Sightings

Main sighting: Barn Owl

On a wet and windy evening hightide. Barn Owl hunting. Wheatear 2 Stonechat 3 Meadow Pipit 50 House Martin 1 Ruff 1 Black-tailed Godwit 20 Shelduck 150. A flock of circa 400 gulls were seen over the fields behind the first hide, mostly Back-headed.

Main sighting: Pectoral Sandpiper

Early morning visit just after high tide.
Monks -2 x Black Tailed Godwits, 1 x Ruff. Canada geese and Greylags in good numbers, 1 x Curlew. Wigeon, Teal and Mallard Ducks. Later 11 x Curlews landed on Monks.
Becs Lagoon – Pectoral Sandpiper observed for a short time in the channel where it has been seen previously. Not much else wader wise on lagoons as water levels very high after the rain.
20c Black Tailed Godwits flew over with 1 Knot seen in amongst them.
Lots of Meadow Pipits movement and many seen perching up near Avocet Hide. Big flock of Linnets. Kestrel throughout reserve.
Marsh Harrier ( female type may be juvenile) quartering near Becs.
Lots of Corvids this year- seems a marked increase.

Main sighting: House Martins

Three House Martins high up after the rain cleared this evening.

Main sighting: Flock of at least 26 Jays

About 12:00 hrs. today, I watched a huge (by my reckoning) flock of Jays fly over my house in Risca, roughly ENE to WSW (043° on the compass).
I counted 26 Jays and there may have been more.
Weather conditions at the time of sighting were beautifully bright and clear so plumage colours were clear and they flew at a height of only 30-40 feet from the ground so they were quite big and easy to identify. These were definitely jays.
In all this time, I have only ever seen jays in family groups of up to 7. I have never seen such a such a size of flock together.

Main sighting: Jay

A flock of 24 Jays near Perry’s Lane. House Martin 2 Swallow 2 Marsh Harrier 1 hunting along the shoreline , Migrant Hawker 30 Common Darter 10 Red Admiral 1

Main sighting: Barn Owl

I saw the Barn Owl come up off the ground between the solar panels, it landed on a perimeter post. If appeared to be holding some prey, it was then mobbed by 2 crows. It circled around a couple of times and then headed off east.

Main sighting: pair sand martins

Pair sand martins heading south. {appropriate as I will be in the Sand martin public house tomorrow before watching City v WBA.

Main sighting: Pectoral sandpiper

Excellent view of Pec sand from seawall hide with Green sand, but probable Pec Sand (timing making it likely a 2nd bird) also from last platform before sea wall looking towards seawall hide – in reed edges in furthest corner towards hide. Snipe, ruff and 2 curlew sands in proximity for comparison but (Pec) only seen very briefly in extreme corner and usually obscured. Also Marsh harrier, kestrel, “white” buzzard, 1 Greenshank and big movements of meadow pipits and flocks of up to 13 jays moving over.

Main sighting: Mistle Thrushes

Had a flock of about 20 Mistle Thrushes flying over my house and land in my large fir trees.
this morning

Main sighting: Various

First Back Garden Grey Wagtail at pond. Also huge flock of mixed Hurindines ( mainly House martin } moving south at altitude Probably around 200 birds . Nuthatch Siskin Goldfinch and Tit flocks visiting feeders plus a sudden appearance of 14 Blackbirds arriving together on the Rowan Berries.

Main sighting: Common Scoters

two Common Scoters on Severn probably female and juv approx 5.20 pm on turning tide

Main sighting: Pectoral Sandpiper

2 buzzards, gt spotted woodpecker, pheasant, 3 chiffchaffs, cettis calling and a flock of 13 jays overhead. Hide two – 3 black-tallied godwits, 2 herons and 3 little egrets. Hide three – wigeon, teal, linnets, 8 mute swans, female marsh harrier, shelduck, kestrel, 2 male stonechats and around 60 meadow pipits. Seawall – only 13 swallows overhead, 1 yellow wagtail calling, 1 gt black-backed gull, black headed gulls, 61 curlews and oystercatchers. A flock of about 75 dunlin flew in but lost sight of them over the lagoons. Marsh platform – looking back towards hide 3, down in the dip on the waters edge were all the waders – the pectoral sandpiper was roosting amongst 3 snipe, also there were 4 ruff, 1 greenshank and 97 lapwing. Lapwing platform – 7 ringed plovers only and a single redshank. Lots of migrant hawkers on the wing.