Sightings

Main sighting: Chiffchaff and Spotted Redshank

En-route to hides – jackdaws, blue tits, crows, herring gulls, woodpigeons, collard dove, wrens, blackbirds, dunnock, dark looking chiffchaff, gt tits, magpies, Canada geese, song thrush, robins and a gt spotted woodpecker. Hide 1 – 118 lapwing, 46 shoveler, 69 teal, 3 redshanks, 3 shelduck, buzzard (light-phase bird), single redwing, goldfinches, linnets, single male widgeon, 2 gadwall, mallards, starlings, raven and moorhens. Hide 2 – fem marsh harrier, 36 greylags, 1 curlew, 1 skylark, 1 heron and a kingfisher feeding along the reen just outside hide 1.

Main sighting: Almost everything

At and after high tide: whimbrel, curlew, black tailed godwits, redshank, spotted redshank, oystercatchers, dunlin, turnstones grey plovers lapwings; BHGs, LBBGs, herring gulls; little egret, grey herons, kestrel, song & Mistle thrush, blackbirds, wren, robin, stonechats; shelducks, pintails, wigeon, teal, mallards, tufted and shovelers; cormorant; moorhen, coots, greylag and canadas; carrion, jackdaw; chaffinch; swans; pied wagtails; long tailed tits

Main sighting: Bewick Swan

A good morning at PG looking towards Cardiff the were large flocks of ducks and waders. Bewick Swan 2 our suspicions were confirmed by another birder who had better views. Dunlin 2000 Oystercatcher 80 Redshank 320 (single flock) Turnstone 3 Grey Plover 3 Curlew 130 Black-tailed Godwit 1 Shelduck 200 Pintail 52 Wigeon 30 Mallard 60 Shoveler 40 Teal 80 Little Egret 3 Great B/B Gull 4 Herring Gull 50 Blac-headed Gull++

Main sighting: Fieldfare

The thrush flock in the garden and neighbouring field reached c150 today; mostly Fieldfares but with a few Redwing and Starling mixed in.

Main sighting: Smew

Male adjacent to Graig Olwen Farm this morning.

Main sighting: Fieldfare

There have been up to 60 Fieldfares in the garden trees every day during the recent cold snap.

Main sighting: Smew

A drake Smew, 2 pairs Goldeneye, pair Goosander, 23 Mute Swans (but no Whooper) and Little Egret (in the middle of a field) this morning.

Main sighting: Chiffchaff

Surprised to see a Chiffchaff after the spell of cold weather, foraging along the lane south of the castle.

Main sighting: Woodcock

Single bird flushed from roadside at 0175hrs

Main sighting: Blackcaps

2 blackcaps. (1 male 1 female) Female viciously guarding feeders.

Main sighting: Raptors

Patches of low mist, lagoons frozen so wildfowl out on the mudflats. En-route to hides – 5 pheasants, crows, blackbirds, collard dove, woodpigeons, mistle thrush, 1 heron, magpies, robins, gt spotted woodpecker and starlings. Redshank platform – herring gulls, male kestrel, meadow pipit. Snipe platform – 1 gt black-backed gull, 2 female marsh harriers. Hedge line to sea wall – reed buntings and fieldfares. Seawall – first for me was a pair of mallard mobbing a peregrine (witnessed by 2 Steve and co from Abergavenny). Peregrine later joined by its mate. On the mudflats themselves, mix of 20 grey plovers, 13 avocet, black headed gulls, curlew, shelduck, widgeon, raven, oystercatchers and teal. Back to the car park – blue tit, great tit and a buzzard.

Main sighting: Possible Jack Snipes

Had a short walk along path that runs along a section of Usk at low tide. Spotted what I think were 3 Jack Snipe. My reasoning for jack snipe and not common snipe is: when the birds got spooked there was no alarm calling, they only travelled a short distance over the water before landing, and the birds were rather small. 2 redshank, 2 goosander (1 fem. 1 male), 1 grey wagtail, 2 pied wagtail, Lesser-BB Gulls, Black-headed gulls, 4 mallard.