Sightings

Main sighting: Blue tit

Newly fledged fluffy blue tit at nest site

Main sighting: Garganey

Pheasants, 2 chiffchaffs, 7 ravens, common whitethroat, blackcap and green woodpecker yaffling, Redshank Platform – 48 redshanks (one with a damaged leg), 25 lapwing, 3 skylarks, 4 oystercatchers, 2 ringed plovers, linnets, 2 cormorants, 3 black-headed gulls, shelduck, 1 swift and 1 juvenile little egret, juvenile common buzzard and sand martins in 4 separate groups comprising 5, 3, 25 and 12 birds. Snipe platform – 3 herons (1 juvenile and 1 adult with an eel), 6 mute swans, reed buntings and the reed warbler singing and cettis calling. Seawall – quiet on the mudflats but the cape/ruddy shelduck is still present, 5 curlew, 2 common gulls and the black-tailed godwits which were on lagoon 3 made their way down to the mudflats. Hide three – 2 pairs of tufted ducks, the garganey is still present and going into eclipse plumage, juvenile little grebe showing quite well, gadwall, 1 little ringed plover and 3 swallows. OTHER: Meadow browns on the wing and a lovely bee orchid just past the muddy section alongside the fence prior to the seawall.

Main sighting: Oyster catcher

Att the bench over the last few days. kingfisher 3′ over our heads, pair oyster catchers heading up stream, spotted flycatcher, goosander with 10 gooselings, 6 full grown mallard young, heron, little egret, pair swan, red kite, pheasant, 3 c sandpiper, herring gull, wood pigeon, green and gs peckers, sand martins, pied wag, jay, magpie, jackdaw familly, c crow, robin, blackbird, blue tit, tree creeper, chaffinch.

Main sighting: Rosy starling

Lighthouse Pub: Rose-coloured Starling

Main sighting: Curlew chicks

Curlew chicks seen at a site reported to Curlew@gwentbirds.org.uk ! There must be more out there. Please keep your eyes open and email all Curlew sightings, chicks or adults, to our dedicated address.

Main sighting: Garganey

Sea-wall hide: drake garganey

Main sighting: Goosanders

Mum teaching seven well-grown ducklings to dive for fish

Main sighting: Lapwing

A lapwing flew around us while walking in the fields from Michaelstone-y-Fedw to Draethen, having exited Park Wood. It landed in the field and stayed while we walked on. I know they have been spotted in the Gwent levels so wondered if it came across from there.

Main sighting: Ruddy Shelduck

Dawn – 11am. Chiffchaff 2, common whitethroat pair (male taking feathers into possible nest site, swallow 5, pheasant, reed warbler 2, cettis 1 and reed buntings. Hide one – very quiet all over the reserve, but highlights included 1 little ringed plover, 10 redshanks, shelduck, good count of 27 lapwing, skylarks, 2 grey herons (1 juvenile) and 3 oystercatchers. Redshank platform – single black-tailed godwit, 3 black-headed gulls, linnets (breeding pair), lesser whitethroat feeding (not singing for a change), 2 mute swans and 2 swifts. Seawall – 5 more black-tailed godwits and 7 curlew. Hide three – pair of tufteds with a third single male, pair of teal, 2 ringed plovers and 12 gadwall roosting (possibly more in the vegetation)?. Hide two – the ruddy shelduck was feeding opposite hide 1 then flew across in front of hide 2 for about a minute before flying off over the seawall. Garganey preening on the edge of the island before flying off towards the third hide. Male kestrel hovering a single little egret past and 4 cormorants. OTHER: Good numbers of hairy dragonflies around the first reen by the stone bridge, 1 banded demoiselle also. Elsewhere 1 small tiger moth, the first meadow brown of the year, 1 speckled wood, 1 common blue and 1 small copper.

Main sighting: Cuckoo

2 pairs of nesting redstarts, wood warbler singing from the alder woodland and a cuckoo calling.

Main sighting: Curlew request

A reminder to keep sending all reports of Curlews to Curlew@gwentbirds.org.uk . You may be lucky enough to see chicks now but all records help. As much detail as possible, please – numbers, date, location, behaviour, habitat etc – but if it’s just a distant sighting send that too.

Main sighting: Little Ringed Plover

Pleased, though surprised, to see a Little Ringed Plover in a field flash with Curlews and Lapwings.