Sightings

Main sighting: Shelduck

At least 772-Shelducks on the foreshore,also 4-Grey Plovers and 73+Oystercatchers.12h00-12h45.

Main sighting: Grey Phalarope

Grey Phalarope from Snipe Platform. Also Marsh Harrier

Main sighting: House Martin & Cormorants

Long walk from the dam to the north end of the reservoir. Lots of mallards together with 50+ Canada geese and a single male tufted duck, 2 ravens, single juvenile house martin, at least 15-20 cormorants with many juveniles and adults present, 2 pied wagtail. The water level in the reservoir is still extremely low and, through my binoculars, the hides appeared to be quite a distance from the water and any birds.

Main sighting: red grouse

Moors above the British – 6 red grouse; also skylarks, meadow pipits, linnets and stonechats

Main sighting: Curlew Sandpipers

A max of 11 Curlew Sandpipers over the high tide, also 2 Little Stint, 4 Male ruff, Green Sandpiper, male Marsh Harrier, juv Peregrine, small flock of Knot.

Main sighting: Little egrets

14 little egrets, 73 dunlin, 5 shovelers, 44 teal, 27 blackwits, 35 redshank, 6 knot, a little stint, 2 stonechat, 3 chiffchaff, 2 goldfinch, 6 pied wagtail, 2 cettis heard calling

Main sighting: Little Egret

I saw a single Little Egret actively fishing as it paddled/waded down the West bank of the Wye this morning at 1300. Only my second ever sighting in the Monmouth area.

Main sighting: Wigeon

Wigeon 250, Pintail 3,Meadow pipits 25, Grey wag(Sudbrook)

Main sighting: Redwing

Late entry sighting for 24th at 1830hrs – small group of redwing passing.

Main sighting: Migration

0630 – 0930 visit. Crows, wrens, robin, 2 cettis, moorhens, herring gulls, 20 magpies together and a pair of mute swans with 8 cygnets. Snipe platform – 74 curlew which took off at 0650, 62 knot, 16 little egrets, 3 herons, green woodpecker calling, 12 ringed plovers, 285 black-tailed godwits, 226 dunlin had 3 little stints and 1 sanderling mixed in, ravens, Canada geese, 1 greylag, linnets, water rail calling, teal, 1 yellow wagtail only, 1 curlew sandpiper and 4 snipe. marsh platform – 27 redshanks, pied wagtails and woodpigeons. Seawall – 15 skylark high overhead calling, 113 mallards (a good count) on the mud, shelduck, 4 adult and 1 1st year great black-backed gulls, black headed gulls, shoveler, gadwall, 1 oystercatcher only, 53 distant lapwing, and steady passage of swallows from 0810 in groups of 10 – 20, by 0900 they were passing in groups of around 50 – 70 at a time. Hide 1 – kestrel, goldfinches, blue tit, blackbird, 45 house martins and 71 meadow pipits on the mud (96 seen en-route to hide 1). Near the entrance gate, group of 7 long tailed tits had 2 goldcrests and 12 chiffchaffs moving through the hedgerow. Pheasant in the field with 64 starlings and the pale buzzard on a post.

Main sighting: Bar tailed godwit

Thanks to Allan for the heads up on 2 bar tailed godwits at the seawall on the very low high tide; few wheatears, oystercatchers, curlew etc; 4 or 5 little egrets

Main sighting: Female Merlin

Female Merlin hunting along seawall but then chased by a rook around 1pm and didn’t return.also 4 skylarks,a steady trickle of swallows and house Martin’s.Also 7 Whimbrels on salt marsh.also a female Kestrel and a wheatear In the berry bushes willow warblers stocking up.out at sea 2 male pintail.