Sightings

Main sighting: Knot

Wet and windy morning high tide WeBS on lagoons pushed in 2 knot amongst the 65 curlew, 14 oystercatchers, 36 avocets, 14 redshank, 166 teal, 80 shoveler, 29 wigeon, 80 shelduck, also a chiffchaff near entrance

Main sighting: Snipe

Morning visit at 7.40am, which included visits to all 3 ponds, 4 Snipe on the small pool near bridge, up to 6 on another recent visit. Machine pond busy with Male Goosander, Cormorant, 15 Canada Geese, Tufted Duck, Mallard, pair of Mute Swans and Coots with nesting material. Pair of Bullfinches, Reed Bunting, Chaffinch and Blue Tits visiting nesting box, also Great Tit and long tailed along Hedge rows.Raven overhead and lots of Magpies visiting nest sites. Dunlop Semtex pond much quieter but Great Crested Grebe near Island in middle of pond 4 female Goosanders and Lesser Black backed gulls returning to site.

Main sighting: Red Kite

Red Kite seen over the entrance to Salt Marsh Road/Red House Barn: exit stage left, pursued by a Crow, in the direction of Goldcliff

Main sighting: Red Kite

Red Kite low over roundabout at Raglan early afternoon.

Main sighting: Redshank and Ringed Plovers

Visit from Dawn until Mid-Day. Redshanks are now appearing on all three Lagoons. The most were in a flock of about 30 birds on Priors Lagoon. Monks had 2 Ringed Plovers on the island. Lapwings were on all three lagoons. At dawn there were two flocks of Curlews Approx 16 birds.
Shelducks had also gathered in a goof flock on Monks.
Priors had 4 Goldeneye, 26 x Tufted Duck ( alot), Wigeon, Mallard, 85 + Teal, Shoveler and Gadwall.
1 x Common Snipe. Flossy the Glossy Ibis showed well on Priors.
No Avocet on the lagoons but a flock of 40 were observed on the Pill.
Mute Swans were everywhere a flock of 12 flying around. No Peregrines on the lagoons.
Skylarks singing and Meadow Pipits growing in numbers.

Main sighting: Whooper Swan

5-Whooper Swans,all adults,on the tide line when i arrived.They flew off up channel after about 15 minutes.Also good numbers of ducks,especially Pintail,Wigeon and Shelduck.15h00-15h35.

Main sighting: Mandarin Duck

Three Mandarins (2 drakes), 4 Goosander and a Stonechat (first for this site) this afternoon.

Main sighting: Avocet

45-Avocets on the tidal mud.5f-Goldeneyes on priors,A lot of activity from several Sky Larks.10h20-12h50

Main sighting: Redwings

About 20/30 Redwings on Vauxhall Fields Monmouth.

Main sighting: Ringed Plover

Brief visit over high tide rewarded with spring like feel with breeding waders returning to the lagoons and a fair amount of display. Minimum of 3 ringed plover on 1st lagoon island, 12 redshank with plenty of display and interaction, 26 lapwing again with display flights and aggression, 14 avocets, 2 oystercatchers. Wildfowl on 1st lagoon included 104 wigeon, 50 shoveler, 12 teal, 8 gadwall and a female goldeneye still on 2nd lagoon, glossy ibis feeding on near bank of 1st lagoon, male and female marsh harriers and a couple of pairs of long-tailed tits

Main sighting: Little egret

12 little egrets

Main sighting: Avocets

Early morning visit, just about every kind of weather during the Storm. Reserve is quite water logged.
Highlight was 9 x Avocets on Priors Lagoon ( none were ringed or tagged). Lapwings 20+ on Monks Lagoons, 2 x Curlew, Male Marsh Harrier , 6 x Carrion crows, Peregrine on Monks and Becs – it was mobbed by Lapwings. Glossy Ibis on Priors. Wigeon 150+, Shoveler 50+, Shelducks 50+, Gadwall 15c, Little Grebe, Teal 50c. Surrounding field water logged – attracted the Canada and Greylag Geese. Fieldfare seen feeding with them. Starling flock 150+. Skylarks x 2. Barnacle Geese x 2. Cormorants x 2