Sightings

Main sighting: Mistle thrush

Mistle thrush, song thrush, f blackcap, chiffchaff, Green woodpecker, 3 buzzards, 2 goldfinches, 6 sand Martins, a swallow and a male mandarin duck.

Main sighting: Tawny Owl

Calling twice at 1314 hrs.

Main sighting: Wheatear and Warblers

En-route to hides – woodpigeons, robin, sparrows, wren, blue tits, magpies, pheasant, crows, chiffchaffs, song thrush, blackbirds, blackcap, dunnock, goldfinches, cettis and collard dove. Hide one – 4 skylarks, 14 redshanks, 5 oystercatchers ‘piping’, 4 little egrets, Canada geese, shelduck, 18 teal, 5 avocet, 2 lapwing, 7 shoveler, spotted redshank starting to turn black, coot, ls black-backed gulls, mallards, herring gulls, 2 pairs wigeon, 4 snipe, reed bunting, wheatear, marsh harriers, pair of grey plovers and a buzzard. Hide two – cormorant, reed warbler in partial song, willow warbler and whitethroat in full song and greylags. Snipe platform – 2 swallows, 4 little grebes, 2 mute swans and a fly-past snipe. Marsh platform – 4 male and 2 fem tufted ducks. Seawall – 30 curlew. Hide three – 77 more shelduck, 26 more avocet, 4 more cormorants, stonechat pair, meadow pipits, pair ringed plovers, 2 herons, starling pair, linnets and 2 pairs pintail. Black-tailed godwits numbered 311, at 0830 a male peregrine tried to single one out and failed. He returned at 0837 and split the flock pursuing a group of 45, which ‘pumped’ higher and the peregrine gave up. At this point the 45 drifted off high towards the Penarth headland direction. Also while this was going on a greenshank broke cover and flew off towards Goldcliff Point.

Main sighting: Wheatear

Female Wheatear behind factories at Oakdale.

Main sighting: Pied Flycatcher

Seen 500m north-west of the canal tunnel above Llanfoist. Perched briefly before flying Northward.

Main sighting: Pied Flycatcher

Female Pied Flycatcher on river bank just above Llanfoist bridge . Also first swallows of the year

Main sighting: Mistle Thrush

Sitting tight on nest in Yew tree twelve feet high approx.

Main sighting: Curlews wanted

Curlews are becoming more active and vocal at the moment so these next few weeks are the best time to find them. Please email all sightings and heards to curlew@gwentbirds.org.uk giving the date, location (a grid reference is a huge help) and the number of birds. Notes on behaviour such as chasing another Curlew, seeing off a predator, display flights or alarm calling would be really useful.

Main sighting: Blackcap

FIve male Blackcaps in pollarded tree at
Magor Marsh ,all bickering with each other

Main sighting: Goosander and Swallows

Around 0915 1 male and 2 female goosanders up river flying towards Caerphilly above the tree line but following the path of the river. Male flew back downriver again above the tree line around 1315. Also throughout the morning, 6 separate swallows aerial feeding and again heading towards the direction of Caerphillty.

Main sighting: green sandpiper

no other birders at Goldcliff this morning!! 1-Green Sandpiper from the first hide on the near side of the island.Also from the first hide but on the waters edge beyond the island and looking decidedly a blotchy black and white as it aquires its breeding plumage,a Spotted Redshank.10h30-12h00

Main sighting: Weekly update

En-route to hides – moorhen, chiffchaffs (5 seen in total on the reserve), woodpigeons, starling, 3 singing blackcaps, blue tit, magpies, collard dove, pheasant, jackdaws, chaffinch, wren, lesser black-backed gulls, crows, sparrows, blackbird and robin. Field behind hide 2 and reen – greylags, mallards, 2 gadwall, siskin overhead calling, green woodpecker calling, goldfinch and cormorant. Hide 2 – skylarks, 22 avocet, 6 shoveler, wigeon now 9 only, 15 redshanks, 6 teal now only, 22 shelduck, 1 spotted redshank (going slowly into breeding plumage), 2 lapwing, coot, 1 snipe only, and 1 buzzard and herring gulls. Snipe platform – 4 male and 3 female tufteds, reed bunting and 3 little grebes. Seawall – pied wagtail, 53 more shelduck, 1 curlew, 2 oystercatchers and 116 more Canada geese. Hide three – pair linnets, male stonechat, 1 swallow, 6 more lapwing, 8 more avocet, 1 dunlin, 1 black-tailed godwit only, 2 ringed plovers, pair pintail, meadow pipits, 2 more curlew, mute swan and female sparrowhawk.