Sightings

Main sighting: Great White Egret

Difficult birding here at the moment as nearly all 3 lagoons totally dry, and NRW are not showing any signs of letting some water in, therefore the reserve is not appealing to waders. The avocets have relocated to the foreshore with their young. Birds seen today however included en-route to hides – woodpigeons, swallows, wrens, blackbirds, blackcaps, magpies, chiffchaffs, blue tits, pheasants, crows, goldfinches, herring gulls, lesser and common whitethroats, moorhens, dunnock and starling. Hide 1: pair of stonechats. En-route to hide 2 – skylark, song thrush, meadow pipit, mallards and jackdaw. Hide 2: Canada geese, marsh harrier and lesser black backed gulls. Snipe platform: 21 redshanks, coot, 2 shoveler, reed bunting, the 2 male teal, little egret and 3 greylags. Marsh platform: reed warbler singing. Seawall: 3 curlew, 128 shelduck, pied wagtail and great black backed gull. Hide 3: no avocet, 4 oystercatchers (pair with 1 chick), 18 lapwing, 2 ringed and 1 little ringed plovers, 3 dunlin, linnets, black headed gulls, 3 herons, 4 stock doves, 2nd fly-by little egret and 236 black tailed godwits. En-route to hide 2: swift and a great white egret passing The Point. Back at the car park 2 juvenile sand martins sharing the wires with swallows. Other: large whites, meadow browns and 1 common blue.

Main sighting: Kingfisher

4 Kingfishers, Grey Wagtail, Oystercatcher, Common Sandpiper x2, Muscovy duck, lots of Sand Martins and Mallards

Main sighting: Lesser Whitethroat

Shelduck; Mallard; Pheasant; Swifts; Cuckoo; Wood Pigeon; Collared Dove; Oystercatcher; Herring Gull; Lesser Black Backed Gull; Curlew; Little Egret; Grey Heron; Buzzard; Magpie; Jackdaw; Carrion Crow; Blue Tit; Great Tit; Skylark; Swallows; Long Tailed Tits; Sedge Warbler; Reed Warbler; Blackcap; Lesser Whitethroat; Whitethroat; Goldcrest; Wren; Song Thrush; Blackbird; House Sparrow; Dunnock; Linnet; Goldfinch. – GOS Event led by Lyndon Waters.

Main sighting: Nightjar

Nightjar flew across the road near keeper’s pond. 10:30 . First time I’ve seen one up here. Usually see them lower down in the clearings in Govilon woods

Main sighting: Redshank

Little ringed plover 6 – Redshank (bad heat haze)

Main sighting: Hobby

Hobby think juvenile – also adult seen hear this week – and Painted lady today

Main sighting: Wigeon

In addition to the posted list, the Bristol Ornithological Club would like to add:
eclipse male Wigeon on the saltmarsh with the Shelducks;
female Pintail with four ducklings;
shoreline count of 215 Black-tailed Godwits;
2 Sand Martins.

Main sighting: Possible purple heron

Early morning, heron over quite high, came in from the sea behind hide 3, circled twice (could not see the headlight markings on the forewings), then it continued towards the direction of Magor Marsh (Newport area). Looked dark overall but some distance away, likely a purple heron but not seen well enough to confirm and no photos. One to look for?

Main sighting: Curlew Sandpiper

Quiet today and lagoon 1 completely dry, so most activity from lagoon 3. En-route to hides: woodpigeons, starlings, chiffchaff, wrens, lesser whitethroat, herring gulls, pheasants, goldfinches, lesser black backed gulls, whitethroats, crows, blackbirds and magpies. Hide 1: cettis, Canada geese, skylarks and moorhen. Hide 2: mallards and distant marsh harrier hunting. Snipe platform: little grebes, 2 gadwall, 5 shoveler, reed warbler and reed bunting. En-route to seawall: great tit, blue tits and meadow pipits. Seawall: 38 more mallards, 6 avocet, 1 oystercatcher, male stonechat and 1 great black backed gull. Hide 3: heron, 28 shelduck, 8 black headed gulls, 8 redshanks, 1 little ringed plover, 9 lapwing, greylag geese, pied wagtails, 12 ringed plovers (pair on the island with 1 chick), 152 black tailed godwits, 2 male teal, 10 more avocet, 2 cormorants, coot, 2 more shoveler, 1 swift, 2 stock doves, 1 little egret and 12 dunlin with the male curlew sandpiper mixed in. Back at snipe platform: sedge warbler and swallows. En-route to car park, song thrush and raven. Other: first of the year meadow brown butterfly.

Main sighting: Nightjar

22.30 – distant Nightjar churring from Beacon Hill direction.

Main sighting: 6 Great White Egrets

Report from a member of 6 Great White Egrets roosting in trees along the River Wye near Chepstow Castle, before flying upriver.
I’ve seen the video, so have verified the sighting.

Main sighting: Red Grouse

Red Grouse flew across summit path near Foxhunter car park early pm. Also Stonechat and Wheatear near car park.