Sightings

Main sighting: White-fronted Goose

0630 – 11.20hrs. Pre-light birds seen and heard included a skylark, cettis warbler calling, a stunning barn owl at 0640 drifting right past me on redshank platform from the direction of hide 1. Redshank platform – 2 buzzards, 243 Canada geese with a white-fronted goose mixed in, possibly a 1st year bird and maybe the one sighted at Llanishen Reservoir recently? 78 wigeon, 4 barnacle geese, numerous redwings and fieldfares, 4 ravens, 2 female marsh harriers (adult and juv), 2 grey herons, pheasant calling, 164 lapwing later joined by 10 dunlin and 2 black-tailed godwits (54 more came in and landed briefly before taking off straight away and heading out towards the sea wall), 15 curlew, 186 teal, 22 shoveler, 8 shelduck and 2 chiffchaffs in the hedgerow leading up to the next platform. Group of 5 wrens together also. Snipe platform – 22 snipe on the edge of the water to the right. Seawall – another 293 wigeon on the edge of the water, 23 avocet, 2 oystercatchers and another 68 dunlin. Hide 3 – male tufted duck. Back at snipe platform (0900 hrs) siskin overhead and a female peregrine passing through. A pair of stonechats were near to hide 1.

Main sighting: Blackcap

Female Blackcap feeding in garden

Main sighting: Sparrowhawk

Perched on garden fence for approximately 15 minutes

Main sighting: Hen Harrier

Male Hen Harrier just north of Twmbarlwm this am.

Main sighting: Brambling and Blackcap

Male Brambling and male and female Blackcap in the garden. Finch numbers increasing rapidly with plenty of Siskin and Goldfinches. A few Redwing in the local area.

Main sighting: Brambling

Female brambling in the garden this morning

Main sighting: Wood Pigeon

A count of 4,300 Wood Pigeons in one hour this morning, all flying south or southwest. Good numbers of Redwing.

Main sighting: Red Grouse

Two Grouse flushed from moor. Several hundred Woodpigeons heading east in flocks of 50 to 100. Golden Plovers reported near summit. Four Bramblings under feeders at Hafod Farm.

Main sighting: Wheatear

Wheatear on side of Sugar Loaf this morning

Main sighting: Swallow

Small numbers of Redwings and Fieldfares.
6-Swallows over,flying in an easterly direction.14h10-15h40

Main sighting: Marsh Tit

Marsh Tit seen well this afternoon. Flock of c65 Linnets in the seed crop and garden yesterday.

Main sighting: Red Kite

Red Kite circling over Monmouth. First for me. Finding no carrion (we’ve eaten it all) flew West into deepest lockdown