Sightings

Main sighting: Goshawk

Over the border I watched a goshawk through binoculars flying in between the tree’s, it then perched on a branch of a conifer.

Main sighting: Whooper Swan

En-route to hides: greylags overhead, mallards, 5 mute swans overhead, crows, moorhen, blackbirds, woodpigeons, Canada geese and numerous redwings now. Hide 1: 29 more greylags and 67 more Canada’s with a pair of white-fronted geese mixed in, 116 lapwing, starlings, male stonechat,, cormorant, great black-backed gull and song thrush. Magpies and fieldfares between first 2 hides. Hide 2: pied wagtails, 8 shelduck, 26 teal, 25 shoveler, 26 wigeon, 7 curlew, 2 black-tailed godwits, raven and buzzard. Meadow pipits en-route to seawall. Seawall: 4 turnstone feeding with a redshank, 11 more curlew and 18 more wigeon. Old hide / phoenix hide: whooper swan in the 3rd lagoon took off at 0915, 96 more teal, 8 gadwall, stonechat pair and lesser black-backed gulls. Wren on way back to hides. Back at hide 2: pair golden plover on the island, female kestrel, skylarks, goldfinches and house sparrows.

Main sighting: Greater Scaup

Female Greater Scaup
Brent Goose (1 dark-bellied)
Pintail 100
Shoveler 250
Wigeon 300
Teal 200
Shelduck 50
Mallard 50
Black-Tailed Godwit 70
Knot 500
Dunlin 2000
Curlew 80
Lapwing 70
Grey Plover 2
Turnstone
Redshank 250
Oystercatcher 150
Little Egret 1

Main sighting: Goshawk

Goshawk, probably male, flew across the road ahead of my car

Main sighting: two double ringed starlings spotted in garden

Might be of interest to somebody but a small flock of starlings regularly appears in our garden to eat suet pellets. I’ve noticed several are ringed but two have double rings so thought this might be of interest to somebody. i assume they roost in Newport wetlands where I’ve been told they do ring starlings

Main sighting: Red Grouse

Red Grouse on bog SE of parking area

Main sighting: Spotted Redshank

First two hides visited only and not far side: En-route to hide 1, redwings, starlings, woodpigeons, magpies, collard dove, herring gulls, crows, chaffinch, fieldfares (very low numbers and wren. Hide 1: cormorant 2, spotted redshank roosting in low brown grass in front of island, 18 lapwing, 42 wigeon, 1 heron, 8 shoveler, 14 greylags, mallards, Canada geese, meadow pipits, light-morph and dark-morph common buzzards, kestrel, 3 shelduck and 71 teal. Pheasant and blackbirds en-route to hide 2. Hide 2: lesser black-backed gulls, 1 avocet (over on lagoon 3), ravens, 2 grey plover, fly past great egret, 5 skylarks and 1 little egret. Returning to car park: robins, dunnock, song thrush, pied wagtail and moorhen.

Main sighting: Great White Egret

Two Great White Egrets still present. Also a pair of Gadwall, very occasional here, along with the usual suspects.

Main sighting: Bewick's

Pintail; Bewick’s Swan; Golden Plover; Mallard; Teal; Greylag Goose; Curlew; Lapwing; Black Tailed Godwit; Tufted Duck; Shoveler; Chaffinch; Dunnock; Robin; Long Tailed Tit; House Sparrow; Stock Dove; Mute Swan; Goldcrest; Blue Tit; Great Tit; Moorhen; Dunlin; Black Headed Gull; Rook; Herring Gull; Barnacle Goose; Grey Heron; Canada Goose; Starling; Shelduck; Carrion Crow; Great Black Backed Gull; Wigeon; Common Crane; Coot; Goldeneye; Redshank; Jackdaw; Woodpigeon; Cormorant; Egyptian Goose; Little Egret; Bullfinch; Redwing; Fieldfare; Magpie; Little Stint; Blackbird; Goldfinch; Greenfinch; Gadwall; Great Spotted Woodpecker; Marsh Harrier; Buzzard; Kestrel. Many Thanks to Dave Brassey for arranging the trip 🙂

Main sighting: Pied Flycatcher

A remarkable record of a bird that was found feeding along the line of trees towards the Newport Indoor Bowls centre. The bird has a BTO ring on with photo’s taken showing most of the ring number. The bird was still present this morning 1st Dec

Main sighting: Black-Tailed Godwits

Early morning visit to the lagoons. At first light big flock of geese – Canada Goose/Greylag Goose flew from the reserve as I walked in. All 3 lagoons are full of water. Monks – 2 x Shelduck and flock of 100c Lapwing. Kestrel ( female) hunting in front of Hide 2. Chiffchaff and Fieldfare ( 20c) at rear of Hide 2 and more Fieldfare throughout the hedgerows. Cormorants (x 2) flying around the lagoons. Viewed from the Marsh Platform – large flock of 300 + Black-Tailed Godwits. They stayed until just after firss light and flew out to the Saltmarsh near the Pill where they joined a flock of Curlews (30c) and Grey Plovers (20+) – these were very mobile flying out over the estuary regularly.
Becs had two Shelduck and was very quiet.
Other – Buzzard was hanging around the periphery of the reserve on fences and hedges.
Pied Wagtail, pair of Stonechats, Linnet flock, Starlings 100+, Herring and Lesser Black-Backed Gulls, Robin, Blue Tit, Wren , Moorhens, Goldfinch and Woodpigeon.

Main sighting: Yellow Hammers

8 YH in field edge on feed on moor edge above Bwilch. Also Nuthatches, a green woodpecker, coal tits ,blue and Great tits and mots of finches