Sightings

Main sighting: Red Kite

Red Kite in Sluice Farm area. Tide out birds far off at Peterstone Gout, Little Egret 4 Chiffchaff 3. Yesterday in Machen a Brimstone butterfly and a small Bat almost certainly a Pipistrelle.

Main sighting: Chiffchaff

Chiffchaff calling in woodland, also one calling on 19th March in garden off Manor Wood, The Narth – the first I’ve heard this year.

Main sighting: Pale -bellied Brent Goose

Pale-bellied Brent Goose among the Shelduck on Collister saltmarsh.Also my first Wheatear of the year at the Pill.A male.

Main sighting: Water Rail

Morning visit: En-route to hides – great tits, blue tits, magpies, herring gulls, greylag geese, blackbirds, crows, Canada geese, woodpigeons, goldfinches, cettis and throughout the reserve a total of 13 chiffchaffs (several in full song). Hide one – 25 redshanks, 1 spotted redshank, 4 lapwing, 31 shelduck, 8 gadwall, mallards, marsh harrier (fem), 2 pairs stonechats, goldcrest, wren, robins, and water vole on the way to hide 2. Hide two – 2 herons, 1 coot, 116 wigeon, 36 teal, 32 shoveler, ls black-backed gulls, meadow pipit, 3 cormorants, male kestrel, reed buntings and another pair of stonechats. Snipe platform – good count of 10 coot, 3 male and 1 fem tufteds and a black headed gull (full hood). Seawall – House sparrows, 11 curlew overhead and 14 more on the mudflats, 3 oystercatchers, 2 ringed plovers, 26 grey plovers and 15 dunlin. Hide three – 2 pairs of avocet (one ringed bird, red ring 64 upper right leg), 3 black-tailed godwits, 50 more wigeon, 2 more gadwall, another pair stonechats, 20 more redshank and 2 oystercatchers. Water rail heard calling.

Main sighting: Stonechat

Pair beside River Monnow (unexpected for this site). Also male Goosander, singing Chiffchaff, Kingfisher and Red-legged Partridge calls.

Main sighting: Red Kite

Red Kite flying through. Peregrine. Also mixed flock feeding of @80 Grey Plover,@50 Knot.

Main sighting: Wheatear

My first migrant of the year,1-male Wheatear.

Main sighting: Chiffchaff

Chiffchaff in full song behind St Marks Church Llanhilleth

Main sighting: Curlew

Curlew flying overhead with distinctive call at 08.45 at junction of Pant Glas /Hygga on B4293 between Llanishen and Trellech – reported to me by Heather Richards (they regularly frequent her land in the summer)

Main sighting: Otter

In the last 3 days grey hare, otter, tree creeper, gswood, pair goosander buzzard, raven, crow, jackdaw, 20 canada geese, 50 gull

Main sighting: Swallow

Swallow sighted from hide (at 10.44hrs) flying down the waterway towards the river mouth

Main sighting: Gannett

Flock of 18 to 20 Gannett, seen from sudbrook but were west of second Severn crossing, off shore of caldicot pill moving out to mid channel