Sightings

Main sighting: Great White Egret

Late morning / dinner time, single GWE flying through the Machen gap from the direction of Caerphilly (possibly been at the castle moat)? Following the river but high up heading towards the coast (possibly the Gwent Levels). Early afternoon a male goshawk drifted over.

Main sighting: Black Tern

A Black Tern feeding on Lisvane has been there a few days, also Common Sandpiper.

Main sighting: house martins

small passage of martins heading south at midday – 200 plus birds over 10 minute period

Main sighting: Redwing

30+ Redwing flying over heading East

Main sighting: White-tailed Eagle

One of the released birds from the Isle of Wight dropped in at the reservoir this afternoon and caused quite a stir among the local wildfowl. It lingered for a good 15 minutes.

Main sighting: Sightings roundup

Sadly (and for reasons unknown) but the thick bushes between snipe and marsh platform that were a valuable haven for wildlife have been ripped out. Water levels higher so very few waders. En-route to hides: robins (at least 6 singing birds on the reserve), crows, 65 greylag and115 Canada’s making their way out at dawn, jackdaws, herring gulls, blackbird and wrens. Hide one: 2 curlew only. En-route to hide 2: cettis, 2 chiffchaffs, pheasant and moorhen. Hide two: 3 black-tailed godwits, mallard and 10 teal. Snipe platform: 33 swans, 1 heron, linnets, 86 wigeon only, 2 snipe, 3 shoveler and 7 gadwall. Seawall: 25 meadow pipits, 19 more curlew, oystercatchers, shelduck, 20 more black-tailed godwits, black headed gulls, chaffinch, goldfinches, skylarks and raven. Hide 3 lagoon devoid of birds. Back at hide one: 24 lapwing and 1 little egret. Bridge by entrance: light-morph buzzard on a telegraph pole, 3 swallows, starlings, great spotted woodpecker and 4 more chiffchaffs.

Main sighting: Skylark movement

Moorhen, robins, long tailed tit, woodpigeons, great tits, magpies, jays, blue tits, greenfinch, mallards, cettis, crows, lesser black-backed gulls and 3 reed buntings (females). Seawall – 21 skylarks overhead calling, greylags, Canada geese, herring gulls, black headed gulls, 18 wigeon, 1 cormorant, 1 little egret, 25 curlew, 6 black-tailed godwits, 7 redshanks, starlings, goldfinches, meadow pipits, linnets, chiffchaff that dropped into a bramble bush, rooks, 2 lapwing, 1 oystercatcher and a chaffinch. Other: 2 large whites, 1 speckled wood and red underwing moth.

Main sighting: Thrush influx

A loose flock of 25-30 thrushes in the garden this morning. Mostly Blackbirds but several Song and Mistle Thrushes too. No Redwing yet!

Main sighting: Waders

At the end of the day 400 Black Tailed Godwits the the mouth of the Usk river(mid – day), 4 hours after high tide!

Main sighting: Avocet

Highlight of WeBS count today. Despite the atrocious weather torrential rain there was a good selection of waders Avocet 3 Whimbrel 4 Curlew 55 Bar-tailed Godwit 4 Black-tailed Godwit 13 Turnstone 4 Ruff1 Ringed Plover 11 Snipe 10 Lapwing 91 Redshank 12 Knot 1 Teal 224 Gadwall 41 We found a lens cap for a Canon camera and placed it on the Reserve sign board.
In the seawall hide the sills and seats were wet through, as all the viewing slats were left open. Please remember when you leave a hide to close up after you.

Main sighting: Waders

En-route to hides: wrens, crows, robins, jackdaws, chiffchaff, moorhen, 110 Canada geese flying out, pheasants, mallards, little egret, black headed gulls, herring gull and blue tit. Hide 1 – 52 greylags, female marsh harrier and woodpigeons. Hide 2 – 2 more little egrets, 2 teal, stonechat pair and cettis. Snipe platform – 13 more little egrets, 31 swans, 20 gadwall, coot, meadow pipits, heron, 74 more teal, wigeon numbers increasing weekly, now at 115, 8 shoveler and 1 redshank. Seawall – oystercatchers, buzzard perched on a dead washed up tree, 2 stock doves, swallows passing (48) with 15 house martins, 1 great black-backed gull and another little egret . Hide 3 – most active lagoon especially as high tide was approaching, 73 lapwing, 1 bar tailed and 1 black tailed godwits, 128 curlew (1 colour ringed), 20 knot, 2 ruff, 35 dunlin, 1 greenshank, 6 snipe, 6 redshanks, female kestrel, 18 ringed plovers and 3 turnstone. Back at hide 2 – pied wagtails, cormorant, 4 little ringed plovers, 1 more snipe and skylark calling. back at hide 1 – four marsh harriers hunting, 2 together and 2 separate. Whimbrel with damaged leg also seen. 4 more chiffchaffs in the bushes.

Main sighting: Disturbance at Goldcliff Laggons

There will be some disturbance tomorrow when we check water levels and conductivities. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.