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

Ynys y fro reservoirs (1 Viewer)

Only two trips out this week.

One high tide visit to Goldcliff gave flight views of the Spoonbill (94) whilst a trip today to Ynysyfro gave Great Crested Grebe (95) and Pochard (96).

Needless to say no Grey Phal or Sabs at YR. I've maintained my record of never finding a seabird at YR after or during a spell of high winds.

Grey phal, Pec sand and Firecrest are the big gaps on my self found list and I got very hopeful for firecrest when a mixed flock of small stuff was full of Goldcrests. More than I've ever seen any where in Gwent, there must have been c15. Despite all the hope however no Firecrest.
 
Unfortunately not Colin. Have seen one party of Bewicks at Y.R. and one party of Whoopers in 18 years. Both parties flew off the second they saw me. The Bewicks arrived in cold weather, the whoopers in foggy.

This week, inspired by the numbers of Wrynecks around the U.K. (including scattered birds around Glamorgan) I went Wryneck hunting (Uskmouth,saltmarsh lane). Needless to say as with Grey Phals/Sabs Gulls/Firecrest last week no Wrynecks this week.

I managed to add Redstart, Tree pipit, Whinchat, Stonechat, Siskin so through the 100 barrier plus another to total 101.

I also added two dips this week to add to this years previous not seen Broad billed Sand and Cattle Egret. A text last saturday sent me scurrying off to St Brides on a hopeful quest for a long tailed skua that had been seen at Slimbridge, New passage and Goldcliff see.http://www.gwentbirding.blogspot.com/. Another needless to say meant I didn't see this bird.

Thursday I made an attempt for Jack Snipe (Gwent Tick) on the flooded field just before Caerleon. I did see 7 Common Snipe, some Teal , some shoveler, some lapwing and two redshank all species I've seen in Gwent many times before.

I honestly believe I am the worst ever twitcher. It was a regular inability to catch up with birds that led to my abandoning this habit in the early eighties, this plus a sense of guilt that not only did I not see the bird/birds that we went for, neither did the people I went with.

I haven't decided, what species I'm going to look for next week. If there is any mud at Goldcliff, I might try for a nice north american wader. If not more wryneck hunting.
 
i spent hours wandering around uskmouth a few days ago with the same hope as you, all i got was a Garden Warbler and two redstart. Gwents very quiet at the moment, could it be the theme of the autumn?
 
Not just the autumn it is the ongoing theme in Gwent.

Daryl's got it right "Gwent Birding, flogging a hobby out of an Oxymoron".

Still this morning proved entertaining. After peering into many, many bushes without wrynecks (I was actually suprised by how many bushes there are at the wetlands reserve) I was trying to entertain myself with an elusive young whitethroat, by pretending it was something much more interesting. Then a huffing and a puffing Nathan appeared further down the lane, so short of oxygen was he that even though he was coming towards me and I had waved at him, he shouted to attract my attention. "Shush" I said, continuing the pretence that the young whitethroat was something else. NO! said Nathan Great White Egret Goldcliff. O.k. said I, immediately losing interest in the young whitethroat.

Ten minutes later pulling up at Goldcliff (it took a few minutes to get to his car), Nathan pointed out the window to a flying, soon to be gone Great White Egret. A genuine bona fide succesful "twitch", and a British Tick to boot no 288.

The Wryneck free bushes were also moderately interesting with around twenty blackcaps and chiffchaffs, 5 Garden warblers, two Redstarts, a spotted fly, a lesser whitethroat and lots of robins. Also an out in the open a close scoped Cettis.

It might be that I am getting better at looking into bushes but last weeks efforts did not produce any blackcaps or garden warblers, and far fewer robins.

Out again in the morning.

John O'
 
Thanks to the somewhat suprising presence of mud at the Gwent Wetlands Reserve, there were lots of waders present this week.

Admittedly you had to look really carefully between/over/around the posts, fencing, farm gate and obstacle course that is the third "viewing" platform in order to see them but they were there.

The most constructive comment I heard about the third "viewing" platform was that it should be moved.

Less constructive comments were that it should be have a chainsaw taken to it, it should be burnt or that it should be dynamited.

