Sightings

Main sighting: Cuckoo

Male cuckoo, swift, 2 meadow pipits, 2 skylarks, numerous stonechats, 3 ravens, 2 willow warblers, 2 swallows.
On Bryn Arw, a buzzard, 2 red kites, a green woodpecker, a stock dove, 4 stonechats, numerous skylarks.

Main sighting: Sparrowhawk

A recce for the forthcoming GOS walk on Saturday 17th May. Only 22 species noted which were: Sparrowhawk, Buzzard, Woodpigeon, Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Wren, Dunnock, Robin, Blackbird, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Goldcrest, Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Nuthatch, Jay, Carrion Crow, Raven, Greenfinch, Goldfinch.
NOTE: For those attending the walk for the first time- at the bus turning circle at Upper Cwmbran there are two signs for Blaen Bran parking, please follow the left one (DO NOT TURN RIGHT UP THE STEEP HILL). The walk is over rough and uneven ground initially. We will be taking a slightly different route from previous years to improve walking conditions in the later stages.

Main sighting: Hobby

Hobby flying high over this morning, heading up river.

Main sighting: Wood warbler

Heard in beeches on track from car park

Main sighting: Disturbance

There will be some disturbance on Thursday, between 12pm and 1pm when we lower the water level on Bec’s Lagoon. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Main sighting: Cuckoo

Cuckoo heard, a buzzard, a song thrush, a blackcap, also 40 sand martins.

Main sighting: Wood Warbler

Wood Warbler singing in mixed softwood/hardwoods.

Main sighting: Red grouse

2 Red grouse calling – poss 3

Main sighting: Curlew Sandpiper

En-route to hides: pheasants, blue tits, goldfinches, wrens, magpies, chaffinch, pied wagtail, chiffchaffs, starling, moorhen, woodpigeons, crows, blackcaps, mallards, blackbirds, skylark, whitethroats and cettis. Hide 2: Canada and graylag geese (both with goslings), 4 oystercatchers, 126 black-tailed godwits, 10 knot (3 in breeding plumage), 21 avocets (2 pairs with chicks), 54 dunlin with the first curlew sandpiper of the summer mixed in, coot, lesser black-backed gulls, reed buntings, 1 stock dove, 2 swallows, 10 redshanks, (no sign of the spotted), raven, reed warblers, lesser whitethroats, marsh harrier, gadwall, sedge warbler, 2 little stints (1 in breeding plumage), 4 bar tailed godwits, 2 ruff, 1 common sandpiper, 2 little egrets and 1 heron. Snipe platform: 7 male and 2 female tufted ducks, 2 whimbrel overhead, 6 swans, 4 more gadwall, 2 shoveler, 2 little grebes and a pair of common pochard. Seawall: greater black-backed gull, 3 more fly-over whimbrel (one also feeding on the mud). Hide 3: buzzard, 6 teal, green-winged teal still present as is the pink-footed goose but sightings sparse, 2 cormorants, 1 ringed plover, 8 more gadwall, 4 lapwing, 61 more avocet (numerous chicks) and a male peregrine up high circling.

Main sighting: Swift

Four Swift late afternoon, first of the year.

Main sighting: Curlew

Curlew calling in right hand field on the Llanishen to Parkhouse Lane. Reported to me by bird watcher

Main sighting: Whimbrel

Big numbers of Whimbrel this evening.I counted at least 62.I think there could have been many more further down channel towards Sluice farm and beyond.19h15-20h00.