Sightings

Main sighting: Fieldfare

8 fieldfare (more than first quoted) and 2 redwing with 4 mistle thrush feeding in hawthorns at pwll duu near old pub also Male and female kestrel still with juv near “the black hole ) Mippits and stonechat still present in sparse numbers but Wheatear have finally left the building .Raven Buzzard Green Woodpecker also present .

Main sighting: Cliff-chaff

There was a Chiffchaff singing in Monmouth this morning around 1015!

Main sighting: Curlew Sandpipers and Ruff

High Tide Visit. Monks Lagoon 50+ Dunlins , 50+ Ringed Plovers, 14 Curlew ( no colour rings) 2 x Curlew Sandpipers, 8 Shelduck, 60+ Black Headed Gull, 1 x Whinchat, 2 x Wheatear and 2 x Yellow Wagtails. Priors Lagoons – 4 x Ruff and 2 x Snipe. Becs Lagoons – later – Approx 50+ Dunlins and 50+ Ringed Plovers – 1 x Curlew Sandpiper in with them. 14 Lapwings. 2 x Greenshank.
Kestrel was hunting all around the reserve.

Main sighting: Osprey

Osprey heading south down river half a mile south of the town near Monmouth Show Ground towards Redbrook at 13.23 today

Main sighting: Redstart

Redstart 3 in the hedge row Lesser Whitethroat 1 Chiffchaff 2 Treecreeper 1 Ruff 4 Yellow Wagtail 2 Wheatear 4 and Floss the Gloss.

Main sighting: House Martin

flock of 30+ House Martin feeding over allotment and surrounding area 2.30pm

Main sighting: Marsh Harrier

A juvenile Marsh Harrier few over Becs early afternoon . It was quite on the wader front a Ruff being the highlight Glossy Ibis 1 Little Egret 9 . Also: Redstart 2 Whitethroat 1 Chiffchaff 1 Yellow wagtail 10 Whinchat 1 Wheatear 6. Migrant Hawker 2 Common Darter 6 Stoat and Water Vole.

Main sighting: Colour ringed Curlew

Curlews were colour-ringed by a BTO/WWT team on the Usk estuary in 2015/16. There haven’t been many re-sightings of these birds, although last Saturday, five (one of which is aged at least 22 years!) were seen at Goldcliff. WWT has now started a Severn Curlew project, raising chicks in captivity for release to the wild. 50 colour ringed curlew have been released at Slimbridge since early July, and may appear in Gwent. Please report any sightings to curlew@wwt.org.uk

Main sighting: Red Kite

9 red kites circling together with several landing here and there.

Main sighting: A goldcrest,I believe.Sadly dead on my son's drive.A photo can be provided

Caerllion

Main sighting: Whinchat

A morning pre-high tide visit. the only waders present were a small group of Redshank at the bottom of Prior’s and a solitary Greenshank on the far side of the island on Bec’s. A Snipe by the sluice on Monk’s and many Yellow Wagtails by the cattle on their too. The Glossy Ibis was showing well on the seawall side of Prior’s later flying over the reed bed to appear on the main section of the lagoon. Black Swan and a large group of Mute Swans also on here plus many Teal, Coots, Moorhens etc.. Wheatears seen on the sea-wall. On the return visit to the first hide several GOS members in there watching a pair of Wheatears, Stonechats and Whinchats on the fence posts and wires and on the dock plants and tussocks behind, also a female Sparrow Hawk by the sluice on the opposite side of Monk’s. Two Buzzards, one of the “Bosprey” colouration and a Kestrel complete the raptors seen.

Main sighting: Wheatears

Afternoon visit highlights: 2 chiffchaffs (contact calls), 5 wheatears today and 2 whinchats, 169 swallows passing south with 46 sand martins and 14 house martins, 9 curlew, female kestrel hunting, kingfisher flew right across the reserve, juv stock dove, 6 buzzards circling together (including the ‘bosprey’), 4 shoveler, juv male sparrowhawk, female ad seen alter, 2 herons, 4 lt egrets, 9 yellow wagtails amongst the cows and a female stonechat. Waders were very poor with only 1 dunlin seen along with 1 common snipe, 1 each of greenshank and redshank, only 2 black-tailed godwits and 18 lapwing. The black swan was present. Other: Impressive count of 18 southern hawkers (photos also), small copper, large whites, red admiral, speckled wood, common darters and keeled skimmers. At Red Farm Barn on the buddleas there were 9 painted lady’s, large whites, small tortoiseshells, red admirals and speckled woods.