Sightings

Main sighting: Hobby

Following an explosion of alates this evening we saw: Swift 50 Hobby 2 Lesser B/B and Herring Gulls and the first post breeding Black-headed Gull from our garden. Other species joining in the feast Magpies House Sparrows Long=tailed Tit Jackdaws and House Martins.
Earlier Sparrowhawk 1 Buzzard 2 Greenfinch and Goldfinch.

Main sighting: Red Kite

Three kites over together this afternoon. A tussle between two ended with them locking talons and briefly spiralling down before disengaging. Also Wheatears with young, Stonechats, male Reed Bunting, Buzzard and Kestrel. A Rook on a moorland fence post was unusual.

Main sighting: Upland birds

Juvenile redstart, 2 song thrush, 5 swallows 10 goldfinches. Further upstream just beyond county boundary, between car park and reservoir, heron, buzzard, 5 adult 8 juvenile wheatear, 3 juvenile 6 adult grey wagtails, 4 dippers, 1 adult male and 3 juvenile stonechat, male bullfinch, garden warbler, chiffchaff, 5 ravens, a goosander, juvenile redstart, 1 adult 2 juvenile mistle thrush, and a song thrush.

Main sighting: Common Scoter

there has been 19 Scoter floating/flying up and down between the Severn bridges this pm, still there 6.45pm, also Med gull and Pintail (ES).

Main sighting: Quail

Two birds reported by a friend calling at dusk this time north of the village towards Kentchurch. Haven’t heard the one near my house of late but there appear to be 2-3 calling males near the village.

Main sighting: Spotted flycatcher

Spotted flycatcher

Main sighting: Sanderling

Couple of hours at Goldcliff Monday. Similar wader mix to other recent posts, with 60+ black-tailed godwit (approx 25% in bp), 8 avocet, 15 curlew, 2 lrp, c. 10 ringed plover, c. 20 lapwing and c. 40 dunlin. Additional species – 1 common sandpiper, 11 turnstone, 11 knot (remnants of bp) and 3 summer plumage sanderling. Single spoonbill showing well. Sadly, no spotted redshank. Most interesting sighting from a behavioural point of view, was a juvenile starling, which spent a couple of minutes wheeling around with a group of 30 dunlin. It appeared to keep up very well, banking around, before maybe realising its ‘mistake’ and dropping back down to the island. Not seen this behaviour before.

Main sighting: Common scoter

There has been five Common scoter (inc 2 females) floating up and down the Severn between the two bridges this pm (last seen approx. 5.45pm floating downriver)). Also a Comic tern earlier down river.

Main sighting: Lesser Whitethroat

Afternoon visit. Hide one – lapwing 15, dunlin 36 (no juvs yet), redshank 11, ringed plover 4, rooks passing through. Redshank platform – avocet 8, black-tailed godwits 8, 2 lesser black-backed gulls (ad and 1st year juv), 8 more dunlin, 4 more redshanks and 6 more lapwing. The black headed gull roost comprised of 455 adults and only 5 juvs with 3 common gulls mixed in. Also from here 1 ad turnstone, 5 more ringed plovers, 6 oystercatchers, pair of gadwall in eclipse plumage, 11 sand martins and 1 common sandpiper. Snipe platform – spoonbill kipping, 7 little egrets, 51 black-tailed godwits (most in breeding plumage) with 3 not mixed in, pair of teal, 5 swallows and more sand martins. Sea wall – 48 curlew, another 80 black-tailed godwits feeding on the mudflats and a groups of 7 grey plover close by and an excellent count of 314 shelduck. Hide three – buzzard, yellow wagtail calling, 2 lt ringed plovers, linnets and a female sparrowhawk. En-route back to the car park – chiffchaff contact call in the long hedgerow, lesser whitethroat contact call behind the snipe platform, 6 house martins and 2 grey herons. Other – numerous gatekeepers and meadow browns, 1 each of small and large white and red admiral. Distant dragonfly may have been an emperor?

Main sighting: Spotted Redshank

Spotted Redshanks (BP) 1 Spoonbill 1 Avocet 10 Knot 21 Little ringed Plover 2 Ringed Plover 4 Black-tailed Godwit 142 Dunlin 12 Redshank 30 Shelduck 203 (saltings) Shoveler 2 Raven 2 Marsh Harrier (imm male) Buzzard 1 Blue Tit 2 Chiffchaff 1 Reed Warbler 2 Reed Bunting 2 plus a few Swallows House Martins Sand Martins and a Swift
Also: Black-tailed Skimmer 2 Blue Tailed and Emerald Damselflies Small Copper 1 Meadow Brown 20

Main sighting: Common sand

Common sand 4, Med gull adult, Redshank 7, Raven

Main sighting: Spoonbill and waders

High Tide Visit Am : Monks (Lagoon 1) – 90 c Black Tailed Godwit Flock, 12 + Knots ( seemed more today), 8 x Turnstone, Common Sandpiper, Sanderling, 10+ Redshank, 14 x Oystercatchers, 6 x Avocets, 90 + Black Headed Gulls, 1 maybe 2 Common Gulls, 2 x Lesser Black Backed Gulls, 1 x Herring Gulls, 10+ Dunlins. 4 x Little Egrets, 1 x Spoonbill, 1 x Grey heron, 1 x Cormorant, 3+ Little Ringed Plovers , 10+ Ringed Plovers. Carrion Crows on the island. Pied Wagtails, Linnets and Starlings.