Sightings

Main sighting: Curlews

Approximately 100 Curlew at 16:45 as tide pushed higher; along with 140 Dunlin.
At 15:45 approximately 200+ Swallows feeding at the Caldicot levels behind Rogiet.

Main sighting: Bonxie

There was a Bonxie off Sudbrook/Black rock yesterday(16th) pm, it was floating down river with the tide, and when it reached the second Severn crossing would fly back up again and repeat the exercise. Next day(Monday) at approx. 6.30am there was two briefly, unfortunately I got called away briefly and when I returned, they were gone, but Trees seen two birds fly off.
I posted yesterday information yesterday, but probably because of my error it did not did not get submitted. There was also six Greenshanks at Black rock this morning. Also seen was an Oak Eggar moth.

Main sighting: Swift

Just a couple of additions to Blair’s list. Swift 2 near entrance Glossy Ibis 1 Black-tailed Godwit 373 (our highest count) Knot 19 Whitethroat 1 Little Ringed Plover 3. Also, Small Tortoiseshell 1 Meadow Brown Large White.

Main sighting: Little Stints

This mornings visit resulted in at last a sighting of two Little Stints in the channel on Monks Lagoon ( seen from first hide or the first platform).
Large numbers of Swallows, House Martins and Sand Martins near the sea wall.
Yellow Wags, Pied Wags , Wheatears , Meadow Pipits and Linnets around the sea wall hide.
Raven x 1, Buzzard x 2, Ruff x 2, Common Sandpipers x 2.

Main sighting: Bonxie

Bonxie feeding off surface off Black rock still 6.45 pm

Main sighting: Little Stint

From this afternoon: 5 Little Stint, (1 adult, 4 juv), 7 Turnstone, 4 Greenshank, 2,Ruff, 1 Spot’ Red’, 1 Common Sand’, 1 Green Sand’, Glossy Ibis (no surprise there), 5 Yellow Wag’, 4 Whinchat, 1 Swift and a fly through Hobby.

Main sighting: Spotted Redshank and Wood Sandpiper

Dawn visit.
Lots of the usual including the following highlights-
Spotted Redshank ( on Monks), Glossy Ibis on Priors, Wood Sandpiper on Priors and Monks Lagoons.
Hundreds of Swallows, Sand Martins and House Martins over the sea wall and Priors Lagoon.
Big flock of 40+ Linnets on the seawall and Wheatear, Yellow Wags, Pied Wags and Whinchat behind the Avocet ( Sea wall Hide)
Good numbers of Black tailed Goldwits, Knot ( early on), and Redshanks. 2 Ruff seen one of them very smart and reddish in colour.
On arriving at the reserve watched a Bat on the wing along the hedgerow near the entrance sign ( at a guess may be a Pipistrelle).

Main sighting: Wood Sandpiper

Kingfisher in reen by the entrance. Hide one – 5 curlew, 5 ringed plovers, 37 lapwing and teal, Hide two – spotted redshank in breeding plumage, 78 dunlin, 16 common snipe, 2 ruff and 2 grey herons. Snipe platform – 286 black-tailed godwits, 1 lt egret, sedge warbler in the reeds and a blackcap. Marsh platform – 2 chiffchaffs, 1 greenshank, 3 yellow wagtails, male tufted duck, 3 common sandpipers together and the wood sandpiper made an appearance close to the godwits before flying off to the 2nd lagoon. Good passage of hirundines coming in from the sea and feeding over the lagoons including at least 200+ swallows with 15 house and 9 sand martins mixed in. Seawall – 4 wheatears with 2 more on the fence back towards the marsh platform, 5 yellow wagtails mixed in with numerous adult and juv pied wagtails along the seawall also and a flock of 40+ linnets. Hide three -male whinchat on the fence to the left of the hide. Last going off the wood sandpiper was showing close in from hide 2 (Glossy ibis spotted by Blair first thing briefly).

Main sighting: Spotted Flycatcher

This morning single Spotted Flycatcher, Redstart and Whinchat. Yesterday three Chaffinches pretended to be Spotted Flycatchers, flying from treetops to catch insects in mid-air.

Main sighting: WHEATEAR

Today’s sightings;4-Wheatears along sea wall area,2-Stock Doves,8-Knot(1 in bp),12-Little Egrets,150+Black’wits,2-Greenshanks,2-Common Sandpipers,up to 5-Yellow Wagtails,2-Common Sandpipers,1-Little Stint with 2-Little Ringed Plovers,large numbers of Black Headed Gulls with just one or two juveniles.10h30-13h00

Main sighting: Juvenile sparrowhawk

Parkapella, 3 stock doves, song thrush, buzzard and wren. Graig, Penallt, juvenile sparrowhawk, 2 ravens, 3 jays

Main sighting: Disturbance

Contractors will be carrying out survey work on the Goldcliff Lagoons starting on Wednesday the 12th August, they should hopefully be finished by Friday 21 August. Sorry for the potential disturbance and incovenience.
Regards, Tom