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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Ynys y fro reservoirs (1 Viewer)

John o'Sullivan said:
It was sunning itself and dreaming of warmer climes I imagine.

You saw the Spotted Sand at Peterstone in the 80's I take it.

The changes are of course to do with the lagoons at Goldcliff and a regular stream of people checking out the waders there.

Pecs are more or less annual now and claims of Bairds seem to be. Veiwing at Goldcliff is often a nightmare however and clinching I.D. on a sunny day can be nigh on impossible. After about 10.30 am all you get are blurred outlines and heat haze. If the wind is blowing it usually blows straight into your face as does the rain. It can drive me to distraction at times but at least is much better than anything we've had before.
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John

Can you say something about access at the reservoirs?

I was there on Tuesday, and must confess I was even reluctant to park there given the 'private' and 'no public access' signs. Anyway it was quiet so I decided to park at the 'car park'. I soon picked out the grebes to the southern end of the bottom reservoir and could just about make out the summer plumage in the scope. I would have loved to have walked closer to them for a better view, but the fences and signs all indicate that walking around the pools is forbidden.

Am I right?
 
Members of the gwent ornithological society can walk around if they have their membership cards on them. The fishermen will ask to see them until they know you. They don't really object if you stay/park in the car park and are polite. If you ask nicely I have known them let you walk up to the bay to look from here. Otherwise the hill opposite the car park gives views of all the lower resevoir and I've never been challenged regarding access here from the land owner whoever this may be. Good luck John O'
 
John,it would seem the 3 B.N. grebes have now turned up at lisvane res,I went up to YR a few weeks ago with my wife to get to see them,but was rudely turned away by anglers,what is it with these jerks?at least the anglers are no longer at the Cardiff res's to give out grief :)
Nigel
 
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Have been popping up every now and again over the last week or so as there is a bit of mud on top pool. Hoping for a wood sand. Got up there this morning to see 4 Little Egrets the 2nd Res record. First for me and species no 137. As soon as they saw me ( a good 50 yards away) they took off and flew east. Still a great sight and a long anticipated Res tick. Now for Red Kite, a suprisingly rare bird around south east wales.
 
Not doing too much birding at present and being slowly dragged back into regularly doing the rounds at Y.R. (they only need a few minutes for a look). Quality provided today by my 2nd ever redstart here. Also seen the first common sand of the autumn (first wader of the autumn), a few willow warblers, 2 whitethroats and a late swift.
Not quite as good as yesterdeay when a visit to Goldcliff produced amongst others imm marsh harrier, wood sand, 3 green sand, 2 spot reds, 2 avocets and 3 greenshank . 10 years ago that would have been a stunning gwent day now just a good day.
 
Major excitement this morning at least for around a minute. A heavy shower dropped a ringed plover low enough for it to be seen flying over calling, species 138 for me and only the second reported ringed plover in 16 years. Then seconds later an adult Arctic Tern appeared on the top resevoir before similarly almost immediately leaving. In 16 years I have never seen birds drop like this before although I have been caught out in many showers.
 
I've just been offered and accepted a post working in Newport as a Specialist Community Nurse.

My "patch" will be the whole of Newport UA and I'll be based in Ringland only 4 miles from the wetlands reserve. I shall be birding sometimes before work, sometimes after work, sometimes lunchtimes.

Hopefully I'll be starting in my new role around 4-6 weeks from now. I'll update this thread to record any sightings. Looking forward to the job and getting back to some regular patch birding.
 
Have now started work (coming to end of second week).Have seen 57 species so far (added wren today) either around reserve at lunchtime or whilst on my usually cycling travels around Newport.

Job going well and only ten minutes in car from work to reserve car park or bottom of saltmarsh lane.

15 minutes to lagoons so will keep these for before/after work and when the right bird demands it a twitch.
 
Nearly off on a twitch this morning. Text message through that a cattle egret seen at Goldcliff (british tick for me). Checked GOS website but report from yesterday of a briefly seen bird. I was planning on a lunchtime trip so decided to wait and go over at reasonable time.

No cattle egret today but reasonable selection of waders. Best two Ruff, two Greenshank, two LRP, around ten black tailed godwits, 20+ Avocets also a few teal and a fly over Hobby.

List of birds seen in Newport UA during work hours up by 8 to 65.
ruff, LRP, greenshank, black tailed godwit, dunlin, oystercatcher, teal. hobby.

Rules of this list are that I can only count birds seen from the time I leave for work to the time I get home.
Ultimately pointless to play this new listing game but it does make birding in Gwent slightly more interesting.

I find Gwent birding better now than its ever been thanks to Goldcliff reserve (despite the reserves many and varied frustrations) but still relatively few scarcities/rarities on a national level.

