Sightings

Main sighting: Ruff

Plenty of waders taking shelter on the first lagoon mainly this evening, including a Ruff, 15 Knot including one in summer plumage, 70+ Black Tailed Godwit, 5 Dunlin, 4 Turnstone, 4 Curlew as well as the usual numbers of Redshank, Rnged Plover and Lapwig. Also 300+ Black Headed Gulls, and a Buzzard hovering in the wind only a few feet off the ground- it was pretty breezy. A Heron, perched on a rail, was showing a keen interest in some still quite small Mallard ducklings, whose mother unwisely took them past it, however the Heron was ‘mobbed’ and distracted by a white butterfly flying round its head and the Mallard family managed to get away.

Main sighting: Jackdaws

Sorry clicked too soon ,
I was walking in wood little time ago and the jackdaw/crow calls were very loud.
They were in the tree tops. The crows seemed to chase the jackdaws out. They formed massive flocks and I estimated there was well over a 1000. The crows chased them and eventually flew off towards Monmouth.

Main sighting: Avocet

Birds of note this afternoon;5-Avocets,3-Knot.15h00-15h35

Main sighting: Hobby

Hobby hunting over Pen y fan pond, observation time 20 minutes, swooping after sand and house martins

Main sighting: Spotted Redshank summer plumage

In the channel between the island and hide one, a Spotted Redshank in beautiful summer plumage and a Common Redshank. Also on the bank of the island a Little Egret, two Coots, a Common Sandpiper and 2 pairs of Little Ringed Plovers. At the back of the lagoon opposite hide two c.20 Black-Tailed Godwit and c.40 Black-Headed Gulls.. Channel behind island a c.8 Dunlin, c.6 Ringed and c.4 Little Ringed Plovers. Female Marsh Harrier over.

Main sighting: Quail

My wife heard the bird calling twice at around 10.40 pm from same location, so apparently holding territory – a neighbour also heard it recently but didn’t know what it was.

Main sighting: Med gull Ad

As well as the sum plum Med gull there was an what I believe to be a Porpoise swimming out with the tide (am), the tide is coming back in this afternoon so might be worth looking out for.

Main sighting: Grey wagtail

Correction, grey wagtail not a yellow one.

Main sighting: Ravens

4 ravens, 2 buzzards, 12 House martins, 8 swallows, 5 swifts, heron, stock dove, green woodpecker, cormorant, yellow wagtail.

Main sighting: Spotted Redshank

1-Spotted Redshank (photographed) from 1st. platform,in full bp.Also 10-Avocets four of which were juveniles,1-Common Sandpiper,and several Small Copper butterflies.11h00-13h15.

Main sighting: Juveniles

May and June has seen a lot of activity in the garden including – great spotted woodpecker 1 juv, robin 2 juvs, dunnock 1 juv, woodpigeon 1 juv, nuthatch 2 juvs, treecreeper 1 juv, goldfinch 6 juvs (2 pairs adults bred), greenfinch 8 juvs (2 pairs), house sparrow 9 juvs (3 pairs), blackbird 2 fem juvs, coal tit 3 juvs, blue tits 9 juvs (possibly 2 pairs), great tits 4 juvs, starlings a flock of 21 adults and juvs around the fat balls. In the adjacent field regular sightings of a family group of mistle thrushes and crows with 5 ravens over yesterday (possibly a family group).

Main sighting: Greenfinch

single greenfinch in garden