Sightings

Main sighting: Spoonbill

Two Spoonbills flew in to Becs then moved on to Prior to feed.

Main sighting: Waders

With big high tides this weekend, a nice selection of waders on the beach by the lighthouse this morning: 3 Grey Plovers, 10 Ringed Plovers, 300 Dunlin, 1 Curlew Sandpiper, 1 Little Stint, 7 Knot, 6 Bar-tailed Godwits, 1 Turnstone. Only a few Curlews, no rings seen. Also very large numbers of Shelducks, at least 770.

Main sighting: Rock Pipit

En-route to hides: Jackdaws, sparrows, magpies, buzzard, goldfinches, robin, crows, 5 chiffchaffs in trees by stone bridge, 2 skylarks overhead, gt tit, starlings, chaffinch, blue tit, heron, gt spotted woodpecker, ls black-backed gulls and linnets. Hide one: Female marsh harrier, 4 mute swans passing, 17 shoveler, 4 snipe, 11 swallows and blackbird. Hide two: Female kestrel catching hawker dragonflies and devouring them on bushes left of the hide, 44 more shoveler, 22 teal, female wigeon, 8 gadwall, 1 lt egret, herring gulls and raven. Snipe platform: 45 coot, 5 lt grebes, 2 more lt egrets, mallards and cettis calling. Seawall: Male wheatear on the sea wall, meadow pipit numbers now at 35, oystercatchers, curlew, shelduck, black headed gulls and a rock pipit amongst the rocks by the information sign (looking down onto the estuary). Hide three: 25 more shoveler, 37 more teal, Canada geese, 1 redshank only and 47 lapwing (which re-settled on lagoon 2). Other: common darters, 18 red admirals, large whites, 1 small tortoiseshell, migrant hawkers.

Main sighting: Disturbance

There will be some disturbance at Monk’s Lagoon on Tuesday, between 9.30am and 10am when we carry out essential maintenance work. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Main sighting: Coot numbers

En-route to hide: collard dove, 5 chiffchaffs together, robin, 31 swallows, magpies, 17 house martins, meadow pipits. Hide 2 – grey phalarope still present (far right hand corner of lagoon), 3 lt egrets, 48 teal mallards, 12 shoveler, 15 gadwall, jackdaws, 1 redshank only (water levels high again), crows, raven, 1 swan, 11 sand martins, curlew and Canada geese. Snipe platform – blue tits, starlings, 3 herons, goldfinches, high number of 43 coot, cettis, 15 more shoveler and 6 more gadwall, 5 lt grebes, stonechat, 5 skylarks and 7 red admirals on the hay bales, numerous migrant hawkers.

Main sighting: Wigeon return

Wigeon have returned with a flock of 9 feeding amongst Canada geese. Also seen, collard doves, house sparrows, cettis, woodpigeons, goldfinches, 8 skylarks, swallows, moorhen, 2 swans, starlings, crows, sand martins, fem marsh harrier, gt black-backed gull, 2 curlew, 240 shelduck, black-headed gulls, oystercatchers, flock of 53 linnets, mallards, teal, buzzard, meadow pipits (at least 25 so could be migrant birds), 35 knot feeding together, heron, wren, 4 dunlin, pair stonechats, house martins, 6 stock doves was a nice surprise as was a little owl pellet.

Main sighting: Goshawk

A juvenile Gos seen from my kitchen window perched on a dead tree. Harassed and driven off by crows.

Main sighting: Manx shearwater

45 minute seawatch from sudbrook just after high tide during a short break in the rain. 1 Manx shearwater and 1 adult kittiwake

Main sighting: Kestrel

On the other side of Llanvetherine on the B4521 road opposite Ty-Deri house was a kestrel perched on a electricity line.

Main sighting: Lesser Yellowlegs

A bird found by Jackie, offering only tantalising views, was initially identified as Wood Sandpiper. Later thanks to Pics from John Lawton the bird was correctly identified as Lesser Yellowlegs.

Main sighting: Osprey

Osprey perched on pole on eastern side of reservoir at 10.00am. Access via fisherman’s car park.

Main sighting: White Wagtail / Bittern

En-route to hide: 52 starlings, robin, woodpigeons, crows, goldfinches, linnets, 2 chiffchaffs, mallards and moorhen. Hide one – 3 herons, 31 swallows, stonechat family group, 11 teal, magpies and pied wagtails. Hide two – 35 more teal, cettis, 6 little egrets, 10 shoveler, 2 snipe, 4 curlew, marsh harrier, meadow pipits, single avocet, sparrowhawk, 2 yellow wagtails, 1 white wagtail, 1 ruff, fem kestrel and blackcap in full song. Snipe platform – green woodpecker by the hay bales, coot 8 gadwall, 25 more shoveler, lt grebes, fem tufted, 5 swans, 8 sand martins, black headed and lesser black-backed gulls. Seawall – 210 shelduck, 42 oystercatchers, single whimbrel on the mud, 18 avocet, 37 curlew, cormorant and house sparrows. Hide three – herring gulls, Canada geese, 12 black-tailed godwits, 4 dunlin, 9 redshanks, 2 lt stints, 1 curlew sandpiper, 50 lapwing, 8 knot, 9 ruff (feeding together in far left corner), 11 more snipe and reed bunting. Marsh platform – bittern flew across and 25 house martins feeding. Other: MIgrant hawkers, 3 red admirals, large whites, meadow brown and 1 small tortoiseshell.