Sightings

Main sighting: Glossy Ibis

Glossy Ibis, 7 dunlin, c100 lapwing, 5 curlew, male stonechat, Cetti’s warbler, fem type marsh harrier, c140 fieldfares and c80 redwings at Redbarn Hide.
2 chiffchaffs in hedge, at least 12 blackbirds, 12 song thrushes, 40 fieldfares and redwings, 3 goldcrests, 20 long tailed tits, 1 Cetti’s warbler, 1 kestrel, adult tiercel peregrine, 6 grey plover, 19 avocets, 20 curlew, 12 redshank and 5 snipe the highlights

Main sighting: Spotted Redshank

2-Spotted Redshanks on left bank of prior’s lagoon,4-Snipe and 1-Peregrine,15 to 20-Meadow Pipits.10h10-12h30.

Main sighting: Goosander

Total of 54 Goosander, only five male. About 700 Jackdaws over late afternoon

Main sighting: Goosander

Male and female goosander on the pond also kingfisher present. 2 buzzards circling the edge of Twmbarlwm

Main sighting: Parakeets

2parakeets by aldi in blackwood 2nd time Ive seen them

Main sighting: Swallows

Two swallows feeding around the houses on the point. Several dragonfly on the wing – probably common darter. Other highlights – good numbers of gadwall & shoveler. Female Peregrine dozing in the sun on the island of the first lagoon. Male Marsh Harrier flew through, hunting.

Main sighting: Brambling

x2 Brambling picked up calling overhead with N-Easterly Chaffinch & Meadow Pipit movement. x53 Curlew, x2 Pintail, x4 Cetti’s, x48 Common Gull, x2 GBBG, x1 Kingfisher, x17 Redshank and est 100+ Redwing, 50+ Fieldfare.
Substantial Dunlin flocks further up coastline.

Main sighting: Swallow

Highlights of the hightide count: four Swallows hawking insects at the point. Avocet 8 Barnacle Goose 2 Black swan 1 Little Grebe 3 Teal 60 Gadwall 35 Wigeon +++ Shoveler 120 Mallard 50 Goldeneye 1 Peregrine 1 Merlin 1 Common Gull 2 Green Woodpecker 1 Long-tailed Tit 20 Cetti’s Warbler 1 Meadow Pipit 40 Fieldfare 40 Redwing 10

Main sighting: Jack Snipe

Morning high tide, calm and overcast : Jack Snipe on rocks close to Redshank, also, possibly, 4 flew over. Wigeon 140, Teal 27, Shoveler 44, Shelduck 32, Mallard 8,Pintail 174( this count subject to problems of identification at greater distances ). Redshank , two separate flocks of 250 and 230, 1 Heron and 1 Lgrt, 40 to 60 Feldfare. Blackbirds continue to increase.

Main sighting: Barnacle Geese

AM visit: pheasant, good numbers of migrating woodpigeons (one group 1000+), male preregrine hunting, shelduck, shoveler, 85 wigeon (more on the saltings), 2 barnacle geese in with the Canada’s in the field behind snipe platform, chiffchaff contact call, cettis calling. (from snipe platform) -1 heron, 4 lt egrets, 52 teal, 68 gadwall, 2 drake common pochards, 2 lt grebes, 1 snipe, pair stonechats, skylarks, female goldeneye, 1 swallow seen three times (there was a pair flying around the entrance of the reserve also), 3 tufted ducks, meadow pipits, 300+ lapwing towards the power station and fieldfares. Seawall – migrating sisking overhead calling, kestrel hunting, 114 curlew, 2 grey plovers, 4 knot, 15 avocet, 63 oystercatchers, 2 gt black-backed gulls and a passing red admiral butterfly. Hide 3 – female marsh harrier hunting and 1 passing stock dove.

Main sighting: Goldeneye and Barnacle Geese

Dawn visit to mid-day. Hedgerows had Fieldfare and Redwings. Not huge numbers but quite a few around. Big flock of Starlings. Early on 3 Curlews on Monks but saw some more later. Peregrine Falcon perched up on Monks Island.
Priors lagoon had teal, Pochard, Shoveler, Wigeon and Gadwall Ducks. Later a Goldeneye put in an appearance. Flock of Canada Geese in field at rear of Snipe Platform had 2 Barnacle Geese. Male and Female Marsh Harrier seen on seperate occassions. Male Kestrel seen hunting. Large flocks of Woodpigeons and 2 x Stock Doves seen.
Other birds to note – Stone Chats x 2, Swallows x 3, 2 x Little Egrets, Meadow Pipits, Golden Plover x 3. Wren x 1. Out on the Pill were seen Curlew, Dunlins, Grey Plover, Avocets and Oystercatchers.
More seen by Dan Webb who saw Siskins and at the snipe Platform a Black Redstart.

Main sighting: Black redstart

Black redstart dropped in briefly at the snipe platform, 4 swallows through, 15 avocets, 6 knot, 6 grey plover, 120 curlew, 60 oystercatchers, 40 dunlin, 1 pintail, 1 female goldeneye, 2 drake pochard, 3 tufted duck, 2 feral barnacles with canadas, male and female marsh harriers, juv male sparrowhawk, 40 fieldfares, 20 redwing, 6 blackbirds, 4 goldcrests and 28 long tailed tits the highlights.

Visible migration from 8 to 10.40 included 574 woodpigeons, 2 chaffinches, 6 goldfinches, 2 linnets, 4 mipits, 1 pied wag, 4 siskins and 4 swallows south west and 4 skylarks north east.