Sightings

Main sighting: Chiffcahffs

AM visit, high winds so only 2 hides visited – En-route to hides – blue tits, crows, woodpigeons, pheasant, herring gulls and moorhen. Hide one – cettis calling, 3 skylarks (1 singing), 123 shelduck, greylags and Canada geese, 52 wigeon, fem marsh harrier eating remains of a male gadwall on the island (worryingly a Canada goose is now dead next to the uncollected mute swan), 5 oystercatchers, 45 shoveler, 4 gadwall, 4lapwing, 35 teal, male stonechat and lesser black-backed gulls. Hide two – 2 cormorants, 15 black headed gulls, 14 long tailed tits, chaffinch, starlings and good numbers of chiffchaffs again on the reserve – 13.

Main sighting: Great Grey Shrike

One showed briefly and photographed in scrub on east slope of Deri, N of Abergavenny this morning. SO290183.

Main sighting: @ Red Kites

2 Red Kites displaying over south end of Tintern Village between 11.00 and 11.15 and over woodland to the south, mainly on the Gwent side of the Wye. Had previously (June 2022) seen 1 Red Kite in same area.

Main sighting: Curlew

Curlew, a large flock of over 200 birds, at high tide, sheltering from high winds, to the West of the sea wall hide.
Shelduck over 150; Avocet pair; Lapwing; Dunlin; Teal; Wigeon; Shoveler; Gadwall.
Cetti’s, Chiffchaff’s, Skylarks all singing.
Fielfare flock of 60

Main sighting: Curlew

Curlew – over 200 at high tide, sheltering from high wind from sea wall hide (leg rings not visible); 150 Shelduck; Avocet pair; Gadwall; Widgeon; Teal; Shoveler; Lapwing; Dunlin; Redshank; Reed Bunting; Cetti’s, Chiffchaffs singing. Shortly after leaving, a flock of 60 Fieldfare seen over adjacent field.

Main sighting: Curlew

Two Curlew seen circling the fields between Llanwenarth Church and the Usk (8:00am).

Main sighting: Firecrest

Early afternoon wheatear on foreshore at sudbrook and a firecrest in hedge east of black rock

Main sighting: Swallows

2 swallows by the bridge. Soaring near Sand House, 25 ravens, 7 buzzards, m and f sparrowhawk. Jay, green woodpecker, mistle thrush

Main sighting: Spoonbill

Immature Spoonbill feeding in the lagoon directly in front of Hide 1. Distant view of Spotted Redshank feeding along the far shore of the island. Pintail pair seen from Seawall Hide. Skylarks and Chiffchaffs singing. Sparrowhawk and immature Marsh Harrier hunting over reedbeds.

Main sighting: Wheatear

3 male Wheatear at Westpill in afternoon.

Main sighting: Sand Martin

5 Sand Martins, probably moving through

Main sighting: Wheatear

Spring has sprung! Skylarks, Meadow Pipits, Stonechats and a Reed Bunting back on territories on the mountain. Count of 14 Wheatears, including three females. Red Kite, Kestrel and three Buzzards.