Main sighting: Brambling

My first Brambling of the ‘winter’ in the garden just now – my earliest winter garden sighting.

Main sighting: Curlews

Curlews again, folks – sorry!  Big tide this morning covered all the foreshore Spartina, and pushed at least 350 Curlews on to Becs Lagoon. This must represent all the Curlews between St Brides and Goldcliff? Sadly, high water levels on Becs Lagoon meant that they were up to their bellies in water, so that ring reading was impossible, but Terry Winter later photographed one ring, Black Blue Blue, from the 2015/16 catch on the first lagoon.

Also one Greenshank, a Merlin chasing Medaow Pipits, and still ten Swallows.

Main sighting: Goosander

Single female on river by bridge to car park around 10.30

Main sighting: Spoonbill

1 Spoonbill (juv) in the gout. 14h25-15h10

Main sighting: Various

Juv Perry through pushing lapwing up. Fem Kestrel and Fem sprawk. 40 plus swallow, 6 snipe, water rail. 3 grey heron, Little egret, 10,teal, 18 shoveler. 6 mute swan, stonechat, 3 curlew (none ringed).

Main sighting: Curlew

Only 13 roosting on first lagoon at first light. They departed to Goldcliff Pill mouth at 0730. Group of 123 on Becs Lagoon were flushed by a Marsh Harrier and never returned. Just after high tide 300 at Goldcliff Pill mouth. At the same time, Chris Wells found 150 at Peterstone with nine colour rings read.
Also present: at first light a Barn Owl hunting in front of first lagoon. At 08h47 a group of seven Spoonbills, all juveniles with dark wingtips, flew in from west, and continued along the coast without stopping. A Peregrine on the hay bales. The Barnacle Goose, no doubt feral, seen with the Canada Geese at first light yesterday morning not found today.

Main sighting: Spoonbill

Seven juvenile Spoonbills just flew over Goldcliff

Main sighting: raven

In and around the lanes around Marshfield last couple of days: raven, green woodpecker, grey heron, sparrowhawk (both days), jay

Main sighting: Stonechats

Good mix of birds on the afternoon visit although nothing unusual – highlights included 31 swallows, cormorant, 3 male stonechats on the fence, 3 little egrets, 1 chiffchaff, female kestrel, 1 buzzard, only 1 redshank (very unusual here), linnets, 36 dunlin, 5 pintail, 56 wigeon, 7 stock doves, oystercatchers, teal, 231 shelduck and 1 heron. Other: 4 red admirals, large and small whites, common darters and 7 migrant hawkers.

Main sighting: Jay

Very high water at Goldcliff early this morning, with the lagoons full and little room for waders. A single greenshank on bank of Prior’s lagoon, with an Aytha type duck, with quite a lot of white at base of bill (probably female tufted) also on Prior’s. Of most interest was a very large flock of jays, comprising 38 individuals. Seems to be a feature of this autumn. Lots of meadow pipits, slightly fewer skylarks, some linnets and one or two siskin over. Kestrel on hay bale. Two redwing over Mitchel Troy this evening.

Main sighting: Goldfinches

A charm of 20 nomadic goldfinches, 100 mallard, 100 sandmartins, 3 heron.

Main sighting: Curlew hide on Becs

NRW have given permission for a small hide to be placed on Becs Lagoon during high tides for the monitoring of colour-ringed Curlews – see the Home page for details. Tides will be high on several days this week so please keep an eye open for colour-ringed birds and send any information to Mike Smart – the details needed are on the Home page.