the WeBS count today. There were 341 Knot on Monk’s Island highest numbers we have seen here. Golden Plover first seen by Tim Collier and later relocated by Jackie. Spotted Redshank 2 Redshank 90 Dunlin 20 Snipe 10 Black-tailed Godwit 350 Avocet 100 Ringed Plover 4 Pintail 4 Teal 90 Little Grebe 2 Little Egret 1 Merlin 1 Sparrowhawk 1 Chiffchaff 3 Wheatear 1 (female) and biggest surprise of all two Lesser Redpolls drinking in the reen never seen this species here previously.

Main sighting: Redwings

Redwings (8 moving North); Chiffchaff (3 singing); Bullfinch (2); Goldfinch; Chaffinch; Greenfinch; Siskin; Goldcrest; Blackbird; Blue Tit; Coal Tit; Great Tit; Buzzard (2); Tawny Owl (calling); Carrion Crow; Jackdaws; Great Spotted Woodpecker; Green Woodpecker; Magpie; Mistle Thrush; Nuthatch; Robin; Woodpigeon; Wren; Lesser Black Backed Gull.

Main sighting: Wheatear

single Wheatear this am.

Main sighting: Avocets & Female Marsh Harrier

A successful supreme spring walk with decent birds. At the entrance a wren on the right in the brambles. Quiet at the greenshank hide ( hide 1 ) and was a bit untidy so I decided to tidy it up and moved the sitting benches in line with the viewing windows to give birdwatchers and visitors a better experience for when they arrive. Opposite the curlew hide ( hide 2 ) were 2 chiffchaff’s on hawthorn bushes and a magpie. At the curlew hide ( hide 2 ) were 2 Avocets trying to breed the other side of the island, then flew off into the distance when disturbed by other birds. Female marsh harrier. Also here were lapwings on the island, canada geese, 60 curlew, 2 common sandpipers, shovelers and wigeon.
Between the curlew ( hide 2 ) and avocet ( hide 3 ) hide’s also on a hawthorn bush was gwent/monmouthshire’s most famous well known butterfly – a comma. Approaching the avocet hide ( hide 3) a little egret flew over and a male stonechat perched on a thistle. At the avocet hide ( hide 3 ) were over 200 black tailed godwits, canada geese, female marsh harrier seen again, lapwings, mute swan, shelducks and another 6 avocets ( I took some photo’s ). At the seawall 10 avocets on the sea which flew towards Newport wetlands. In total 18 avocets.

Main sighting: Goshawk

Goshawk, 2 skylarks