Sightings

Main sighting: Merlin

Excellent view of female Merlin perched on a post near the old reservoir. Pair of Stonechats still on their territory in the gorse. A few Meadow Pipits. Winter thrushes (and berries) mostly gone. Red Kite and Sparrowhawk over. No Woodpigeon movements as yet.

Main sighting: Dartford Warbler

Low-tide: Dartford Warbler (first winter), Teal 215 lots of Black-tailed Godwits also Clouded Yellow 1 Red Admiral 2 and Common Darter 1

Main sighting: Wildfowl & Waders

Short walk along The Moorings which is a short trail around one of the Usk’s meanders. 9 wigeoen, 2 teal, 7 mallard, 10 lapwing, 20 redshank, 1 dunlin,5 magpies, 2 pied wagtail, a few redwing, 2 song thrush, a few blackbirds, 3 reed bunting, flock of goldfinches, 1 stonechat.

Main sighting: Water Rail

1 water rail in dense reeds, 5 mute swans (2 adult, 3 juvs), flock of long tailed tits, 1 bullfinch, groups of mallards and moorhens along canal.

Main sighting: Wheatear

A very confiding female Wheatear near the old reservoir. Female Merlin flying low and fast over the moor failed to flush anything.

Main sighting: Swallow

2 swallows passing mid-morning. Late afternoon over Blackwood, female peregrine tried her luck at a lone woodpigeon but failed (1550hrs).

Main sighting: High tide roost spectacular

Huge numbers of oystercatchers, redshank, curlews, dunlin (hundreds of each); also BHGs, shelduck at Peterstone on the roost with the very high tide today; also good number of shoveler, wigeon, teal, mallard; a few pintail; great black backed gulls; 1000 starlings; 6 little egrets; 1 grey heron, 1 kestrel; 2 grey plover; cormorants; coots (golf club lake); swans with cygnets; few ringed plover; big flocks of fieldfares and redwings; meadow pipits and pied wagtails; lots of corvids.
AND a crimson speckled moth

Main sighting: Pintail

Dawn – 10.00. Chaffinches, skylarks, moorhens, crows, lots of fieldfares again but only 2 redwings, cettis calling. Snipe platform – 2 mute swans, robin, wren, 1 greenshank, 1 heron, 9 shoveler, Canada geese, pheasant, spoonbill still present, pair of kestrels, magpies, 1,200+ starlings, 19 snipe, 2 little egrets, 581 black-tailed godwits in 2 separate groups, linnets, excellent count of 178 knot, woodpigeons (large flocks high overhead), pied wagtails, pair stonechats, 93 lapwing, good count now of 103 teal, raven, 103 dunlin roosting but 206 seen in total, female sparrowhawk hunting (twice), blue tit, 1 ruff, meadow pipits, black headed gulls. Seawall – curlew, shelduck, ls black-backed gulls, 12 pintail, gadwall, cormorant. Blackbird, chiffchaff contact call from the hedge line. Hide two – 5 grey plover with 19 ringed plovers, pair of buzzards, goldfinches, jackdaws and collard doves.

Main sighting: Red Grouse

Two Red Grouse, 100+ Fieldfares over, 3 Stonechat this afternoon.

Main sighting: Dartford Warbler

Dartford Warbler spotted in the brambles near the Marsh hide around 4pm. Bird was still present on Sun 30th Oct as confirmed by Hugh Gregory.

Also present – Redshank, 4 or 5 Snipe feeding on the mud near the Marsh hide, Lapwing, Stonechat, plenty of Fieldfare feeding on berries (no Redwings though), few hundred Starling gathering in the neighbouring fields, Woodpigeon, Long-Tailed Tits and a Kingfisher near the bridge.

Main sighting: Saturday's GOS talk

See the GOS Home page for details of the change of zoom talk this coming Saturday. And don’t forget to sign in to hear all about the Usk Swift project which is actively supported by GOS.

Main sighting: Water Pipit

Water Pipit 1 Water Rail 1 Wight Wagtail 1 Teal 105 from Marsh VP. flock of 2000 starlings.