Sightings

Main sighting: Curlew Sandpiper

Curlew Sandpiper 1 Greenshank 1 Little Ringed Plover 1 Redshank 20 Ringed Plover 20 Oystercatcher 8 Gadwall 12 (probably more) Green Woodpecker 1 Long-tailed Tit 6 Whitethroat Lesser Whitethroat Cetti’s Warbler Reed Warbler Chiffchaff all singing.
Azure Blue Damselfly 3

Main sighting: Spotted Flycatcher

Bird with food in bill seen along lane to Hoaldalbert on the edge of the village. Great to have this species breeding within a few hundred metres of my house.

Main sighting: Red kite

Red kite, 3 buzzards, 3 ravens, green woodpecker, song thrush

Main sighting: Curlew request

You may soon be seeing a little more Curlew activity than in recent weeks as any eggs may be about to hatch. Please keep your eyes peeled when out birding and send any reports to Curlew@gwentbirds.org.uk . Info needed is on the Home page.

Main sighting: Cuckoos

Not a great deal about but what was was quality. Highlight was a male cuckoo perched on the brambles by hide 3 joined by a second male before flying off calling. Elsewhere – cettis 1, lesser whitethroat 1, common whitethroat (pair possibly nesting), blackcap 2, chiffchaff 2, reed warbler 1. Male stonechat, pheasants, ravens and a stoat by hide 1 with 5 kits (taking them one by one in her mouth across the path). Hide one – stunning little stint, 1 curlew sandpiper (partial plumage), 13 ringed plovers, 15 dunlin, 2 little egrets, 4 black-tailed godwits only, singing skylark, redshanks, lapwing and no avocet. Redshank platform – 6 swifts, marsh harrier and oystercatchers. Hide three – 19 gadwall, 6 shoveler, 9 swallows, 3 cormorants, female kestrel hunting, 3 grey herons, reed buntings and a common buzzard. Other: small white butterflies and a caterpillar to be identified.

Main sighting: Female Wheatear

Studied female Wheatear in our front garden for 10 minutes. Flew away showing white area clearly. Returned later to sit on wall.

Main sighting: Swift

The wetland are certainly living up to their name and very windy. Currently there is a small amount of mud to the right of the Greenshank hide on Monks. At high-tide there were no large wader flocks in fact very few waders at all. Knot 2 seen flying with swifts Avocet 4 Redshank 6 Dunlin 8 Oystercatcher 6 Gadwall 18 Pochard 1 Swifts put on a great show flying low over the reserve. Whitethroat Lesser Whitethroat Chiffchaff Cetti’s Blackcap and Reed warbler singing.

Main sighting: Common Pochard

Cormorant 3, pheasant 2, chiffchaff 1 (contact call), common whitethroat 1, cettis 1 and a goldcrest. Hide one – shelduck 11, avocet, redshanks (pair copulating), skylarks, lapwing, linnets, 18 dunlin only and 2 curlew. Redshank platform – oystercatchers, 2 ringed plovers (on the island), marsh harrier and reed warbler singing close by. Hide three – 53 black-tailed godwits, reed buntings, good count of 17 gadwall, female common pochard, 6 more dunlin, 2 tufteds, 8 swans, 4 black-headed gulls over, 11 swallows and 1 little egret. Seawall – swifts came in aerial feeding and numbered around 20 birds with 2 house martins mixed in, 8 curlew flying over had 2 whimbrel mixed in. Common buzzard on the fence.

Main sighting: Curlew request

Although Curlews aren’t calling so frequently now, they’re still about. Please continue to send all sightings (and heards) of inland birds to curlew@gwentbirds.org.uk . Every record counts but the more info (number, location, habitat etc) the better.

Main sighting: Terns

Spent an enjoyable hour or so with Ed Stevens sea watching the Severn yesterday, where Ed spotted Gannet(ad), 24 Comic terns, and also two Arctic terns which were feeding by the side of the Prince of Wales bridge. Ed also had 2 Fulmar on the west side of the bridge. 3 Little egrets were also seen.

Main sighting: Spoonbill

Seen well feeding and flying around south of island on monks – seen well from both hide 1 and 2

Other birds include Skylark Lapwing Ringed Plover. Dunlin. Oystercatcher. and Swallow

Main sighting: Bar-tailed Godwit

Bar-tailed Godwit 3 (WP) Black-tailed Godwit 22 Dunlin 300 Sanderling 3 Ringed Plover 20 Turnstone 18 (BP) Gadwall 27 Little Grebe 1 Swift 10 Green Woodpecker 1 Reed Warbler 1. Also, Holly Blue Peacock Small White and Orange Tip butterflies.