Newport Wetlands RSPB 30/12/12 sightings

This is only the 2nd time i've been to the Wetlands in Gwent and on the 30th there was heavy rain showers and it was very windy. Sightings included

                                                           Male tufted duck

                                             A pair of mute swans with their juv

                                                               The curlew

                                               View from wood hide

                                         1 female mallard with males and a female pochard (infront)

                                    2 female pochards infront of 2 male mallards

• 20+ mallards (both males and females)
• 3 adult male shovelers (hidden in the reeds)
• 3 female pochards (seen with the mallards from the wooded hide)
• Male and female teal (sighted from woodland hide)
• 2 female reed buntings got blown in by the wind from the Bristol Channel
• 20+ tufted ducks on the stretch of water
• 30+ herring, lesser black and greater black backed gulls
• 1 little egret sighted from the visitors centre
• The flock of 100- 200 starlings started performing their roost flock
• 1 greater spotted woodpecker on the feeder from the visitors centre
• 1 male pheasant feeding under the feeders
• 4 greenfinches as well as 9 gold finches on the feeder on the window and visitors centre feeders.
• A few coots
• 30+ redwings in the car park breifly
• 1 Cetti's warbler was calling in the vegetation by the reeds near the play ground. Heard its loud call but didn't see it.
• 1 male kestrel hunting on the coast
• 1 curlew
• A family of 2 adult mute swans with a juv
• 2 gadwalls from the hide in the middle on the walk

Birds i could have seen

• Bearded tits are always sighted there and on the 30th a female was sighted.

Garden sightings from the 28th to New Years Eve

Lots of rain has been keeping the birds away and strong winds have been causing lots of gulls like herring, common, black headed and a great black backed gull which all feed on the flooded fields throughout the day.Other sightings flying over have been:

• Jackdaws
• Gulls
• Magpies
• 40+ starlings
• 1 kestrel has been hunting on the close field behind us
• Collard doves and wood pigeons

Trees

• 2 adult male blackbirds and a female
• 10+ gold finches
• 30+ house sparrows
• A flock of 20 starlings
• Jackdaws, wood pigeons, a magpie and 2 collard doves everyday in all the trees
• Blue and great tits
• The robin has been singing everyday in the morning

Opposite house

• 1 carrion crow
• 40+ feral pigeons
• A few starlings
• 1 wagtail heard

The garden

• 2 adult males and an adult female has came to the garden and fed on the floor 
• Several jackdaws have came to the garden
• A few starlings came to the bread
• 2 house sparrows landed in the tree
• 2 collard doves came briefly while i was putting food out but sadly flew away on the 31st
• A wood pigeon has been continuously coming and feeding

28/12/12 sightings

Not alot of birds sighted today although lots of gulls.

Adult winter black headed gull

Flying over

• 50+ black headed gulls
• 1 great black backed gull
• 30+ common gulls
• Quite a few herring gulls flying over high
• A few redwing and feildfare

Trees

• Lots of house sparrows
• Corvids
• A few starlings
• 2 robins
• 3 blackbirds
• Collard doves and a few wood pigeons

In the floods

• The gulls around here
• 1 Grey heron (replaced yesterdays little egret)

Garden

                                                                      Jackdaw

• 2 jackdaws
• 1 Common gull 

Christmas day, boxing day and todays garden sightings

Not alot of birds around as there was lots of rain causing the rivers to flood again. Merry Christmas to everyone and there have been some strange sighs of spring arriving early. In the apple tree (which hasn't got any apples in) a male Great tit was calling several times as well as in the 1st berry bush a Chaffinch male has been singing. Also one of the male blackbirds have been singing a bit in the apple tree but every morning a Robin has been singing from the berry bush. The male dunnock has even been performing his courtship display towards the female and at the Cotswold water park mallard ducks have even been seen mating. Its not only birds which have been showing signs but one of our bushes have started getting new buds and amazingly 3 daffodil bulbs have started shooting out the ground. So when will we see the first Swallow arrive back in the new year?
 
