Sightings

Main sighting: Honey Buzzard

What looked to be a honey buzzard drifting over, heading west (possibly direction of Swansea Valley where they frequent but cant of course be confirmed from the sighting). Flying on flat wings if anything slightly drooped, long neck / head, tail quite long, pattern right. By the time I got my binoculars from indoors and got back into the garden I could not re-locate it. Very good candidate and giz for a HB but due to not having a closer look with bins I am remaining not quite 100%. If anyone has a birding contact in Resolven / Swansea area and one turned up this afternoon or this evening then it could be what I saw, please do get in touch if so. Appreciate it is still early in April and they tend to get reported a week or so from now. Thank you.

Main sighting: Red Kite

A red kite

Main sighting: Little Tern

1 Little Tern fishing and roosting with wader roost for over an hour
1 Spoonbill feeding with 8 little Egret
Redshank 250
Dunlin 10
Curlew 40
Oystercatcher 30
Teal 10
Shelduck 100

Main sighting: Spotted Redshank

Canada Goose 35; Greylag Goose 6; Mute Swan; Shelduck 149; Shoveler 28; Gadwall; Mallard 8; Teal 28; Pochard; Pheasant; Stock Dove; Woodpigeon 5; Coot 10; Little Grebe 3: Oystercatcher 10; Avocet 135; Ringed Plover 6; Lapwing 20; Curlew10; Black Tailed Godwit 120; Redshank 29; Spotted Redshank (winter); Dunlin 4; Black Headed Gull; Herring Gull; Great Black Backed Gull; Lesser Black Backed Gull 4; Cormorant 3; Grey Heron 4; Marsh Harrier (fem): Buzzard; Magpie; Jackdaw; Carrion Crow; Blue Tit; Great Tit; Skylark 2; Cetti’s Warbler 2; Chiffchaff 3; Goldcrest; Wren; Starling 2; Song Thrush; Mistle Thrush 2; Blackbird; Robin; Stonechat 2; Pied Wagtail; Reed Bunting.

Main sighting: Mandarin Duck

3 Mandarin duck on the Usk, on the stretch opposite the church. 2 male, 1 female. Also 3 Stonechat, 2 Dipper and Kingfisher.

Main sighting: Swallows

Two swallows, flying and landing on wire

Main sighting: Sand Martins

2 Sand Martins over Rhymney River between Bargoed and Aberbargoed. Kingfisher, Dippers, Grey Wagtails. Singing Blackcaps nr Aberbargoed, Britannia and Pengam but hiding in the gorse or foliage.

Main sighting: Wheatear

Wheatears back on Blorenge (2 near Foxhunter car park). Plenty of Skylarks displaying along path East from summit

Main sighting: Blackcap

Several Blackcaps singing and seen near the Observatory car park in Trellech Common woods.

Main sighting: Hawfinch

I did not see it but I heard it clearly and checked against recordings.

Main sighting: Little gull

Car park – hide 2: Collard dove, starlings, pheasant, wrens, blackcap, blackbirds, woodpigeons, blue tit, magpies, robin, buzzard, chiffchaffs, crows, chaffinches, skylark, 10 mute swans flying out, cettis calling and herring gulls. Hide 2: female marsh harrier hunting, 421 black-tailed godwits, 91 knot (1 in adult plumage), 51 avocet, Canada geese, 6 oystercatchers, 42 redshanks, pair gadwall, 26 shelduck, 19 white-fronted geese, cormorant, 9 teal, spotted redshank feeding on right edge of island, graylags and meadow pipits. Three great white egrets flew in and landed by departed about 10 minutes later. En-route to platform: 1 stock dove, pair stonechats and reed buntings. Snipe platform: pair little grebes, 19 coot and 6 more graylags. Jackdaws en-route to seawall. Seawall: Lots of bird action on the lagoon and only part of saltings visible at high tide – 105 curlew, 5 bar-tailed godwits, 1 little ringed plover, 8 grey plovers, 8 lapwing, pair wigeon, 1 whimbrel, pair ringed plover already copulating, heron, 29 more shelduck, 3 more swans, 55 more avocet, 1 turnstone, 2 male pied wagtails, 5 sand martins, male pintail and brent goose still in with the Canadas on the high tide. Distant gull I saw I was unsure about, made a few notes and checked the Collins guide later, it looked to be a little gull, possibly a 1st winter bird by the wing markings, flight was quicker and more tern-like. En-route back to car park Craig Constance called me over by the hedge-line close to hide 2 where he had picked out a firecrest by call, located several minutes later (thanks Craig). Hide 1: mallards, lesser-black backed gulls. Siskin back over the car park. Red admiral butterfly also seen.

Main sighting: Wheatear

GOS walk. Dozens of Skylarks and Meadow Pipits singing on the moor. Pairs of Stonechats back on territories. Male Wheatear near the Lonely Shepherd. One Red Grouse but on the Breconshire part of the mountain. Two Cormorants flying over as well as the usual raptors and corvids.