Sightings

Main sighting: Kestrel

Female kestrel, 40+ ravens, 5 buzzards, goldcrest,, wren, 4 jays, 3 green woodpeckers

Main sighting: Black-tailed Godwits

Significant numbers of waders. Sightings were: Mute Swan, Canada Geese, 2 Teal, Mallard, 120 Shoveler, 2 Little Egret, Grey Heron, Sparrowhawk, Moorhen, 34 Ringed Plover, 99 Lapwing, 40 Knot, 1 Little Stint, 50 Dunlin, 11 Snipe, 200 Black-tailed Godwit, 6 Curlew, 50 Redshank, 2 Greenshank, Black-headed Gulls, Woodpigeon, 1 House Martin, Carrion Crow, 2 Raven, 1 Greenfinch.

Main sighting: KIngfisher

KIngfisher perching on branches then flying along the canal at Two Locks around 6.00 this evening.

Main sighting: Waders and Passage

Visited just after dawn.
Lots of movement going on in the skies above the lagoons.
Passage birds- Swallows, House Martins and Sand Martins particualrly over Becs and sea wall. Flocks of Siskins flying throgh Westwards.
Priors Lagoon – The Black Tailed Godwits 25o+ joined by nice flock of Knots 170c., Dunlin and Redshank. Greenshank also showed.
Monks Lagoon – Dunlin and Ringed Plover flock on the mud viewable from Hide 1. There were Curlew Sandpipers x 2 ( pics on my blog) and I saw 1 Little Stint but reliably told their was a second. Kestrel was todays protagonist causing some panicked wader flocks.

Lapwings showing well on Priors Lagoon mainly 30+ birds.

Numbers of ducks seem to be increasing. Shovelers and Teal. Paul Joy saw 4 Wigeon on Becs.

Wheatear and Yellow Wagtails reported on the Sea Wall and Meadow Pipits were seen flying through the reserve.

Main sighting: Curlew Sandpiper, Golden Plover, Weasel

Curlew sandpiper with numerous redshank; common sandpiper; 2 golden plover with c100 each of Ringed Plover and Dunlin; similar numbers of oystercatchers and curlew; plenty of swallows still; female pintails have arrived to join shelduck and mallards++. Little egrets, grey heron, black headed gulls, linnets, stonechat, goldfinches; and then great view of weasel scuttling back and fore across path 10m in front. red admiral also.

Main sighting: Knot

Green woodpecker, chiffchaff 2 (contact calls) and stock dove 1. Hide 1: single pintail flying past, 48 ringed plovers with 58 dunlin, 1 little stint and 1 sanderling mixed in. Redshank platform – 2 greenshank flying towards the power station, single avocet, 1 grey heron, 3 little egrets, grey wagtail overhead, 15 lapwing and 2 knot. Marsh platform – glossy ibis flying up quite high and heading towards Uskmouth, 3rd greenshank dropped in, 106 knot mixed in with 256 black-tailed godwits (ringed bird still present),6 dunlin, 5 house martins and a kingfisher flying along the hedge in the field. Hide 3 – 13 siskins in a group overhead, 6 curlew, 3 skylarks, 2 yellow wagtails and a pair of stonechats on the fence. Seawall – masses of shelduck with curlew and oystercathers and 4 sand martins over. 3 common buzzards (including the light-morph bird) over hide 1. Other: Migrant and Southern Hawkers around the bramble bushes by hide 1.

Main sighting: Swallows

A steady stream of Swallows over the garden: a regular occurence every Autumn, when hirundines stop to feed round the huge Sycamore beyond my garden.

Main sighting: Swift

2 Swifts still over the garden this morning with 12-15 House Martins

Main sighting: Goldfinch

A large flock of Goldfinches,mostly juveniles,probably over 100 birds.Also a Peregrine flew over spooking all the shorebirds.10h30

Main sighting: Hobby

Hobby frantically chasing hirundines over Chippy Fields, Monmouth at lunchtime today. Much swooping and diving, not sure if successful.

Main sighting: Hen Harrier

Male Hen Harrier hunting near the old Brynmawr reservoir, flew off to the north. Whinchats and Wheatears present recently seem to have gone.

Main sighting: Swift

A single Swift and 3 Red Kites. Surprised an otter on the bank just 2m away.