NEWPORT WETLANDS (USKMOUTH) AND GOLDCLIFF

Last weekend 22nd May I went down to Newport Wetlands RSPB Reserve (Uskmouth) and popped into Goldcliff to see what ornithological delights I could discover.

 There were a lot of families there enjoying the reserve but not that many birders. Still there were some nice birds on offer including the Whitethroats that were very tolerant of people and they seemed to just carry on with their normal behaviour regardless.

whitethroat

male and female

 I was hoping to perhaps see a Bittern or Marsh Harrier but I think with the volumes of people that were there it was going to be almost impossible that they would show.

The reed beds were teaming with Sedge and Reed Warblers.

Although both Warblers are difficult to photograph because mostly they stay deep into the reeds this one Sedge Warbler came pretty close to the edge of the reedbed and gave quite a performance as it rattled away for what seemed to be a good couple of minutes.

sedge warbler giving it large

After that I went down to the sea wall where there wasn't that much to see let alone photograph.

I then made my way down to the hide where I saw a Sparrowhawk fly into some bushes and come away with something in it's talons which I suspect was a small bird. No picture I'm afraid but it was a thrill to see it in action.

Down at the hide again there wasn't much on show but this Little Grebe was at the edge of the reedbed with it's family which were mostly hidden away by the reeds.

looking out over the reed beds from the hide

little grebe (dabchick)

Also this female and male tufted duck were on show.

I made my way back to the entrance where I managed to grab this pic of another Whitethroat after which I decided to leave the reserve and head home.

Before I went into Uskmouth I had a wander around Goldcliff where there was a nice selection of birds even though they were quite a distance away for us photographers. Having said that I did get a fairly close picture of this Dunnock.

dunnock

Here's what else I captured.

pair of lapwings

lesser black backed gull

house martin

swallows

reed bunting

male shellduck

grey heron

mute swans

swift

black tailed godwits and dunlin

avocets

A nice selection there I think! 

There were loads of goslings there from both Canada and Greylag Geese this one is a Greylag gosling.

And that's it for this post, it was quite a long day of birding but very enjoyable highlights for me was the Sedge Warbler display,

As always thanks for dropping by and hope to catch you all soon.

SOME NESTS

My good friend and nest finding guru Stephen Carter has sent me a nice selection of nests he's found out and about on his travels. 

Steve does most of his nest finding on the mountain and surrounding farms where he has befriended most of the local farmers and land owners who allow him access to their land. All the nests that Steve finds he records and then puts his data into the BTO's nest record scheme which is valuable conservation work and helps the BTO monitor population trends and breeding successes of  the birds in our local area. 

Here's some of his findings thus far:-

blackcap

chiffchaff

long tailed tit

meadow pipit

incomplete pied flycatcher (nest box)

redstart (nest box)

skylark

stonechat

A great selection there and I expect more to come from one of the best nest finders in Gwent.

I spent a quick couple of hours at Goldcliff the weekend before last and although there was nothing unusual on the wader front (I was hoping for little stint, whimbrel and spoonbill but they didn't show) there were some nice passerine's in the habitat that surround the lagoons.

whitethroat

whitethroat

 

male wheatear

male wheatear

male reed bunting

male reed bunting

Well that's it for this post, a big thank you to Stephen Carter for sharing the beautiful images of the nests he's found and thank you whoever you are for visiting my blog and as always I'll catch you soon.

A BIT OF BIRDING ON THE FARM

Well with my car in the garage in bits after failing it's MOT there was no Day Tripping for us on this Bank Holiday, so I decided to have a good old stroll around the farm and on the moors to see what was about. Outside the house my lonesome Swallow had been joined by this female so I should think they'll soon get down to business of building a nest and breeding.

a mate for our lonesome

Down the Old Farm there wasn't that much about, heard the Willow Warblers and the Cuckoo (which has been with us a couple of weeks now and I still haven't got an image)  but they were just to far away. I did see Stock Doves and Woodpigeon and all the usual suspects so I'm afraid that not many pic's were taken, although I did grab an image of this fly by Buzzard.

buzzard

Back on top near the moors the farmers field had a couple of surprises, Wheatear's were feeding and were joined by some more Buzzards. There were a pair this time and the one actually landed on the field.

male wheatear

a pair of buzzards

                                           

There was also this Dunnock which landed on a fence post quite close by.

dunnock

I made my way across the moors where the air is full of the songs and calls of good numbers of Skylark and Meadow Pipit that come back to nest here every spring. The Skylarks were a bit illusive  but I managed to get a couple of pic's.

skylark in display flight

Also managed a decent photo of this meadow pipit.

meadow pipit

Quite pleased with my efforts I walked back down into the farm where I snapped this Linnet.

male linnet

I then stumbled upon a pair of Stonechats that were alarming like hell around me so I took a quick couple of pictures before leaving them in peace as I suspected there was a nest close by.

female stonechat

and the male

The Redstarts have come into the farm in good numbers although non of them have started to nest yet as a check of the boxes by Steve Carter revealed non were occupied by Redstart only the Blue and Great tits and a pair of Nuthatches had taken up residence. Caught this male low down in a tree.

male redstart

Another Summer visitor that I've ticked off this year is this Tree Pipit

Tree pipit

Key ID features between this and the earlier Meadow Pipit are the very white belly with very fine lines on the flanks and the hind claw is a lot shorter than Meadow which is hidden on here, and obviously their calls and song are different.

At nearly the end of my walk I surprised this Jay who was skulking for food under the trees.

jay

I made it home in time for dinner happy in what I'd seen and photographed and I hope you are to.

Thanks for taking the time out to read my blog and as always I'll catch you soon.