Sightings

Main sighting: Curlew

Call heard four times in earshot of my house (village centre) at 11.35am. Only third time in six years living here.

Main sighting: Tree Pipit

Male displaying / calling.

Main sighting: Tree Pipit

Slightly out of county border, but 2 displaying on my walk this morning.

Main sighting: Tawny owl

Unfortunately there was a drowned tawny owl tangled up in old fishing netting by the river walk in Trethomas.

Main sighting: Mistle thrush

Mistle thrush, song thrush, f blackcap, chiffchaff, Green woodpecker, 3 buzzards, 2 goldfinches, 6 sand Martins, a swallow and a male mandarin duck.

Main sighting: Tawny Owl

Calling twice at 1314 hrs.

Main sighting: Wheatear and Warblers

En-route to hides – woodpigeons, robin, sparrows, wren, blue tits, magpies, pheasant, crows, chiffchaffs, song thrush, blackbirds, blackcap, dunnock, goldfinches, cettis and collard dove. Hide one – 4 skylarks, 14 redshanks, 5 oystercatchers ‘piping’, 4 little egrets, Canada geese, shelduck, 18 teal, 5 avocet, 2 lapwing, 7 shoveler, spotted redshank starting to turn black, coot, ls black-backed gulls, mallards, herring gulls, 2 pairs wigeon, 4 snipe, reed bunting, wheatear, marsh harriers, pair of grey plovers and a buzzard. Hide two – cormorant, reed warbler in partial song, willow warbler and whitethroat in full song and greylags. Snipe platform – 2 swallows, 4 little grebes, 2 mute swans and a fly-past snipe. Marsh platform – 4 male and 2 fem tufted ducks. Seawall – 30 curlew. Hide three – 77 more shelduck, 26 more avocet, 4 more cormorants, stonechat pair, meadow pipits, pair ringed plovers, 2 herons, starling pair, linnets and 2 pairs pintail. Black-tailed godwits numbered 311, at 0830 a male peregrine tried to single one out and failed. He returned at 0837 and split the flock pursuing a group of 45, which ‘pumped’ higher and the peregrine gave up. At this point the 45 drifted off high towards the Penarth headland direction. Also while this was going on a greenshank broke cover and flew off towards Goldcliff Point.

Main sighting: Wheatear

Female Wheatear behind factories at Oakdale.

Main sighting: Pied Flycatcher

Seen 500m north-west of the canal tunnel above Llanfoist. Perched briefly before flying Northward.

Main sighting: Pied Flycatcher

Female Pied Flycatcher on river bank just above Llanfoist bridge . Also first swallows of the year

Main sighting: Mistle Thrush

Sitting tight on nest in Yew tree twelve feet high approx.

Main sighting: Curlews wanted

Curlews are becoming more active and vocal at the moment so these next few weeks are the best time to find them. Please email all sightings and heards to curlew@gwentbirds.org.uk giving the date, location (a grid reference is a huge help) and the number of birds. Notes on behaviour such as chasing another Curlew, seeing off a predator, display flights or alarm calling would be really useful.