Sightings

Main sighting: Redwings

6 Redwings early this morning, on my lawn, feeding. 12 others flying overhead calling.

Main sighting: Long-eared Owls

Two “eared owls”, most likely long-eared, flew alongside the A449 at treetop height about 1km south of the Usk turnoff/A472 at dusk c.6.15pm. They were flying close together, possibly in a chase, seen silhouetted against the sky.

Main sighting: Crossbills

About a dozen crossbills feeding in tops of conifers. North eastern end of Buckholt woods near car park off Mansons Lane

Main sighting: Goldcrest

Pair of goldcrest in garden hedge. PUC is also indicating 2 detections of firecrest but not confirmed visually. Other species this morning are redwing, fieldfare, green woodpecker, kingfisher, robin, house sparrow, long-tailed tit, dunnock, blackbird, wren, kingfisher, carrion crow, tawny owl, jackdaw, blue tit, siskin, great tit, rook, mistle thrush, moorhen pied and grey wagtail, raven, Eurasian treecreeper, song thrush, Canada goose, goldfinch, magpie and a single swallow.

Main sighting: Yellow-browed Warbler

Apologies for late report. 1 YBW calling (coal tit type call) as it made its way through the tall hazels in our garden. Not relocated.

Main sighting: Brambling

About 6 Bramblings including colourful males feeding on Rowan at the top of the Blorenge. I posted this 3 days ago, but for some reason the system ignored me!

Main sighting: Highlights

En-route to hides: robins, woodpigeons, pheasants, Canada geese, buzzard (light-morph regular), moorhen, 13 long tailed tits and blue tit. Hide 1: Single avocet and dunlin, 4 teal, 10 wigeon, dunnock, 82 lapwing flying across and 64 (un-ringed) curlew flushed from lagoon 3 by a jogger in a luminous top running the full length of the sea wall. One curlew has a badly damaged leg which is bent backwards. Cettis, magpies and 2 chiffchaffs en-route to hide 2. At hide 2, 29 more teal, stock dove, 8 shoveler, female stonechat, jackdaws and blackbird. Snipe platform: 171 more teal, 10 more shoveler, 21 gadwall, coot, black headed gulls, 26 swans, mallards, chaffinch, pied wagtail, cormorant and 2 swallows. En-route to seawall – skylarks. Seawall: 10 shoveler flying in off the sea, 1 great black-backed gull with herring gulls and meadow pipits. Hide 3: wren, 18 oystercatchers, 1 little egret, female kestrel and linnets. Back by snipe platform were 2 pairs stonechats (both males chasing each other), goldfinches, 2 jays overhead and a bullfinch calling. Other: 2 hawkers (possibly migrant) and small tortoiseshell butterfly.

Main sighting: Red Kite

1 being mobbed by several jackdaws near the solar farm.

Main sighting: Bramblings

About 6 birds ( they were quite far away!) feeding on Rowan at the top of the hill this morning

Main sighting: Peregrine Falcon

3 Peregrines flying together on ridge then went high in sky

Main sighting: 100 Bird Species

100 species noted over this weekend (11th-13th Oct 2024 inclusive):
Brent Goose; Canada Goose; Greylag Goose; Mute Swan; Shelduck; Shoveler; Gadwall; Wigeon; Mallard; Pintail; Teal; Pochard; Tufted Duck; Scaup; Common Scoter; Pheasant; Stock Dove; Woodpigeon; Collared Dove; Water Rail; Moorhen; Coot; Little Grebe; Great Crested Grebe; Oystercatcher; Ringed Plover; Lapwing; Bar Tailed Godwit; Black Tailed Godwit; Snipe; Turnstone; Dunlin; Kittiwake; Black Headed Gull; Mediterranean Gull; Common Gull; Herring Gull; Great Black Backed Gull; Lesser Black Backed Gull; Arctic Skua; Guillemot; Sooty Shearwater; Great Shearwater; Gannet; Cormorant; Shag; Little Egret; Great White Egret; Grey Heron; Sparrowhawk; Marsh Harrier; Hen Harrier (juv.); Red Kite; Buzzard; Barn Owl; Little Owl; Kingfisher; Great Spotted Woodpecker; Green Woodpecker; Kestrel; Merlin; Peregrine; Jay; Magpie; Jackdaw; Rook; Carrion Crow; Raven; Blue Tit; Great Tit; Bearded Tit; Skylark; Swallow; House Martin; Cetti’s Warbler; Long-Tailed Tit; Chiffchaff; Grasshopper Warbler; Blackcap; Firecrest; Wren; Starling; Song Thrush; Redwing; Blackbird; Robin; Stonechat; Wheatear; House Sparrow; Dunnock; Yellow Wagtail; Pied Wagtail; Meadow Pipit; Rock Pipit; Chaffinch; Brambling; Greenfinch; Linnet; Goldfinch; Reed Bunting.
Many thanks to the GOS organisers of this great weekend.

Main sighting: Spotted Redshank

Common Scoter (3 feeding offshore)
Merlin (female chasing Dunlin)
Spotted Redshank (1)
Black-Tailed Godwit (300)
Curlew Sandpiper (1)
Knot (60)
Turnstone (30)
Dunlin (400)
Redshank (350)
Curlew (15)
Oystercatcher (7)
Kingfisher (1)
Little Egret (1)
Wigeon (70)
Pintail (50)
Teal (15)
Shoveler (200)
Shelduck (250)