Sightings

Main sighting: Redstart

Good mix of species seen, with highlights being 1 male common redstart, 1 male wheatear, 2 pairs stonechats, 2 singing willow warblers, skylarks displaying / singing, drake mallard and group of 21 sand martins aerial feeding over the heads of grazing horses. On the way back home, a male peregrine passed close by with what looked to be a pipit in its talons.

Main sighting: Egyptian Goose

One Egyptian Goose and a male Mandarin Duck with Greylags, Canada Geese and Mute Swans in the meadow on the south side of the river upstream from the railway bridge. Two Goosanders. Sand Martins numerous and busy around nesting colonies. A few Swallows. Common Sandpipers and Oystercatchers on shingle island.

Main sighting: Bar-tailed Godwit

Evening at the lagoons: Bar-tailed Godwit 3 flew in of the foreshore GWE still present. Cold wind so passerines were few. Sand Martin and House Martin.

Main sighting: Migrants

Sand Martin, Swallows, House Martins, Reed Warblers, Chiffchaffs, Willow Warbler, Blackcaps, Wheatear.
Cetti’s Warbler, Marsh Harrier (female), Linnets, Dabchick, Coot, Moorhen, Canada Geese, Mute Swans, Wren, Mistle Thrush, Goldcrest, Greenfinch, Great Spotted Woodpecker.
(As a treat: an Otter in the SW Reedbed, patrolling the right hand reedbed from the far end, then passing slowly, right up in front of the viewing screen just ten feet away (just after 10am!)).

Main sighting: Wheatears

West and northwest Gwent were heaving with Wheatears today. Also Redstart, Swallows and, of course, a few Curlews.

Main sighting: Osprey

Osprey in tree on left after crossing river bridge heading twards Aber. 7.00pm.

Main sighting: Sand Martin

50-60 Sand Martins, at least feeding over the lagoons and gathering in the reeds to rest in priors lagoon.Also a few Swallows too.Spotted Redshank was seen from the first hide on the waters edge looking to the right.1-GWE showing well on first lagoon.10h15-11h15.

Main sighting: Dipper

Dipper seen on this, now fast flowing brook.

Chiffchaffs singing, Bulfinch,

Main sighting: Cuckoo

First sighting this year of a cuckoo on the Tumble this evening.

Main sighting: Osprey

Highlight of a 5 hour walk, an Osprey at The Bryn which put on a display of diving (but didn’t seem to catch anything) then flew off NW up the Usk valley and eventually lost to view, also 1 Green Sand, 3 Common Sand, 1 Oystercatcher, some kind of plover, plus 1 Redwing, 2 Fieldfare, a handful of Willow Warblers, a singing Reed Bunting, 6 Mandarin, a pair of Tufted Duck on one of the pools, c.4 Kingfisher. 62 species in total.

Main sighting: Great white egret

Dawn visit – en-route to hides: robins, wrens, pheasants, 2 blackcaps, 2 chiffchaffs, great tit, starling and buzzard. Hide 1: Canada geese, 17 avocet, 12 shelduck, blackbirds, woodpigeons, skylarks, 5 lapwing, coot. 86 black-tailed godwits – female peregrine came in and the flock flew off, 1 singled out and almost caught, only 1 remained and relocated to lagoon three, 7 redshanks, 2 spotted redshanks joined by a 3rd and almost in black plumage, 1 ruff, 7 gadwall, 12 shoveler, 2 cettis, lesser black-backed gulls, 4 cormorants and 5 swallows. Hide two – pied wagtails, 1 white wagtail, linnet pair, 10 teal, magpies, moorhen, kestrel, mallards, gt black-backed gull, 4 oystercatchers, black headed gull, 1 more swallow and greylags. Snipe platform – male stonechat, 2 herons, great white egret flew across to hide 3 then swifly flew off going past the power station, 1 lt egret, 6 more swallows with 2 sand martins mixed in, 8 mute swans and reed buntings. Seawall – unusual high count of 56 crows together, 8 curlew, 17 more avocet, siskin overhead, dark-bellied brent goose that joined the others on the saltings, and brief views of a harbour porpoise. Hide three – 13 more redshank and a willow warbler singing.

Main sighting: Great White Egret

2-GWEs together over the reeds and into the reeds.26-Avocets on and around the first island.11h00-13h00.Also i have reconnected the gate release handle.