Sightings

Main sighting: Dipper and Goosander

Early visit for Waterways BBS, some of the standouts were : 2 dippers, 1 jay, 1 treecreeper, 1 buzzard, fem. goosander, 1 mistle thrush, 2 swallows. Lots of mallards (up to 40 overall) and lesser-black backed gulls especially around boating lake.

Main sighting: Peregrine

From 0645: Peregrine flying East to West at around 10m above ground.
Reed Warblers singing in two locations; Little Egrets 5; Shelduck 25; Mallard; Canada Geese 2; Chiffchaff; Swallows 5; Wheatear 4; Curlew 7; Lesser Whitethroat; Common Whitethroat 2; Blackcap; Linnets; Goldfinch; Chaffinch; Wood pigeon; Herring Gulls; Lesser Black Backed Gulls; Magpie; Carrion Crows; Great Tit; Skylarks; Meadow Pipits; Wrens; Robins; Song Thrush; Blackbirds; House Sparrow; Dunnock;

Main sighting: Ringed Plover pair

Two Ringed Plover feeding along the pebble bank on the Usk near Abergavenny Bridge (20:30). Also four Common Sandpiper, House Martins and Swifts.

Main sighting: Commo Swift

Single swift over the village.

Main sighting: Swift

On a wet and misty day. Swift 4 first of the year for us. Whitethroat Lesser White Throat Reed Warbler Sedge Warbler Chiffchaff Cetti’s Warbler and Goldcrest singing. Swallow 100+ House Martin 10 Sand Martin 6.

Main sighting: Pied Flycatcher

One Wood Warbler seen and three others heard halfway from Blaenavon to Cwmavon. At Cwmavon, a Pied Flycatcher heard and briefly seen in flight.

Main sighting: Chicks

Mid-morning visit – en-route to hides, 1 buzzard, gt tits, pheasants, blue tits, robin, crows, woodpigeons, 3 swallows only, 2 chiffchaffs, 1 blackcap, magpies, lesser (1) and common whitethroats (3) singing. Hide one – 4 teal, 5 lapwing (one pair with 2 chicks and a second pair with 5 chicks), 11 redshanks, 8 dunlin, 17 avocet, mallards (pair with chicks), meadow pipit, 4 gadwall, 2 shoveler, Canada geese (pair with goslings). Hide two – cettis, 2 herons, 1 lt egret, 2 reed warblers, male cuckoo passed over the hide from the far side, headed off towards the seawall tea room direction, herring gulls. Snipe platform – tufted 3 male and 1 female, 3 lt grebes, 7 mute swans, 6 coot, greylags and long tailed tits. Seawall – 1 siskin overhead, shelduck, 1 curlew only and skylarks. Hide three – the 2 barnacle geese were present on the edge of the island preening, 7 more gadwall, goldfinches, 5 oystercatchers, reed bunting, 5 more shoveler, cormorant, 1 ringed plover. Back at hide one – 4 more ringed plovers, the barnacle geese relocated to lagoon 1, kestrel, starling and collard doves. Other: lots of orange tips on the wing, 1 small white, and 1 possible holly blue butterfly.

Main sighting: Cuckoo

Goldcrest, stonechat, 2 drumming gsw and a male cuckoo heard, song thrush, willow warbler, chiffchaff, m and f linnet.

Main sighting: Redpoll

Single redpoll, 2 cuckoo, Kestrel,numerous linnets, willow warblers, meadow pipits, wrens

Main sighting: Wood Warbler

Two Wood Warblers singing rather half-heartedly in the woods along the old railway (cycle path) between Blaenavon and Cwmavon. Two male Cuckoos calling. A few House Martins and Swallows but no Swifts yet.

Main sighting: Hobby

Single Hobby flying over Fox Hunters car around 6pm.

Main sighting: Cuckoo

Male Cuckoo calling on and off. Seen perched in a tree, ignored by a nearby Magpie and Woodpigeon. A female appeared, called briefly, and the pair flew off together with an escort of three Meadow Pipits.