Sightings

Main sighting: Black-Necked Grebe, and Waders

Lots on offer at the reserve but very boggy – wellies advisable. Monks – Peregrine Falcon in its usual spot on the island. Priors – 2 x Goldeneye, 1 x Pintail, 2 x Snipe in front of the “snipe platform”. Black- Necked Grebe showing very well. Other – Tufted Ducks, Teal, Gadwall, Little Grebe, Redshank, Glossy Ibis, Mute Swans, Greylags, Canada Geese, Wigeon, Shovelers and Shelduck. Good flock of 20+ Curlews. STone Chats and Meadow Pipits. Marsh Harrier quartered Priors early on.
Becs – was quiet. Mainly Shelduck.
Foreshore mud ( from the seawall) – Nice flock of Dunlins 100+, c20 Grey Plover, 14 Avocets, 10+ Knot, Curlews 30+, Pintail Flock c10. Great Black Backed Gull x 2 . Oystercatchers 30+.
Buzzards x 2 and Carrion Crows. Large numbers of Wigeon. Lapwing seen towards Saltmarsh c100.
Hedgerows full of Fieldfae and Redwings.

Main sighting: Blair Jones

Afternoon visit to Uskmouth through sunset to dusk. Waders observed on the mud – flock of Dunlins, Knot and Grey Plover ( c80 birds in total). Big flock of 300+ Dunlins. Curlews 30+, Wigeon 100 +. Flock of c15 Linnet 1 x Buzzard. Water Rails calling regularly in reeds leading to Saltmarsh Lane.
Dusk – Hen Harrier ( Ringtail) quartering the reeds.

Main sighting: Hen Harrier

Afternoon visit to Uskmouth through sunset to dusk. Waders observed on the mud – flock of Dunlins, Knot and Grey Plover ( c80 birds in total). Big flock of 300+ Dunlins. Curlews 30+, Wigeon 100 +. Flock of c15 Linnet 1 x Buzzard. Water Rails calling regularly in reeds leading to Saltmarsh Lane.
Dusk – Hen Harrier ( Ringtail) quartering the reeds.

Main sighting: Fieldfare

200+ fieldfare (on golf course fairways) with 30 starlings and 20 redwings; 2 stonechat (1m 1f) 50 redshank, 30 oystercatchers, 20 curlew. Teal and wigeon, shelduck, 2 sanderling, 2 pied wagtail, 2 cormorant.

Main sighting: Avocet

Red Barn area: 2 herons, 126 lapwing, 4 male and 3 female tufted ducks, 108 wigeon, 2 shoveler, 2 mute swans, pair gadwall, 1 cettis calling and 2 skylark overhead. Boat Lane area; 2 buzzards perched on sea wall and 1 overhead, 1 water rail squealing, 1 cettis calling, green woodpecker yaffling and 3 skylarks overhead. From the seawall – 380 wigeon, 56 teal, 48 mallards, 2 gt black-backed gulls and an interesting mix of waders with 17 avocet, 92 dunlin, 10 knot, 42 black-tailed godwits and 53 redshanks. Also seen near the wall, male stonechat, 4 wrens and a chiifchaff feeding in the foliage underneath the wall.

Main sighting: Turnstone

Dawn visit highlights: Grey heron 1, oystercatcher 5, curlew 4, shelduck 4, redshank 2, dunlin 19, teal 11 and a good count of 54 turnstone.

Main sighting: Black-necked grebe

Peregrine, Black-necked grebe, Glossy ibis, at least 2 Goldeneye, little grebe, kestrel and good numbers of teal, wigeon, shelduck, gadwall and shoveller. Nearby (2 miles East) 90-100 fieldfare with 100+ starling and 20+ redwing.

Main sighting: Counters needed

Volunteers are needed to help with Newport Wetlands monthly WeBS and High Tide counts. See the Home page for more details.

Main sighting: Male Goosander

Three red kites above the Usk river and adjacent fields.
Four female goosanders, one male goosander and one little egret on the river.
Canada geese in the field, one cormorant and one grey wagtail on the shores of the river. Further on there were 10 herring gulls and one great black-back gull in a field, mute swans – some on the field others in pools.
One blue, one great tit and one great-spotted woodpecker in the trees and long tailed tits nr. Llanvihangel Gobion church. One buzzard opposite the river on the ground with prey, possibly a rook.

Main sighting: Long-tailed Duck

Single on the bottom pool loosely associating with a group of Tufteds. Bring your scope for best views!

Main sighting: Black-necked grebe

Black-necked grebe showing exceptionally well in front of snipe platform. At times, it was the closest bird. Also here were some sparkling teal, wigeon (200+) and gadwall. Glossy ibis also showing well, perching for a while on fence at edge of lagoon. A smattering of fieldfare, redwing and starling. Three female goldeneye. On the mud (estuary) were 30 or 40 dunlin and 53 grey plover. Further groups of wigeon on the sea. Have noticed an increase in bullfinch recently, perhaps there has been an influx?

Main sighting: Swans

Two groups of mute swan feeding on crop ..32 at llangybi bottom and 28 at Llanbadoc ..Smew still present despite flood water putting 6 ft on the level of the river at the rear of the prison fields ..with that goosander and teal plus a single snipe flushed from the ditch adjacent to llanbadoc church .