Sightings

Main sighting: Redwing

Ten birds flying over – first of the autumn.

Main sighting: Hoopoe

Was lucky to separately run into the Hoopoe also reported by Geoff North. It posed briefly in the middle of the path, north side of the reedbeds, east from the VC. Still in the area a few hours later but mobile.

Main sighting: Water Rail

Quiet bird wise. En-route to hides: robins, sparrows, woodpigeons, magpies, blue tits, crows, 2 chiffchaffs and a rook. Hide one – 5 greylags only. Hide two – 2 herons, 66 teal, shoveler numbers now at 99, cettis calling, blackbirds, goldfinches, 13 wigeon, male marsh harrier, 2 gadwall, 29 lapwing, mallards and 1 mute swan. Snipe platform – 2 spoonbill still present, 12 coot only, another 14 gadwall, 3 lt grebes, male stonechat and 10 swallows over. Seawall – good passage of meadow pipits (in about half an hour there were 8 groups passing consisting of 35, 46, 36, 26, 17, 15, 45 and 25 birds), sure there would have been more throughout the day. Also over another 11 swallows, oystercatchers, 11 curlew, shelduck, black headed and herring gulls. Hide three – pair of stonechats, water rail calling, 60 more teal, wrens, 9 more shoveler, starlings, raven, skylark, flock of 53 linnets. Back by hide two 3 siskins overhead calling. Back from hide one – 8 redshanks with a single black-tailed godwit mixed in and 4 snipe in the reeds. Single cormorant on the bank.

Main sighting: Hoopoe

Hoopoe landed circular path around the reserve.

Main sighting: Spoonbill 2 juv

Other notable – Great Egret 1, Little Egret 8+, Little Grebe 2, Dunlin 12, Oystercatcher 24 (high tide mud), Snipe 6, Curlew 4, Marsh Harrier 1 (scattered everything), Peregrine 1 (perched Saltmarsh post), Wheatear 1 (rubble heaps at farm gate), lots of Common Darter dragonflies, a Migrant Hawker Dragonfly, loads of Red Admirals and some lovely warm sunshine.

Main sighting: Redwing

A single Redwing, my first of the autumn, over the Parc.

Main sighting: Ring Ouzel

A 1st-winter showing quite well in small rowan trees just below the road on the south side of the hill early afternoon then lost to view in bracken.

Main sighting: Spoonbill

Sorry forgot to mention that the 2 Spoonbills were both juv’s

Main sighting: Spoonbill

Spoonbill 2 juveniles, Garganey 2

Main sighting: Hen Harrier

Male harrier cruising over the moor below the old Brynmawr reservoir in the fresh westerly breeze. Two Stonechats and two Reed Buntings near the reservoir.

Main sighting: Bittern / Spoonbills/ Egrets

En-route to hide 2 – Robin, crows, chaffinch, gt spotted woodpecker, sparrowhawk being mobbed by jackdaws, magpies, starlings, woodpigeons, chiffchaffs (2 only), linnets and mute swans. Hide two – 79 teal, 61 shoveler, 2 gadwall, 1 lapwing roosting, moorhen, cettis, mallards, bittern flew in and landed edge of reeds to the left of the hide, skylarks, 4 ringed plovers which did not land, 2 pintail and a roosting garganey (possible second bird too). Snipe platform – herring gulls, shelduck, goldfinches, pair of spoonbill top right corner, great white egret close by them, 1 heron, 42 more lapwing, 22 coot, 12 gadwall, pied wagtails, 1 redshank only (did not land), siskin overhead calling, black headed gulls, lt grebe and a pair of tufteds. 15 curlew only birds from seawall. Hide three – pair of stonechats with a female whinchat, Canada geese, 9 greylags, pair kestrels, 1 barnacle goose, 18 more teal, 12 more shoveler, 11 more gadwall, 3 more lt egrets and a cormorant. 4 swallows seen only, no other hirundines. Other: 2 red admirals (quite breezy for butterflies).

Main sighting: 11 rabbits heavy infected with myximatosis

Machen