Sightings

Main sighting: Bullfinch

A pair of Bullfinch in the garden recently followed yesterday and today by a couple of newly fledged youngsters one of whom buzzed past my head like an oversized bumblebee! Not yet located the nest.

Main sighting: Dipper

Dipper, also several grey wagtails incl juveniles, song thrush

Main sighting: Migration

AM visit – Car park area – 2 stock doves, 6 house martins and chiffchaff contact call. Hide 1 single greenshank and a grey heron struggling with a three quarter grown coot before finally giving up on swallowing it whole and leaving it. 2 sand martins through. Redshank platform -sedge warbler in the foliage, 10 lapwing, 2 oystercatchers, 21 dunlin, 15 ringed plovers, 7 avocet (2 juvs). Snipe platform – 5 lt egrets, 3 grey herons, 13 knot mixed in with 120 black-tailed godwits most in breeding plumage and one good candidate for a ‘limosa’ race (tbc). 62 dunlin dropped in with the first juveniles amongst them (2), single wigeon, 10 teal, 1 grey wagtail overhead calling, 1 common sandpiper, 1 yellow wagtail overhead calling, cettis calling, reed warbler singing, 2 curlew, male reed bunting, 2 swift and 2 ad and 1 juv lt ringed plovers. Marsh platform – 61 common redshanks, 1 buzzard, 2 swallows, 4 yellow wagtails (1 juv) landed on the fence before carrying on through and 2 shoveler. Hide 3 – 124 dunlin dropped in. Possible rock pipit again from the seawall but could not be relocated (call and flight)Other: emperor dragonfly, plenty of gatekeepers, meadow browns and the first common blue butterfly.

Main sighting: Great White Egret

Great White Egret has been settled at the top lake since yesterday when found by Lee Gregory. Lots of Marbled Whites.

Main sighting: Hobby

Following an explosion of alates this evening we saw: Swift 50 Hobby 2 Lesser B/B and Herring Gulls and the first post breeding Black-headed Gull from our garden. Other species joining in the feast Magpies House Sparrows Long=tailed Tit Jackdaws and House Martins.
Earlier Sparrowhawk 1 Buzzard 2 Greenfinch and Goldfinch.

Main sighting: Red Kite

Three kites over together this afternoon. A tussle between two ended with them locking talons and briefly spiralling down before disengaging. Also Wheatears with young, Stonechats, male Reed Bunting, Buzzard and Kestrel. A Rook on a moorland fence post was unusual.

Main sighting: Upland birds

Juvenile redstart, 2 song thrush, 5 swallows 10 goldfinches. Further upstream just beyond county boundary, between car park and reservoir, heron, buzzard, 5 adult 8 juvenile wheatear, 3 juvenile 6 adult grey wagtails, 4 dippers, 1 adult male and 3 juvenile stonechat, male bullfinch, garden warbler, chiffchaff, 5 ravens, a goosander, juvenile redstart, 1 adult 2 juvenile mistle thrush, and a song thrush.

Main sighting: Common Scoter

there has been 19 Scoter floating/flying up and down between the Severn bridges this pm, still there 6.45pm, also Med gull and Pintail (ES).

Main sighting: Quail

Two birds reported by a friend calling at dusk this time north of the village towards Kentchurch. Haven’t heard the one near my house of late but there appear to be 2-3 calling males near the village.

Main sighting: Spotted flycatcher

Spotted flycatcher

Main sighting: Sanderling

Couple of hours at Goldcliff Monday. Similar wader mix to other recent posts, with 60+ black-tailed godwit (approx 25% in bp), 8 avocet, 15 curlew, 2 lrp, c. 10 ringed plover, c. 20 lapwing and c. 40 dunlin. Additional species – 1 common sandpiper, 11 turnstone, 11 knot (remnants of bp) and 3 summer plumage sanderling. Single spoonbill showing well. Sadly, no spotted redshank. Most interesting sighting from a behavioural point of view, was a juvenile starling, which spent a couple of minutes wheeling around with a group of 30 dunlin. It appeared to keep up very well, banking around, before maybe realising its ‘mistake’ and dropping back down to the island. Not seen this behaviour before.

Main sighting: Common scoter

There has been five Common scoter (inc 2 females) floating up and down the Severn between the two bridges this pm (last seen approx. 5.45pm floating downriver)). Also a Comic tern earlier down river.