Sightings

Main sighting: Spotted Redshank

First two hides visited only and not far side: En-route to hide 1, redwings, starlings, woodpigeons, magpies, collard dove, herring gulls, crows, chaffinch, fieldfares (very low numbers and wren. Hide 1: cormorant 2, spotted redshank roosting in low brown grass in front of island, 18 lapwing, 42 wigeon, 1 heron, 8 shoveler, 14 greylags, mallards, Canada geese, meadow pipits, light-morph and dark-morph common buzzards, kestrel, 3 shelduck and 71 teal. Pheasant and blackbirds en-route to hide 2. Hide 2: lesser black-backed gulls, 1 avocet (over on lagoon 3), ravens, 2 grey plover, fly past great egret, 5 skylarks and 1 little egret. Returning to car park: robins, dunnock, song thrush, pied wagtail and moorhen.

Main sighting: Great White Egret

Two Great White Egrets still present. Also a pair of Gadwall, very occasional here, along with the usual suspects.

Main sighting: Bewick's

Pintail; Bewick’s Swan; Golden Plover; Mallard; Teal; Greylag Goose; Curlew; Lapwing; Black Tailed Godwit; Tufted Duck; Shoveler; Chaffinch; Dunnock; Robin; Long Tailed Tit; House Sparrow; Stock Dove; Mute Swan; Goldcrest; Blue Tit; Great Tit; Moorhen; Dunlin; Black Headed Gull; Rook; Herring Gull; Barnacle Goose; Grey Heron; Canada Goose; Starling; Shelduck; Carrion Crow; Great Black Backed Gull; Wigeon; Common Crane; Coot; Goldeneye; Redshank; Jackdaw; Woodpigeon; Cormorant; Egyptian Goose; Little Egret; Bullfinch; Redwing; Fieldfare; Magpie; Little Stint; Blackbird; Goldfinch; Greenfinch; Gadwall; Great Spotted Woodpecker; Marsh Harrier; Buzzard; Kestrel. Many Thanks to Dave Brassey for arranging the trip 🙂

Main sighting: Pied Flycatcher

A remarkable record of a bird that was found feeding along the line of trees towards the Newport Indoor Bowls centre. The bird has a BTO ring on with photo’s taken showing most of the ring number. The bird was still present this morning 1st Dec

Main sighting: Black-Tailed Godwits

Early morning visit to the lagoons. At first light big flock of geese – Canada Goose/Greylag Goose flew from the reserve as I walked in. All 3 lagoons are full of water. Monks – 2 x Shelduck and flock of 100c Lapwing. Kestrel ( female) hunting in front of Hide 2. Chiffchaff and Fieldfare ( 20c) at rear of Hide 2 and more Fieldfare throughout the hedgerows. Cormorants (x 2) flying around the lagoons. Viewed from the Marsh Platform – large flock of 300 + Black-Tailed Godwits. They stayed until just after firss light and flew out to the Saltmarsh near the Pill where they joined a flock of Curlews (30c) and Grey Plovers (20+) – these were very mobile flying out over the estuary regularly.
Becs had two Shelduck and was very quiet.
Other – Buzzard was hanging around the periphery of the reserve on fences and hedges.
Pied Wagtail, pair of Stonechats, Linnet flock, Starlings 100+, Herring and Lesser Black-Backed Gulls, Robin, Blue Tit, Wren , Moorhens, Goldfinch and Woodpigeon.

Main sighting: Yellow Hammers

8 YH in field edge on feed on moor edge above Bwilch. Also Nuthatches, a green woodpecker, coal tits ,blue and Great tits and mots of finches

Main sighting: Merlin

Morning visit was very quiet a few fieldsfares and stonechat on the way to Pwll du along the tumble.Single Peregrine falcon perched on the cliff of the quarry in the usual spot. Very pleased to get a great view of a female Merlin that flew along the cliff edge and passed below me.

Main sighting: 2 Snow Buntings

2 Snow Buntings just before the mile marker.

Main sighting: Wood Pigeon

1000+ Wood Pigeon moving through this morning, 100+ Fieldfare over!

Main sighting: Firecrest

A single Firecrest feeding in my garden this morning. A wonderful first!

Main sighting: Short-eared Owl

Dusk visit. Around 130 Fieldfares coming to roost on the moor. Pair of Ravens in the lone tree. At 4.50 pm, in near darkness, a Short-eared Owl appeared, hunting over the area below the road.

Main sighting: Fieldfare

1600hrs – Large flock of Fieldfares (circa 400) gathered around the quarry before descending into the trees to roost.