Birds sighted have been.

Garden

• 1 adult male blackbird (27th)

Trees

• 40+ starlings
• 40+ jackdaws
• 3 magpies
• 2 great tits
• A few blue tits
• 40+ house sparrows
• The dunnock pair
• Wood pigeons
• 3 Blackbirds- 2 ad males and an ad female
• 20+ gold finches
• Quite a few chaffinches
• 2 collard doves

Flying over

• 1 great black backed gull
• 40+ black headed gulls in flocks with the common gulls which have been moving from the flooded fields
• Corvids
• A few herring gulls
• 1 Great spotted woodpecker (27th)
• 1 kestrel (27th)
• 5+ Fieldfare
• 20+ Redwing

House behind us

• 40+ starlings
• 1 collard dove
• The gulls
• 30+ redwing
• A few house sparrows
• Corvids

Flooded fields

• Lots of gulls- herring, common, black headed, great black backed and herring but no yellow legged or Mediterranean
• 1 Littel egret

Christmas Eve 2012 garden and SARA sightings

Sharpness sightings

Picnic area

                                                        Mallard males and females
Lots of mallard ducks feeding close to the site and several black headed and a few great black backed gulls.

SARA

                                                         Morhen

Winter plumaged great crested grebe

                                              Little grebe (top left) with cormarant

                                                              Cormarant

• Record number of 20+ redshank feeding together
• Lots of black headed gulls and a few common and herring gulls mixed in.
• 1 grey heron
• 30+ cormorants feeding on the rising tide and then even 1 in the Marina whereas others flew up river.
• A small flock of Dunlin which aren't usually seen at this part of the River got scared by a train on the other side of the River and then they flew up river towards Slimbridge where they have hundreds.
• The great crested grebe in winter plumage feeding in the Marina
• 10+ mallards feeding in the docks
• 1 Morhen which is the first I've seen down here on the canal and they're usually seen further up the canal near Purton.
• 1 Little grebe feeding close to the cormarant and was very shy so not easily sighted. 1st I've seen down here.
• A flock of 10 house sparrows which have recently came to the feeders
• Lots of blue and great tits flying and feeding in the trees.
• 20+ wood pigeons
• Carrion crow on the remaining mud

                                                                                                                                                       

Garden sightings

• 3 jackdaws
• 2 starlings
• 1 adult male blackbird

Flying over

                                                Lesser or greater black backed gull

                                                        Feral pigeon

                                                    Common gull

• 1 great black backed gull, 40+ common and black headed gulls in flocks
• Starlings, jackdaws and several flocks of feral pigeons
• Corvids
• Pigeons and collard doves
• 2 green, several gold and a few chaffinches
• 1 wagtail

Opposite house

                                                Black headed gull in winter plumage

• 10+ black headed gulls
• 20+ Starlings
• 20+ jackdaws
• 1 wagtail- probably the white wagtail which is around of a new pied wagtail

Trees

                                                      Chaffinch

                                                              Singing robin

                                                          Gold finch

• 3 magpies
• 40+ house sparrows
• 20+ blue tits
• 1 robin
• 16 starlings
• 2 adult males and an adult female blackbird fed and chased each other all day
• 30+ chaffinches
• Lots of jackdaws, 2 carrion crows, 3 collard doves and a wood pigeon 

23/12/12 sightings

Garden

                                          My best photo of an adult male blackbird

                                                                  Jackdaw

• 2 starlings
• 1 adult male blackbird
• 4 jackdaws

Trees

                                                                 Female Blackcap

                                                                      Chaffinch

                                                           One of many great tits

• Several great tits
• Lots of blue tits
• 40+ starlings
• 20+ jackdaws
• Wood pigeons and the three collard doves have been visiting the trees continuously
• 2 dunnocks
• 10+ gold finches
• 30+ chaffinches
• 1 robin
• 3 magpies
• 30+ house sparrows
• 1 Female Blackcap

