Sightings

Main sighting: Grey Lag Geese

Pair of grey lag geese with 3 well developed goslings. Where have they bred?

Main sighting: Little Ringed Plover

Low tide 10:00-13-00 Little ringed Plover 4 adults Lapwing 40 Ringed Plover 2 Redshank 40 including one juvenile Dunlin 8 Mallard 60 (some hybrid types) Mute Swan 14 Tufted Duck 2 Swift 8 Sand Martin 20+ Raven 5 Reed warbler 3 Whitethroat 3 Chiffchaff 3 Sparrowhawk 1 Buzzard 1. Not so good for butterflies and dragonflies today very windy. Marbled White 1 Meadow Brown 10 Blue-tailed Damselfly 1.

Main sighting: Mediterranean gull

Afternoon visit, 44 species seen with highlights being (hide 1) – skylark singing, 2 chiffchaffs, 3 swallows, lesser whitethroat calling and a male house sparrow. Redshank platform – 5 oystercatchers, common whitethroat calling, 1 ringed plover, 1 white wagtail and cettis calling. Snipe platform – 15 mute swans, gt spotted woodpecker calling, 2 male tufteds, 45 mallards, 2 grey herons, 3 redshank and 1 male gadwall. Seawall – 25 curlew on the saltings and 27 sand martins flew in from along the wall and were aerial feeding over lagoon 2. Hide 3 – another 32 mallards on the bank with a male tufted and a pair of teal mixed in, 149 black headed gulls (1 juvenile bird) and an adult Med gull mixed in with the flock, single dunlin, 2 shelduck, 74 lapwing, reed warbler singing and 4 little egrets. Other – excellent mix of butterflies including numerous meadow browns and ringlets, 1 small tortoiseshell, large skippers, large and small whites, 1 marbled white, 5 painted ladies, burnet moth, 10 spot ladybird, 2 commas, male broad-bodied chaser, several migrant hawkers and 1 male common darter

Main sighting: Lesser whitethroat

Quiet today but 3 swallows, 1 blackcap, 1 lesser whitethroat, 1 redshank, 1 little egret and skylark seen.

Main sighting: Curlew

Watched one of five Curlews mobbing a Red Kite, scoped 2 Curlew chicks and at another site saw 2 adult Curlews perched on a wall presumably standing guard over chicks – what a day! So, so lucky. Also Whinchat, Wheatear; Skylarks and pipits galore.

Main sighting: shelduck

High tide walk from Magor pill, 250 + shelduck on foreshore, 55 curlew, 22 little egrets, flock of 20 linnets, a few goldfinches, whitethroat, a few swallows near the stables and return to van just as heavy rain started.

Main sighting: Pied Flycatcher

A very interesting & educational GOS walk this morning led by Steph Tyler. Only two members braved the much cooler day with heavy rain forecast from 9.00 am which didn’t materialise until 11.00 am.
Limited bird species the highlight being a Pied Flycatcher nesting in a bird box and visiting to feed young. Other species: Robin, Woodpigeon, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Wren, Carrion Crow, Grey Heron flying over, Song Thrush, Goldcrest, Blackbird, Treecreeper, Willow Warbler, Garden Warbler, Stonechat, Blue Tit and possible Redpoll.
Amongst the many plant species pointed out to us were: Zig-Zag Clover, Fairy Flax, Hedge Woundwort, Glaucous Sedge, Tormentil, Lesser Spearwort, Hard Fern, Marsh Thistle, Silverweed, Water Figwort, Marsh Bedstraw, Brookline Speedwort, Corn Mint, Bell Heather, Eared Willow,Scarlet Pimpernel, Yellow (Wood) Pimpernel, and many others. (Apologies to Steph if I have mis-spelled any.)

Main sighting: Disturbance

There will be some disturbance at Goldcliff Lagoons on Sunday afternoon, when volunteers cut vegetation around the fox fence. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Main sighting: Disturbance

There will be some disturbance at Goldcliff Lagoons on Thursday between 12pm and 1.30pm when we carry out our monthly monitoring. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Main sighting: Med.Gull

1-adult Med.Gull in with Black Headed Gulls which numbered several hundred.Also a pair of Shelducks with six ducklings.17h00

Main sighting: Garden Warbler

Nine members joined the GOS walk this morning through Blaen Bran Community Woodland, Cwmbran. Species noted were: Buzzard, Goshawk, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Stock Dove, Woodpigeon, Cuckoo, Green Woodpecker, House Martin, Grey Wagtail, Wren, Dunnock, Robin, Redstart, Stonechat, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Mistle Thrush, Garden Warbler, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Goldcrest, Long-tailed Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Nuthatch, Jay, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Siskin, and Bullfinch.

Main sighting: Bittern

0500 – 0830 visit, 44 species including highlights: Lesser whitethroat calling by the first gate and a pair of common whitethroats near the first hide. Redshank platform – 17 (un-ringed) curlew which flew off at 0520 over the sea wall, cettis calling, 12 swifts passing through, 3 oystercatchers, 14 redshanks, 44 shelduck, 32 lapwing, reed buntings, 1 buzzard, female kestrel, skylark singing, pair of bullfinches flying through, 8 dunlin, 2 herons, 9 ringed plovers and a pair of little ringed plovers mixed in. Hide three – pair of gadwall and a pair of tufteds and 25 mute swans. Only birds of note from seawall were a pair of great black-backed gulls over the sea. Marsh platform – 1 little egret. Hide two – juvenile stonechat on the mud by the reeds with several pied wagtails, 3 meadow pipits and 5 linnets, great tits (family group) in the bushes behind the hide, 2 chiffchaffs, 2 blackcaps, 1 pheasant (calling), and a single sand martin through. Back at hide 1 (0810hrs) a bittern flew right to left across lagoon 3 and landed, then took off again about 5 minutes later and flew left to right for about 50 yards then dropped back down into the reeds – possibly an adult bird?