Sightings

Main sighting: Disturbance at Goldcliff Lagoons today

There will be some disturbance today when we check water levels and salinities, between 12pm and 2pm. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Main sighting: Lesser Redpol

Two redpols flew over mid morning (ID’d by flight calls)

Main sighting: Redwing

Flock of around 25 Redwing over Blaencuffin Barn Farm.

Main sighting: Wigeon

Very busy on the Waun pond (near Asda) with first sightings of Wigeon, at least 8 there, also Great Crested Grebe family still about with 2 Adults and 2 of this years chicks. 3 Goosanders,1 moorhen, 1 BH Gull, 1 Herring gull, 1 Cormorant, 2 Mute Swans, over 30 Tufted Duck, Mallard and over 50 coot. Fairly quiet around Parc Nant y Waun, with Carion crows, Magpie, Goldfinches, Robin, Dunnock and variety of Tits.

Main sighting: Red Kite

1 x Red Kite flying above B4248 as I drove down the hill towards Brynmawr.

Main sighting: Dipper and Grey Wagtail

Walk along the river to Lower Clydach Falls.
1 x Dipper, 2 x Grey Wagtails, 1 x Jay, 3 x Blackbird, 2 x Robin, 1 x Buzzard, 1x Wren, 2 x , 1 x Great Tot, 2 x Blue Tit, 2 x Woodpigeon.

Main sighting: Little Stints and wader flock

Early AM visit up until high tide.
The wader flock came in from the foreshore eventually and landed on Becs Lagoons ( on the far side for most of it.
2 x Little Stint ( photographed) 40 + Dunlins 10c Ringed Lover 15+ grey Plovers, 1 x Whimbrel, 2 x Black Tailed Godwits, 20+ Curlew. 2 x Wigeon, and Shelduck, Mallard and Teal ( not counted). 1 x Kestrel, 1 x Buzzard(Bosprey), 1 x Sparrowawk. Lots of Meadow Pipits, Skylarks and Chiffchaffs are moving through the reserve. 1 x Stonechat. Cetti Warbler heard. Carrion Crows and Magpies. Herring, Lesser Blackbacked and Black Headed Gulls seen. Hordes of Canada Geese at first light. 2 x Mute Swans. 1 x Grey Heron and 1 x Little Egret.
Fox seen on the salt marsh.
Swallows seen on Monks.

Main sighting: White Wagtail

Car park to hides: crows, blackbirds, buzzard (normal-phase), magpies, wren, robins, moorhens (2 in the upper branches of the willow by the bridge), mallards, herring gulls and raven. Hide 1: heron and 3 shelduck. Cettis calling on way to next hide. Hide 2: Canada geese, 90 greylag geese, male wigeon (1st returning autumn duck), 2nd buzzard (light-morph), pair of kestrels on the posts, little egret and jackdaws. En-route to snipe platform: green woodpecker calling, stock dove, great white egret passing, flock of 40+ linnets, woodpigeons and pheasant. Blackthorn bushes from hide 2 to the platform were alive with warblers, 21 chiffchaff counted with 1 very smart and quite late willow warbler mixed in, 1 female reed bunting, chaffinches and blue tits. Snipe Platform: stonechat pair, 15 golden plover low overhead and calling, 2 white wagtails in with 9 pied wagtails. Seawall: 25 curlew, 2 cormorants, lesser black-backed and 1 great black-backed gull, 6 more wigeon and a fox crossing the saltings. By what would be hide 3: good mix of waders on the lagoon including 95 lapwing, 16 more curlew, 2 black-tailed godwits, 4 ringed plovers, 1 little stint, 2 juv curlew sandpipers, 8 grey plovers and 1 oystercatcher. 12 teal and 2 siskins calling overhead, female sparrowhawk crossing overhead. Back at hide 2 were 6 swallows feeding and a pair of mute swans. No sign of wryneck.

Main sighting: Black redstart

Feeding on pile of stonework inside north transept

Main sighting: Crossbill

Crossbill 5 – Coal tit – 2 Sisken 5

Main sighting: Mix of interesting birds inc wryneck

Species variety not the highest but good mix of birds seen despite the high winds. Car park to hides: herring gulls, robin, woodpigeons, long tailed tits, mistle thrush, mallards, moorhen, great white egret flying past and blue tits. Hide 1: good numbers of greylags (99) amongst 175 Canada geese, 24 teal, 2 dunlin, 42 lapwing and 2 herons. En-route to next hide: chiffchaff. Hide 2: crows, 3 shelduck, meadow pipits, male kestrel perched up, starlings and 1 swallow. En-route to platform: cettis calling, goldfinches, 3 siskins overhead calling, magpies and 2 pied wagtails. Just past snipe platform but before the bend in the fence line, the wryneck showed twice but very briefly, preferring to stay low in the thick hawthorns and blackthorns. Seawall: 6 grey plovers and 6 curlew. Snipe platform: 28 more lapwing. Single yellow wagtail flying / calling just prior to hide 2. Hide 2: male peregrine perched on the bank which flew across to the far side and perched on the ground, jackdaws, kingfisher flying low and across the reserve left to right and 1 great black-backed gull. Hide1: male wheatear on the island showing well and 1 little stint with 3 ringed plovers. Great tits and a 2nd swallow back at the car park.

Main sighting: Yellow-barred warbler

Visited garden at least twice on the consecutive mornings of 30/09/25 and 01/10/25.
[I noticed there where also sightings in Gloucestershire on the 1st].