Sightings

Main sighting: Goosander

Male almost certainly seen again floating up river severn (from bedroom window) approx. 8’ish this am

Main sighting: Bar-tailed Godwit

Very hard going birding wise with high winds and heavy showers, but highlights from a dawn to mid-morning visit included 17 bar-tailed godwits in amongst some black-tailed godwits, 73 dunlin, 189 curlew from hide 1 (4 colour ringed birds from the Severn ringing project present), 63 knot, black swan, 4 gt black-backed gulls over low which moved the curlews off, female kestrel, 1 heron and 3 lt egrets only, 1 greenshank, female sparrowhawk, 1 yellow wagtail, 2 wheatears, 2 snipe, pair of stonechats, 1 skylark, 3 grey plovers and 21 ringed plovers. At one point 620 shelduck (possibly more) flew up from behind the seawall before dropping down near the Pill. The 2 spoonbills were present again and appear to be juvenile birds based on their bill colouring? Cettis calling also and a chiffchaff (contact call) picked up.

Main sighting: Woodlark

Evening visit – male kestrel hunting, 63 shelduck, 8 lt egrets, 2 spoonbill feeding on 1st and 2nd lagoons, 2 wheatears, 6 yellow wagtails, smaller passage of meadow pipits, only 6 swallows, 2 chiffchaffs (contact calls), 1 buzzard, 1 heron and an adult female marsh harrier. It was hard going with the high wind and showers so third hide and seawall not visited. However, back at hide 1 was a mix of 75 ringed plovers, 11 dunlin, 1 curlew sandpiper, 1 knot, 12 grey plovers later joined by 2 golden plovers, 20 lapwing, 1 greenshank, 1 ruff and 2 common redshanks. A low flyover woodlark (seen and calling) was the highlight of the visit.

Main sighting: Goshawk

Goshawk circling over valley and woodland somewhere near Newcastle, Mon. Mobbed by crow. Nearby several tens of hirundines still.

Main sighting: Grey Plover

Evening visit at high tide. Notably 8 x Grey Plovers were seen on Monks Lagoon with a small number Knots (6). 50 x Lapwings, Dunlin (1), Ringed Plover 30+, Black Headed Gulls 20 +. Big flocks of Meadow Pipits and Goldfinches.
1 x Buzzard. On Priors was 1 x Ruff, 1 x Snipe , 1 x Redshank, 2 x Greenshank and 100+ Teal.
Becs Lagoon – hunting Kestrel, 2 x Spoonbill 8 x Curlew. Little Egret x 6.
I was informed that someone had seen a Scaup Duck earlier in day but not confirmed.

Main sighting: Gooseander

Seen by Chris Stone this afternoon at sudbrook. 1 male gooseander, 1 adult Mediterranean gull, 24 redshank.

Main sighting: Goshawk

Juv Goshawk hunting low at woodland edge and up tk 45 Swallow heading south .Also Green Woodpecker Male and 5 Buzzard thermal .

Main sighting: Spoonbill

7 Spoonbill from seawall hide

Main sighting: Waders and Peregrine

High tide today did not produce the numbers hoped for of Waders. Bit of a lull at the moment generally. Flock of Knots had some Dunlins in it and they settled on Becs Lagoon where a male Peregrine had been perched on a rock most of the morning but flew off eventually. A Turnstone and some Lapwing joined the Dunlins and a Curlew Sandpiper and things settled. Then the Peregrine returned and took out the Turnstone and ate it on the Becs Island.

Main sighting: Red Kite

Red Kite soaring over fields at Llanellen around 1.50 pm.

Main sighting: Spotted Redshanks

Dawn to mid-morning visit highlights – 5 chiffchaffs, 8 lt egrets, 156 teal, 4 shoveler, 2 herons, 1 buzzard (light-phase bird), 48 sand martins with 26 house martins and 248 swallows passing through together, another passage of meadow pipits with 148 counted and 14 skylarks, 1 cettis calling, green woodpecker yaffling, only 1 ringed plover and no dunlin, 3 ruff, 2 spotted redshanks feeding together, 2 greenshanks, 9 snipe, 56 lapwing, 7 yellow wagtails, 2 white wagtails in with numerous pieds, 9 black-tailed godwits, female kestrel, male sparrowhawk, glossy ibis made a brief appearence before going out to the mudflats, kingfisher, black swan, pair of stonechats, 1 wheatear, 62 knot and a male peregrine. Mudflats: 2 gt b b gulls, 68 curlew and 62 oystercatchers. Other: 1 painted lady, 2 red admirals, 2 speckled woods, common darters and numerous migrant hawkers. Likely candidate for a great-white egret flying across to the Pill but not enough time to confirm ID – size right, kinked neck, slwoer wing beats etc but could not see the bill for positive ID sorry.

Main sighting: Water rail

Dusk visit. Fairly quiet but highlights included 6 chiffchaffs, female kestrel hunting, 44 lapwing, 4 yellow wagtails (including a juvenile), 2 herons, small passage of swallows and meadow pipits, 3 ruff, skylarks, 6 snipe, black swan, 1 greenshank, juvenile water rail with the snipe, 2 turnstone in with the lapwing, cettis calling and 3 lt egrets. Seawall – 1 wheatear with 600+ black-headed gulls on the mudflats, 87 knot, 170 black-tailed godwits and a surprising 17 avocets. Other: 1 red admiral, 1 painted lady, several male and female common darters and 18 migrant hawkers.