I've spent the vast majority of my birding in and around the Cardiff/Newport area so have relatively high list for these areas (particulary in respect of self-found) but this means not much new to see. Also means my British list still relatively low 287 with lots of regular species missing.

Cattle Egret a good example of this, big influx into U.K. this year but the bird reported yesterday the first seen in Gwent during this influx and only the second ever. First a bird found dead around Usk early in the 80's.

As I rarely twitch and few potential ticks come to areas I regularly watch or am prepared to twitch to, my overall list stays down.

Just to demonstrate the extent of my insularity I also keep a Cardiff/Newport UA list, A self found Cardiff/Newport UA list, a Newport UA list, a self found Newport UA list, an Ynysyfro list, and now a list of birds seen in Newport UA during work time.


Then there are all my Turkish lists. I need a list of my lists to keep track.

John O'
 
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Where did you spot the Ruff John...? I have been looking for a few days now, but haven't spotted any myself - inexperience on my part I know, but where do you suggest I look?
 
A few developments since last post. Species list up to 74

Peregrine, sand martin, green sand, hedge accentor, blackcap, green woodpecker, robin, coal tit and Med Gull (the last a first for me at goldcliff).

Common Buzzards seen out of office windows most days now with a soaring sparrowhawk one day.

Also met Luke and John (music man) at Goldcliff.

My Newport list stands at 186 with the following not self-found.

Night heron
Black winged stilt
Semi palmated sand
White rumped sand
Pec sand
Buff breasted
Spot sand
red necked phal
grey phal
desert wheatear
spotted sand,

My best Newport self-finds in no particular order

Storm petrel, Black Kite, Honey Buzzard, 2 Ospreys, Marsh and Hen harriers, Bairds sand, two Temmincks stint, 2 ring billed gulls, Iceland gull, 3 black terns, Black necked and Slav grebes, whooper and Bewick swan's, 2 Ring necked duck, long tailed duck, Smew, 4 spoonbill, a number of waxwings and a snow bunting,

That's a list that has taken lots of time and effort.

The most glaring omision, I don't have Tawny owl on my Newport list!!

Have one more week in work before two weeks in Turkey.
John O'
 
The Night Heron was at woodstock pool in Newport itself. I vaguely remember that there were a couple. I've always been useless at keeping notes so don't have records to check back on.

Have rechecked lists and had missed off Woodchat shrike, saw a juv at Peterstone
(early 80's)? I forgot about this bird as well but reminded by Chris Jones who like me was dipping on the Cattle Egret recently seen on/off at reserve.

A Family party of Common Crane in the rumney valley a couple of years ago were also thought to have been seen in Glamorgan but on checking were actually seen on the Gwent side of river and great black back gull just missed off.

So that makes 189 in the "port" with Bearded tit, Common crane and woodchat added to the not self-found bit (14).

This week added Canada geese, Lesser whitethroat, Snipe, Yellow wag, Greenshank at Goldcliff, Kingfisher at Pye corner and Jay at St Cadoc's so up to 81 since starting new job.

Green woodpecker from the office window this morning.

Off to Turkey now for two weeks. Not expecting much as too hot to bird after around 9 am and too much trouble to get out to good sites before 9am. Would need to hire car at Summer rates and once sun up too hot to go any where in said car.

Will get out for a couple of early shifts however so hopefully something to report on return.
 
Andrew said:
How do you pronounce it? I am thinking something like 'whinn-eyes why froe'.

I suppose I am far off the mark?!
Click to expand...

I'm a native welsh-speaker. It's pronounced uniss er vro (with the "ro" in the last word pronounced more-or-less like the English "roar")
 
thnks for that Argon 55 (first time I've ever typed that!!)

added a few birds this week with only one trip out birding

Grey Wagtail 82
raven 83
Meadow pipit 84
Shoveler 85
willow warbler 86

missed the spoonbill at Goldcliff this morning but nice views of green sand.

The willow warbler was a little cracker, one of the brightest I've ever seen.

Also seen a couple of peregrines on my travels around newport.

john O'
 
Couple of trips out to Lagoons for early morning tides and a lunchtime trip to Saltmarsh lane Friday.
Added
Turnstone 87
Knot
Wheatear
Marsh Harrier (monday and wednesday)
Bullfinch
Common Sand
Bar tailed Godwit (93)

Regular sparrowhawk and buzzard from office window with a pair of jays in trees opposite. The lady I share an office with was kind enough to allow me the desk with a view of the trees and hill across the road.

Saw a female Peregrine over Chepstow road Tuesday, Thursday a male heading east through the same air space was roughed up by another male that half heartedly stooped at it.

Saltmarsh lane very quite with nothing at all of note.
 
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