Sightings

Main sighting: Warbler migration

Water levels very low, lack of waders but small bird movement made the visit worthwhile. En-route to hides: woodpigeons, chiffchaff, magpies, 2 lt egrets (overhead), herring gulls, crows, jackdaws, Canada geese, robin, mallards, collard dove, wren, cettis, moorhen, green woodpecker and ls black-backed gulls. Hide 1: gt white egret flying towards seawall and 29 greylags. En-route to hide two: blue tits and pheasant. Hide 2: pied wagtails with a male yellow mixed in, 6 curlew (on the island), 33 ringed plovers, 8 dunlin (and 16 overhead), 5 teal, 1 lapwing, 1 redshank and a cormorant. En-route to platform: 6 sand martins and 4 stock doves flying over. Snipe platform: coot, lt grebes, 26 swans, 65 more teal, 2 shoveler. En-route to seawall: 12 more sand martins and 7 more stock doves (feeding on the ground), 1 buzzard, goldfinches, single siskin overhead calling and chaffinch. Seawall: 1 whimbrel, 34 curlew, oystercatchers, shelduck, male peregrine perched on the stump out on the grass / saltings and black headed gulls. Hide 3: pair of stonechats with the male again harassing a whinchat, 34 more lapwing, female wheatear on the left edge of the island, kingfisher passing through, 1 heron and linnets. Back between snipe platform and half way towards hide 1, the hedgerow was alive with a feeding party of long tailed tits, great tits, wrens, female redstart, 3 willow warblers, 15 chiffchaffs, 4 common whitethroats, 1 lesser whitethroat, more blue tits and 3 juvenile goldfinches. Overhead sand martin numbers had passed 100+ with at least 8 house martins and 21 swallows mixed in. Back at hide 2 a skylark was calling, starlings and a female marsh harrier close in. Other: Gatekeepers, migrant hawkers and 1 red admiral.

Main sighting: Parakeet

Trethomas

Main sighting: Sparrowhawk

Sparrowhawk high over village 1pm

Main sighting: Green Sandpiper

At hight-tide today there was a good selection of waders. Green Sandpiper 1 Common Sandpiper 4 Ringed Plover 180 Dunlin 540 Redshank 160 Turnstone 6 Knot 18 Curlew 10 Whimbrel 1 Sanderling 1 Oystercatcher 20 Mallard 30 Lots of Black-headed Gulls and Shelduck Little Egret 4

Main sighting: Sanderling

Hide 1: mallards, woodpigeons, chiffchaff (contact call), 15 swallows and crows. Hide 2: Canada geese, 14 greylags, ls black-backed gulls, 7 teal, house martin, 2 shoveler, 2 lt egrets, stonechat, 22 more swallows, starlings, 1 heron, 1 cormorant, fem marsh harrier (primary feather missing), 2 lapwing, herring gull, single black-tailed godwit, single ruff, wren, magpies, stock dove, reed warbler and buzzard. Seawall: 21 curlew, numerous shelduck and 1 whimbrel flying / calling. Hide 3: juv whinchat and common whitethroat both harassed by a male stonechat (female nearby), linnets, pied wagtails, coot, 42 more swallows with 3 sand martins mixed in. Snipe platform: 18 swans, lt grebes and 6 gadwall. Back at hide 2 (now high tide) waders included 7 sanderling, 2 redshanks, 134 ringed plovers (good number), 42 dunlin, 32 oystercatchers and single curlew sandpiper. Moorhen noted. Back at hide 1: 3 curlew feeding and bittern flying left-right towards Red Barn (10.55hrs). Reed warbler feeding juvenile by the stone bridge. Other: gatekeeper braving the weather.

Main sighting: Sanderling

Heavy showers: En-route to hides – mallards, woodpigeons, crows and 15 swallows. Hide 2 – Canada geese, 14 greylags, ls black-backed gulls, 7 teal, crows, 2 shoveler, 2 lt egrets, male stonechat, 22 more swallows and 1 house martin mixed in, starlings, 1 heron, 1 cormorant, fem marsh harrier (primary feather missing), 2 lapwing, herring gulls, single black-tailed godwit, 1 ruff, wren, magpies, stock dove, reed warbler, 2 buzzards and 3 curlew. Seawall: numerous shelduck and 21 more curlew and single whimbrel flying / calling. Hide 3 – juv whinchat being harassed by a male stonechat (female nearby), linnets, pied wagtails, coot, 1 common whitethroat (also harassed by the male stonechat), steady passage of 42 more swallows with 3 sand martins mixed in. Snipe platform: 18 swans, lt grebes and 6 gadwall. Back at hide 2 (high tide) pushed in 7 sanderling, 2 redshank, 134 ringed plover (a good number), 42 dunlin, curlew sandpiper and 32 oystercatchers. Moorhen also noted. Hide 1: another whitethroat by the hide entrance and a good count of 21 blue tits (guessing these are family groups mixed together). Bittern flew left-right towards Red Barn (1050hrs). Gatekeeper trying to brave the weather on the brambles by the hide. Reed warbler feeding a juvenile by the stone bridge at the entrance on the way out.

Main sighting: Waders

Yellow wag – Com sand 2 – Grey wag – Ring plover – probably Sanderling + Dunlin 1 of each but at very long range? – Yellow leg gull Ad again – Wheatear

Main sighting: yellow wagtails

late afternoon visit to the seawall gave 2 yellow wags flying overhead towards saltmarsh, hunting kestral and sparrowhawk, little egret and grey heron, swallows flying very low over the fields.

Main sighting: Waders

Yellow Wag – Ring plover – Dunlin – (probable Sanderling) – Yellow leg gull Ad – Grey wagtail

Main sighting: Curlews again

Big tide again this morning, with following wind. About 205 Curlews came to roost on first lagoon, sitting very conveniently in shallow water so that their legs were showing and could be checked for rings. But, very strangely, there were extremely few rings – none at all from the big catch of 2015/16, so where have they gone?? Only ring read was an interesting one however, one of the headstarted birds raised and released at Slimbridge in 2019, White 49, which was at Goldcliff in September 2023. Also 5 Oystercatchers, 1 Grey Plover, about 75 Ringed Plovers, 1 Lapwing, 125 Dunlins, 4 Knot, 3 Whimbrels, 6 Black-tailed Godwits, 2 Bar-tailed Godwits.

Main sighting: Hen Harrier

Ringtail Hen Harrier hunting briefly over the moor to the east of the old Brynmawr reservoir before heading west over Hafod Farm into the strong breeze. Also a Whinchat, my first patch record this year, and three Wheatears. Things are on the move!

Main sighting: red kite

1130 hrs – Red Kite overhead drifting towards Devauden, call suggest a juvenile bird.