Sightings

Main sighting: Wheatear

Afternoon visit, very wet, slight winds. Pheasant 1, chiffchaff 1 singing, cettis 1 calling and raven. Hide one – avocet, redshanks, 1 bar-tailed godwit and 1 black-tailed godwit, 2 oystercatchers and 1 heron. Hide two – swallows, pair of reed buntings, pair of linnets and 2 cormorants. Seawall – single wheatear only. Hide three – very little wader activity with only 9 dunlin and 11 ringed plovers together with a single little ringed plover mixed in (another one on the island). 5 gadwall, 7 more oystercatchers and 51 black-tailed godwits, 1 little egret, 3 skylarks, 8 mute swans, female pintail (no sign of a male), 1 swift and 50+ swallows aerial feeding over the third lagoon.

Main sighting: yellow wagtail

solitary male yellow wagtail lingering

Main sighting: Little Tern

Single Little Tern on Becs Lagoon, seen from the Sea Wall hide. Flew several times, returning to the same spot. Seen between 5.30 and 6.30pm.

Main sighting: Goosander

Goosander with 7-juveniles on the Monnow,also 1-Red Kite over,1m-Kingfisher also on the monnow river.13h630-16h00.

Main sighting: Hobby

Hobby over the garden this morning.

Main sighting: Curlews.

Curlews seen and heard

Main sighting: Whinchat

1st Whinchat at top of the vale . Also Redstarts , Pied Flycatchers , Tree Pipits , Willow Warblers , Treecreepers , Nuthatches and a single Yellowhammer

Main sighting: Spotted Flycatcher

Following the mornings Bearded Tit survey at Uskmouth where we saw Cuckoo, Reed Sedge and Cetti’s Warblers and seven singing Whitethroat.
At the lagoons: Spotted Flycatcher 1 Snow Goose 1 (very smart adult) Swift House and Sand Martin Whitethroat Lesser Whitethroat.

Main sighting: Swifts

First Swifts and House Martins have arrived with a mixed flock of 60+ over the house this morning

Main sighting: Ruff Knots and Dunlins

Attended couple of hours either side of high tide.
Very windy and some heavy rain showers.
Notably a lot more Dunlins on the reserve that moved about in two flocks over Monks and Becs. The water levels are now very low on these lagoons.
Dunlins 300+ , 4 Knot, 2 x Ruff ( one of which is turning a spectacular white colour almost breeding plumage). Small flock of 30c Black Tailed Godwits. 4 x Oystercatchers, Ringed Plovers and Little Ringed Plovers present. Avocets on Monks and Becs and Lapwings. Plenty of Redshank.
The Carrion Crows are really targeting the breeders. I watched a single Carrion Crow work the mobbing waders on Monks for over 20 minutes despite being physically pecked by Lapwings in dive bomb attacks it came away with an egg ( Photo on Twitter).
Several Lesser Black backed Gulls also loitering and a Grey Heron. A flock of Whimbrel was seen by one of my birding friends. Wheatear continue to hang about the seawall.

Main sighting: Marsh Harrier

Male marsh harrier seen flying from wetlands to lagoons at 1240hrs, also a few whimbrel at Goldcliff estuary, single cettis calling and sedge warbler heard.

Main sighting: Yellow Wagtail

Chiffchaff 3, Goldcrest 1 (singing again by the stone bridge), lesser whitethroat 1, common whitethroat 3, cettis warbler 1, reed warbler 1. Hide 1 – Canada Geese with 6 young, pair of Ringed Plovers with 2 chicks. Two Little Egrets seen, one with brown patch on the back looking a bit odd but turned out to be a Little and nothing else. Snipe Platform – Common Redshanks, 3 Ravens, pair of mating reed buntings, black headed gull, grey heron. Hide 2 – pair of greenshank and a single bar-tailed godwit and a male peregrine flew past with what looked like a gosling? Mallards one pair with 14 young and second pair with 6 young. Seawall – very active with 3 wheatears, single yellow wagtail, single white wagtail, common swifts aerial feeding and numbering 17 last going off, 2 house martins, 9 swallows. 1 grey plover on the mudflats before high tide with 3 whimbrel also seen and another bar-tailed godwit, female sparrowhawk overhead. Stoat showing well several times and at one point actually being chased by a rabbit. Hide 3 – one almost white ruff and 2 more feeding alongside, 9 oystercatchers, common buzzard on the post, linnets, shoveler 5, teal 5, wigeon 4, tufteds 6, lapwing, avocet, dunlin 51, black-tailed godwits 144. Other: 1 speckled wood and orange tip butterflies.