Sightings

Main sighting: Water Rail

Water rail dashed out through reeds giving a clear view. Mallards, moorhens and pair of mute swans (the regulars). Many tits, robins and thrushes in hedgerows.

Main sighting: Goosander male

Male Goosander on River Monnow at Rockfield. Bridge Cottage

Main sighting: Goosander

as itstopped raining went up river ebbw.12noon several blk hd gulls .approx 20+jackdaws feeding along the riverbank also 2 crows observed on edge of swollen river standing on a rock and bathing/preening in the water they could have been swept away’F/m goosander observered from road bridge flying upstream

Main sighting: mute swans

11.30am top pool water being drained into bottompool.
4 mute swan.1 pochard .10 mallard .10 tufted app rox 50 coot.2 little grebe.mistle thrush heard .also blackbirds robins and magpies in adjacent fields/Bottom pool
aprox 20 tufted.several coot.20-30 black hd gulls and by the size 2 GBB gulls few herr gulls

Main sighting: Shelduck

The flooded fields held 2 Shelduck, 3 Shoveler and 14 Wigeon as well as numerous Mallard this morning. Low numbers of Mute Swan and Canada Goose.

Main sighting: Birds of prey

A break in the weather 1130 – 1300hrs saw a kestrel hunting for worms over a saturated field, a pair of buzzards soaring and a pair of sparrowhawks being mobbed by rooks

Main sighting: Kingfisher

Kingfisher and 6 Goosander on rive r and a Song Thrush singing near garden

Main sighting: Various

high ground above blaenafon this evening rendered a single merlin , barn owl a single short eared owl hunting the heather .Red kite literally feet above my head and a scattered flock of at least 28 golden plover flying north over Coity..2 peregrine stonechat and a flock of 60 plus fieldfare acompanied by at least 12 blackbirds .highlight for me 3 snipe in ruts left by off road bikers ..

Main sighting: Whooper/Bewicks swan

Seen on the Severn between the bridges swimming but back on and which eventually went to sleep on a sand bank, difficult to be definite, but on size probably Bewicks. Eventually got washed off with incoming tide, but too dark to see then.

Main sighting: redwings

Flock of @50 redwings in field just west of village, coal tits still outnumbering great and blue on the feeders, silver/grey buzzard watching mole-hill activity, pair of dabchicks on nearby pond, tawny owl now calling every afternoon @ 1630 hrs, also muntjac spotted yesterday.
Note to members, NRW have now barriered off main car parks in the area, horse bolted & stable door spring to mind !!!!!!!!!

Main sighting: Redpoll

Up to 4 redpolls feeding on nyger along with the usual finches and tits

Main sighting: Hen Harrier

Male Hen Harrier flying high over Clydach Gorge towards Gilwern Hill. Count of 24 species including the first Siskin for some weeks and a Treecreeper.