Sightings

Main sighting: Black tern

Firstly many thanks to the lady who made us aware of the tern which was spotted on the island opposite Priors, we arrived @ 1600hrs and the summer plumage tern was flying around the island and swooping down over the water, did not appear to catch anything, we left at 1700hrs.

Main sighting: Firecrest

Two distinct males singing at different parts of the trail around heath. Both birds may already have been accounted for? Other sightings include – starting with most abundant – chiffchaff, willow warbler, goldcrest, linnet, song thrush, great-spotted woodpecker, bullfinch, blackcap, crossbill, garden warbler, treecreeper, jay, buzzard and red kite.

Main sighting: Yellow wagtail

Afternoon walk towards the Bryn, goosander with 9 young, 8 little egrets on the oxbow, several pairs of stock doves, single yellow wagtail, grey heron, buzzard with very pale underwings, 3 little ringed plover, a pair of oystercatchers, and GSW nest site with young calling

Main sighting: Hobby

0930 – 1200hrs – Hobby sighted at Whitsun and also over marsh hide also female cuckoo heading towards Goldcliff point, excellent views of the juvenile marsh harrier from marsh hide, GW egret, ruff, small passage of swifts & martens over the seawall, redshank, avocets and before leaving a pair of greenshank flew in.

Main sighting: Hobby

Hobby

Main sighting: Merlin

7:30 this evening Female Merlin hunting unsuccessfully along the Tumble chasing linnets.

Main sighting: red kite

At 1800 hrs red kite flying high over Chepstow heading east

Main sighting: House martins & Swifts

On a house opposite the garage on Brecon road in Abergavenny there were between 10-20 house martins and 10 swifts in the sky.

Main sighting: red kite

a single red kite spotted heading east over Chepstow at 1800 hrs.

Main sighting: Swifts

Party of three Swifts screaming over the Narth.

Main sighting: Wood Warbler

Wood Warbler singing, near dusk; Blackcap; Willow Warblers; Wren; Chiffchaff; Song Thrush; Siskins; Woodcock; Nightjars; Blackbird; Robin.

Main sighting: Little Stint

Dawn visit – en-route to hides: robin, crows, wren, 2 chiffchaffs, pheasants, magpies, mallards, buzzard (light individual), blackcap, whitethroat, woodpigeons, lesser whitethroat, blackbirds and dunnock. Hide one – 11 little egrets including two fully fledged juveniles, greylags and Canada geese, avocet, 4 lapwing, 1 shelduck, 6 redshanks, 2 oystercatchers, coot, cettis, 2 gadwall, 1 shoveler, 2 cormorants and reed buntings. Hide two – 2 herons, reed warbler, long tailed tits, and lesser black-backed gulls. Snipe platform – 16 mute swans, 2 pairs little grebes, 2 pairs tufteds with 2 other males also present, meadow pipit, cuckoo calling and showing well, goldfinches and linnets. Seawall – single curlew and starlings. Hide three – male pintail still present, 15 more gadwall, single dunlin, 1 stock dove and 22 black-tailed godwits. Back at hide one – 7 ringed plovers with 9 dunlin, 1 little stint mixed in and jackdaws.