Sightings

Main sighting: Stonechat

Pair beside River Monnow (unexpected for this site). Also male Goosander, singing Chiffchaff, Kingfisher and Red-legged Partridge calls.

Main sighting: Red Kite

Red Kite flying through. Peregrine. Also mixed flock feeding of @80 Grey Plover,@50 Knot.

Main sighting: Wheatear

My first migrant of the year,1-male Wheatear.

Main sighting: Chiffchaff

Chiffchaff in full song behind St Marks Church Llanhilleth

Main sighting: Curlew

Curlew flying overhead with distinctive call at 08.45 at junction of Pant Glas /Hygga on B4293 between Llanishen and Trellech – reported to me by Heather Richards (they regularly frequent her land in the summer)

Main sighting: Otter

In the last 3 days grey hare, otter, tree creeper, gswood, pair goosander buzzard, raven, crow, jackdaw, 20 canada geese, 50 gull

Main sighting: Swallow

Swallow sighted from hide (at 10.44hrs) flying down the waterway towards the river mouth

Main sighting: Gannett

Flock of 18 to 20 Gannett, seen from sudbrook but were west of second Severn crossing, off shore of caldicot pill moving out to mid channel

Main sighting: Golden Plover

Highlights of today’s WeBS count: Golden Plover 8 Spotted Redshank 1 Avocet 41 Common Gull 2
Shelduck 372 Pintail 1 Wigeon 97 Chiffchaff 3 Sparrowhawk 1

Main sighting: Barn owl / Possible yellow-browed warbler

In the vegetation by the little bridge at the entrance, small warbler with an eye stripe and wing bar seen briefly before flying further along, could not relocate but in the brief time I saw it I am certain it was a yellow-browed warbler. En-route to hide – robins, chaffinch, woodpigeons, magpies, crows, blue tits and a cettis flying across the path. Hide one – heron 1, Canada geese, teal 45, wigeon 123, shoveler 31, gadwall 3 pairs, redshank 21, ringed plover 1, mallards, mute swan 2, moorhens and shelduck 3. Hide two – Spotted redshank 1, marsh harrier 2 females, meadow pipit, wren, herring gulls, female kestrel, cormorant 2, chiffchaff, moorhen, blackbird and 2 reed buntings. Snipe platform – 3 pairs of coot, 6 more gadwall and 15 more wigeon. 51 distant avocet seen from the sea wall. Hide three – Lesser black-backed gulls, 19 more shelduck, pair of stonechats, little egret 1, jackdaws, goldfinches, pied wagtail and 4 knot. Back at hide 1 the barn owl made an appearance in the right hand corner between the showers at 1521hrs.

Main sighting: Spotted redshank

Mid afternoon, low tide. On the lagoons: one mute swan, 38 greylag goose, 134 Canada goose, 10 shelduck, 224 wigeon, 17 gadwall, 42 teal, six mallard, 24 shoveler, one grey heron, seven coot, nine lapwing, one spotted redshank, 20 redshank, two pied wagtail, three black-headed gull. Surrounding the lagoons: lesser black-backed gull, stonechat (four), chiffchaff (one), goldfinch, jackdaw, woodpigeon, robin, pheasant. On the foreshore, from the seawall (no counts): curlew, avocet, oystercatcher, shelduck, redshank, wigeon, black-headed gull, herring gull.

Main sighting: Firecrest

Mid afternoon really good views of firecrest in portskewett woods