Sightings

Main sighting: Spoonbill

En-route to hides – woodpigeons, chaffinch, blackcap, wrens, magpie, swallows, crows, pheasant, collard dove, starlings, sparrows, long tailed tits, dunnock, jackdaws, blackbirds, ls whitethroat, moorhen and a hare. Hide 1 – most productive with cettis, skylarks, 4 oystercatchers, 8 redshanks, Canada and greylags, 1 lt ringed plover with 4 ringed plovers, 21 lapwing, rook, 2 teal, 14 black headed gulls, 1 ls black-backed gull, 3 black-tailed godwits, blue tit, coot, tufted pair, 1 shelduck and 2 herons. En-route to hide 2 goldfinches, reed warbler, chiffchaff family group and 12 swifts. Hide 2 – single wigeon and 10 gadwall. Snipe platform – 2 pairs lt grebes one with 1 young the other with 2, 2 more gadwall, 13 swans, 1 sand martin, common whitethroat, linnets and mallards. Seawall – 6 passing cormorants, stonechat pair and singing sedge warbler. Hide 3 – spoonbill roosting, 12 dunlin, 13 more redshanks, 6 more teal (all males), pied wagtail and 2 lt egrets. Other: marbled white, meadow browns, female black-tailed skimmer, large skipper and common darter.

Main sighting: Spotted Flycatcher

Apparent pair seen around house being renovated. Also 1 Marsh Tit, 1 Treecreeper and 1 Stock Dove plus nesting Swallows and Chiffchaff with food in bill.

Main sighting: Garden Warbler

GOS Walk at Henllys LNR gave few sightings but many in song or calling. Species list: Song Thrush, Blackbird, House Sparrow, Wren, Carrion Crow, Starling, Collared Dove, Lesser Black backed and Herring Gull flying over, Dunnock, Robin, Woodpigeon, Magpie, Garden Warbler, Jackdaw, Blue Tit, Raven, Chiffchaff, Cuckoo, Goldcrest, Jay, House Martin, Swallow, Treecreeper, and Great Spotted Woodpecker. Due to dull conditions very few butterflies were flying, only Speckled Wood, Small White and Meadow Brown, Damselflies were present on both ponds in the reserve.

Main sighting: Curlew flying and curlew calls

Saw a pair of curlew flying I live at Ty Uchaf Granary opposite. I have been hearing them for a few weeks and am still hearing them. I used to hear them much earlier.

Main sighting: Nightjar

A successful late evening visit to Blaenavon community wood- highlights included 3 Nightjar churring and calling and a reeling Grasshopper Warbler on the heath near to the road.

Main sighting: Curlew chicks

Exciting news: two Curlew chicks hatched this morning after an unusually long incubation – hoping the other two eggs will hatch tomorrow. Still time to report your sightings to curlew@gwentbirds.org.uk – all reports will be followed up.

Main sighting: Garden warbler

1607 – on one of my roses – first one I have seen in a while.
Audio was also captured on the BirdWeather.com that I have permanently monitoring in the garden.

Main sighting: Great Black-backed Gull

Seen very clearly washing itself in the river. Definite ID with pinkish legs and larger white spots on folded wingtips. Also 2 Mandarin drakes plus female with 4 ducklings, Canada Goose pair with 6 goslings and 3 Grey Wagtails. Along riverside path – 4 singing Garden Warblers, 20+ Blackcaps, 1 Whitethroat, House Martins and Swifts flying.

Main sighting: Ruff

Highlights of the WeBS count: a Ruff displaying to a Reeve a good selection of waders including Black and Bar-tailed Godwit Knot Ringed Plover Avocet Lapwing Redshank also, Wigeon Teal Gadwall and Tufted Duck Reed Warbler Cetti’s Warbler Whitethroat Lesser Whitethroat Blackcap and Chiffchaff a few Swifts Sand Martins and a single House Martin

Main sighting: Cuckoo / Gt White Egret

En-route to hides – blackbirds, jackdaws, woodpigeons, crows, blackcaps, wrens, pheasant, whitethroat, goldfinches, swallows, buzzard, moorhen, collard dove, magpie, herring gulls and song thrush. Hide one – heron, skylark, cormorant, 11 gadwall, 2 shoveler, coot, 7 redshanks, reed warbler singing and greylags. Hide two – 4 oystercatchers (2 juvenile birds about half-grown), chiffchaff, cetttis, mallards (going into eclipse plumage), lesser black-backed gull, 32 lapwing, 4 lt egrets, gt tit, 4 swifts, starlings and 5 shelduck. Snipe platform – great white egret tucked away on the far right corner of the reeds, lt grebe pair with 2 young, 3 mute swans and 2 more herons. Seawall – stonechat pair, 8 ringed plovers, linnets and pied wagtail. Hide three – 2 pairs tufted’s and 2 separate males, meadow pipits, 44 black-tailed godwits with 4 knot mixed in, 9 more redshanks, 3 more gadwall, reed bunting, 5 avocet, 35 dunlin and the male wigeon is still present now also going into eclipse plumage. Cuckoo heard only from the marsh platform.

Main sighting: cuckoo

Cuckoo flying over house and calling at 0515 hrs this morning !
Disappointed that our house martins have not returned this year.

Main sighting: Shell Ducks

Walk along the Severn. 19 shell Ducks on the waters edge a few little egrets. Flocks of starlings.
4 blackbirds,BTO is wanting a blackbird count and they are in decline