Sightings

Main sighting: Spotted Redshank

1-Spotted Redshank from sea wall hide on the near side of the island.Also 3-Avocets on the island and a female Marsh Harrier made a brief appearance.Also good numbers of Shelduck,Teal,Wigeon,Shoveler.10h30-12h45

Main sighting: Water Rail

1 water Rail seen feeding in marshy field

Main sighting: F blackcap

Posted a few weeks ago about a resident male blackcap. Joined today, probably from Africa by a female!!! Garden quite small, but lots of bushes and feeding stations

Main sighting: American Wigeon

American Wigeon (good views of this scarce species, in sunshine). Great Crested Grebe; Coot; Pochard; Shoveler; Gadwall; Wigeon; Dunnock; Blackbird; Robin; Wren; Woodpigeon; Carrion Crow: Great Tit; Blue Tit; Red Kite (en route to Llanelli).
Llanelli WWT: Black Tailed Godwit 200+; Lapwing 50+; Tufted Duck 34; Black Headed Gull 40+; Canada Goose; Greylag Goose; Mute Swan; Shelduck; Pintail; Teal; Goldeneye; Mallard; Grey Heron; Herring Gull; Lesser Black Backed Gull; Moorhen; Spoonbill 8; Snipe 20; Cormorant; Bullfinch; Chaffinch; Greenfinch; House Sparrow; Magpie; Jay; Kestrel; Mistle Thrush; Redwing; Song Thrush; Nuthatch; Grey Wagtail; Chiffchaff; Great Spotted Woodpecker, Jackdaw; Sparrowhawk; Kingfisher (dead remains, on its back, on post in small lake – assumed Sparrowhawk kill). 52 Species in all.
Many thanks to Nick Beswick for leading us around the Llanelli WWT site.

Main sighting: Gowits

En-route to hides – 1 heron, crows, chaffinch, moorhen, herring gulls, greylags, blackbirds, magpies, robin, mallards, woodpigeons and blue tit. Hide one: 20 curlew from the evenings roost (2 black-tailed godwits mixed in), Canada geese, 7 fly-by mute swans, 2 more herons (roosting), 3 shelduck, 4 lapwing, 16 wigeon, cettis calling, 11 teal, wren and 3 cormorants. Hide two: 300+ black-tailed godwits (flew across to lagoon 3 before an accurate count could be taken), pair pintail, marsh harrier, 10 gadwall, 5 shoveler and water rail heard. Hide 3 not visited due to incoming heavy showers.

Main sighting: Change of start time for WWT Llanelli on Sunday.

Hi all

I’ve just found out that the Llanelli Half Marathon run is taking place on Sunday at 9.00am causing the WWT Centre to delay its opening to 11.00am

Having looked at several possibilities ,and taking into account the different routes that will be taken to get there, I’ve decided to keep it simple and just move our start time to 11.00

However several options have been suggested to make best use of the lost 90 mins and some of us will be going to Kenfig for 9.00am to see the American Widgeon that should still be there

I trust we will still see you at the Centre and later at Whiteford Burrows and Llanrhidian Marshes

Cheers

Dave Brassey

Field Secretary

Main sighting:

Request for 2024 Bird Records

A grateful thanks to all that have been submitting their bird records to the Society in recent years.  We’re currently in the process of compiling the next bird report, which will cover the years 2021 and 2022, but importantly we still require you to submit your records for 2024, as we need to provide some data to the Welsh Ornithological Society and to the Rare Breeding Birds Panel.

We therefore request that any bird records for 2024 are submitted by the 31^st March 2025. These can be submitted to the Society in the excel spreadsheet, which can be down loaded from the Society’s website.  Go to the page Records, then How to Submit Records.  The Official records spreadsheet can be down loaded by clicking on the words official form in the 3^rd paragraph.

Please send records or any queries be emailed to the Countyrecorder@gwentbirds.org.uk email address.

Kind regards

Chris Jones

Interim County Recorder

Main sighting: Hen Harrier

Ringtail harrier hunting over the moor near the old Brynmawr reservoir on the Brecon/Gwent border. One Skylark.

Main sighting: Peregrine

1-Peregrine was on the first lagoon island all the time I was there.This Peregrine looked to be much bigger than the one a few years ago which was regularly seen here,so it was probably a female bird.Also on the first lagoon were 43-Shovelers.12h00-13h00.

Main sighting:

A reminder that Dr Rob Thomas will be presenting a talk concerning Storm Petrels in Wales and Beyond on Wednesday 5th February 2025 – 7.30 pm to 9pm.

The talk will be co-hosted between GOS and the Gwent Wildlife Trust @ Chepstow Leisure Center.NP16 5LR.

All are Welcome.

Main sighting: Curlews!

Highest tide of current cycle today (12.4 metres) meant that Curlews from the foreshore were likely to come in to the lagoons to have their colour rings read. At very first light, none were roosting on the first lagoon (as sometimes happens). At the height of the tide at 09h46 only 17 came in to the island on the seaward lagoon, all showing their legs, but (sadly!) none were ringed. They were flushed by a Peregrine after a short time and no more came in. This is about the fourth big high tide in a row, when no Curlews have come in to roost. Suggests Goldcliff in winter is not an easy place to read curlew colour rings – Peterstone or St Brides seem better! Nevertheless, I would be grateful for any records or photos of colour-ringed Curlews, if anyone manages to find any!
Other birds noted: 50+ Shelducks, 40 Wigeon, 15 Gadwalls, 300 Teal, 100 Shovelers, 2 male Pintail, 1 female Marsh Harrier hunting, 1 Peregrine, 105 Lapwings, 200 Black-tailed Godwits, 1 Cetti’s Warbler singing. (roosting on first lagoon at first light).

Main sighting: lesser redpoll

Lesser redpoll (25) feeding on alder trees in Waitrose car park at 10:30.