I of course would not condone any of these practices but like the idea of Dynamite, particularly if it involved a length of curly wire, a bundle of around 10 sticks of dynamite and a plunger detonator (a la roadrunner) beep, beep.

Despite much trying, not one of the many birds I looked at this week were Pecs.

Highlights (max numbers) 12 Avocets, 8 barwits 2 Spotted redshank (102), 5 greenshank, 5 Ruff, 10 Curlew sandpipers(103), 5 Little stint (104).

I also enjoyed the sight of 52 Little Egrets together one sunny morning.

Towards the end of the week I took to looking upwards in the hope of a Honey Buzz. Not yet (maybe today). Tried four times in total at a variety of locations around Newport/Caerleon each site produced Common Buzzard, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel and Peregrine, also saw Peregrine over Nash college, Chepstow road and at Goldcliff. That's a lot of Peregrine.

John O'
 
Haven't updated for a while (for a variety of reasons). One of these being no regular car but lease car arriving next week.

Additions since last update
Pintail 106 Goldcliff
Yellowhammer 107 Saltmarsh Lane
Redwing 108 Saltmarsh lane
Fieldfare 109 Saltmarsh Lane
Goldeneye 110 YR
Common Gull 111 Boat Lane

there is a 105 somewhere but I can't find it at present.

Seen a few birds out of office window including Peregrine, Great spotted Woodpecker, Siskin and a high up snipe!! Binoculars always at the ready. Missed the best bird though as a colleague familiar with the species saw a Hoopoe fly past him whilst he was sat in the office garden (Oct 3rd).

Have a number of berry bushes visible from one of the office windows so hoping for Waxwing over next few weeks.
 
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Big day out by my standards today. Dropped wife off to work in Cardiff then over to Cosmeston for Lesser Scaup, British Tick (289) from here back to Lamby lake for 2W Ring Billed Gull.

On the way back to Newport a Little Egret in the field across the road from Blooms Garden Center was unusual.

After this a visit to YR which was very good by YR standards i.e. Adult Med Gull, female goosander, 6 Gadwall, 6 wigeon, female shoveler, 7 Lapwing over and the most GC Grebes I've seen here 7.

Followed this up with a trip around various parts of Newport looking for Waxwing,no waxwing but a Male Stonechat behind the Gaer Inn.

Then a trip up to Pen Y Lan, highlight here cracking views of 2 male and a female brambling with a Lapwing over.

Finished back in Cardiff at the Bay Wetlands reserve where a Jack Snipe fed out in the open for at least 10 minutes.

Most enjoyable day.
 
Some good birds out of office window yesterday and today.

Yesterday 5 lapwing (south) and a single waxwing (east) 112 and today a snipe that flew just under the eaves and literally just outside of the office window. Also today as I got out of the car for a home visit a pair of Goosanders flew over the house. I think this is species 113 but need to check list when I get back to work.

My new car is being delivered Friday so I plan to get out regularly after this.
 
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The Goosanders were 113, 114 was Goshawk which was also a Y.R. tick (139 first since Sept 2006) and 115 suprisingly late on the list a Great Black backed gull.

The Goshawk sighting was the third sighting of Goshawk I've had around the west side of Newport this winter, I'd not seen one here before this winter.

Saw the great black backed gull at Salt marsh lane today lunchtime also a few Grey plover, knot and dunlin, a single Little Egret and an immaculate male pintail.

Since the weather has changed nothing of interest past the office window.
 
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Big office window day today with two new birds a female goshawk which slowly glided past over the trees around midday and then at c4:30 five Greylag flew east low over Bishpool Methodist Church. A trip out to Boat Lane at Lunchtime was pretty quiet but nice views of a variety of Dabbling Duck and a few impressive flocks of lapwing.
Last week a rock pipit on the Saltmarsh at Saltmarsh was species 116
 
Bird number 120 arrived yesterday in the shape of a self found Great White Egret at Saltmarsh Lane.

119 was a rook on the roof of a chippie on malpas road. I subsequently noticed a small rookery in some trees on Oliphant Drive. Bird number 53 yesterday on the office window list was also Rook.

118 was a pair of Marsh tits in a small "comunity woodland" in Ringland.
117 to follow.
 
Hi JOS

lovely series of occurances over last couple of days. The below reports taken of GOS website.

1 (not me)

12.50pm Seen very low over Afon Village riding thermal heading north towards Twm Barlwm. Almost certain 2 white storks being harassed by 1 crow. Observed through binoculars for approx 3mins with husband, very large birds with long white neck and underbelly, long black wings with flayed wing tips. Very large wingspan birds definately not seen before.

These birds started off in Somerset (see Somerset Ornithological society website)

2. Me

At lunchtime today (same day as above) I sat down at the Moorings (newport) Usk river valley, skywatching hoping for an Osprey or maybe just maybe a white stork. I saw two canada geese (downstream), two cormarants (downstream) and a grey heron (upstream). One river valley over two white storks flew north. So near and yet so far. There were two singing Cettis here, a singing reed bunting and a common sand on the river.

3.
Osprey over my house this morning (10:30) heading North up river harrassed by 4 Herring Gull. Same river valley as Storks my house just slightly south of Afon Village.

No skywatching involved just heard a load of gulls going spare and looked up.

Lovely clear skies over S Wales at present with lots (for us up in the air). Couple of red kites on the levels, the above birds, another Osprey in Glam, another red kite over Cardiff bay.

I've not seen Red Kite in Newport/ over the Levels closest a bird over Cardiff Gate. I'll be looking up a lot over the next couple of days.
 
Looking up continues to be worthwhile.

Thursday night I go to the gym with a mate of mine then we drive back to his house, park up and go to the local for beer, bushmills and burbling.

As I got out of his car this evening (Grosnover road Bassaleg) I looked up and saw a bird flying away from me towards Newport. The immortal cry of "WHAT THE f@@K IS THAT" went up followed by me legging it up the hill to try and get close enough for an I.D. It was big, it was white, it had extended legs and neck, it wasn't particularly robust, it was being harrased by herring gulls, it was probably a spoonbill.

As I ran up towards the bird I realised once more how fast birds move even when they aren't particularly trying (the last time I realised this I was chasing a Black Kite along the same valley this time with me on a push bike) I reversed ran back to the car and uttered the even more immortal cry of "FOLLOW THAT BIRD". My mate who hadn't yet got out of the car was kind enough to oblige, we tried to intercept it lower down the valley, unfortunately we didn't see the bird again.

Most exciting.

Two days earlier more looking up resulted in a "rollercoasting" Male Goshawk, not a behaviour I've seen before, marvelous.

In a week in Gwent I've found Great White Egret, Osprey, Goshawk and (probable)Spoonbill. It's like proper birding.

117 was bearded tit
 
More useless twitching from me yesterday. A lunchtime visit to Wentwood for the Ib Chiff. I was well prepared with the following directions from the GOS site.

Iberian Chiffchaff just south of Cadira Beeches carpark. Park in carpark and walk south towards along road or,better the horse track,and bird can be heard singing approximately when the larches end and birches begin(say 100yds). This is the same side of the road as the main carpark.

This sounded like my idea of twitching. Clear directions for a relatively short drive, followed by short walk, followed by singing bird.

Arrived in Car Park and followed "better" horse trail south-east singing Tree Pipit and Wood Warbler (122) very nice but no sight/sound of Ib Chiff (lots of Chiffs high up in Larches). After 20 mins wandered back up to car to find a car pulling up into car park. "Here for the bird are you" says I. "Yes" says one of them it's singing 100 yards or so down the road "You can hear it from the car".

"I have to get back to work so will have to return tomorrow" says I.

"Showing well and Singing 13:40 -2pm" later reported on Glamorgan Bird Website.
 
The day before however my more usual lunchtime walk gave me extended views of firstly a perched then a soaring Hobby over the wetlands. This sighting followed later by two cuckoos one chasing the other. The chasing bird calling loudly and repeatedly as it flew by and away. Never seen a cuckoo calling in flight before.
 
Top day today with Iberian Chiffchaff 123 in Wentwood no 289 for Britain along with Wood Warbler, Siskin and Crossbill 124, a pair of Garganey 125 on the flooded field Caerleon and an unexpected female Merlin 126 over the Caerleon side of the river at the Moorings ( Newport).

The Iberian Chiff had a very distinctive song but other than that I could see nothing to seperate it from a normal chiff.
 
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