Flying over

• Lots of black headed, common and 3 lesser black backed gulls
• 1 pied or white wagtail
• chaffinches
• Ferel pigeons
• Lots of corvids like magpies, jackdaws,rooks, carrion crows and a lot of starlings

Opposite house

• Corvids
• 40+ ferel pigeons

Other news

• 100+ Common scoters, 2 wigeon, teal and black headed gulls all at New Passage
• 30+ lapwing flew over Stone (glos)

22/12/12 rainy sightings

Garden sightings

                                                      one of the adult male blackbird

                                               1 starling infront of the other male blackbird

                                                                         Jackdaw

                                                          The female blackbird

                                                             2 collard doves

• 2 starlings
• 1 adult male blackbird and 1 adult female
• 1 dunnock
• 2 collard doves
• 4 house sparrows
• 3 jackdaws

Trees

• Small flocks of 5 green finches
• 15+ goldfinches
• 10+ blue tits
• 30+ starlings
• 30+ jackdaws
• 2 carrion crows
• 40+ house sparrows

Opposite house

• 40+ ferel pigeons

Other news

• 2 Mute swans flew over on Tuesday in the morning with collard doves, wood pigeons, starlings, magpies and lots of rooks and carrion crows. 

Garden sightings 15/12/12

White wagtails

White wagtails have been seen more often this Autumn and because of the frosts we've had the wagtails have came into the town and as a result only 2 pied wagtails which breed each year haven't been seen near the house. Although 15- 25 white wagtails arive in the Autumn  this is the first year i've seen them around. 

Trees

Redwing

                                            

                                                                              Male chaffinch

                                                                        Wood pigeon

                                           Male blackbird (left) with female (right)

• 8 blackbirds
• 30+ chaffinches
• 20+ gold finches
• 1 robin
• 40+ starlings
• 40+ jackdaws
• 3 magpies
• 2 carrion crows
• 10+ Redwings
• 30+ blue tits
• 10+ great tits
• 2 dunnocks
• 30+ house sparrows
• 3 collard doves
• 2 wood pigeons

Opposite house

                                           Black headed gull in winter plumage

• 1 pied wagtail or white wagtail
• 20+ jacdaws
• 3 black headed gulls
• 3 magpies
• 40+ starlings
• 20 feral pigeons

Flying over

• Lots of black headed and common gulls
• 20+ redwings
• 2 male blackbirds
• 12 gold finches
• 15 chaffinches
• 2 green finches
• 40+ starlings
• 2 magpies
• Feral pigeons
• 30+ wood pigeons
• Corvids

My Garden

                                                     White Wagtail

• 1 wood pigeon- On a lower roof resting before flying a metre up to the top of the roof.
• 1 WHITE WAGTAIL feeding on the lower roof before feeding on the top of the roof and next doors roof. 1st of the year for the roof and a first for the garden.

My 16/12/12 garden sightings. Highlights 2 warblers and lots of birds

There was some great birds today and a few unexpected ones which I didn't think I would see today. For example in my garden a Female Blackcap arrived today and I only saw it when it flew from one of the small trees. She was the first female blackcap of the year in the garden but she could have been the same female recorded in the berry bush a few months ago. The blackcap is a very common summer migrant for the most of the UK but around my area they stay all year round and as a result in February a male came to the garden and then last Tuesday another male was sighted in the fog just down the road.

Another highlight for today was the White wagtail who has been sighted yesterday and several times in the last few months after his arrival last Autumn. Today he was calling from the houses and he is very distinctive with a little yellow bit on his face.

The third special bird was a Chiffchaff which are usually widespread and breeding in the summer throughout the UK. Recently chiffchaffs have been staying in Britain all year round and as a result Slimbridge WWT recently had 3 and today OIdbury Power Station and other places have had a few. This is the first sighting of the year around the garden but every year we hear lots wherever we go in the summer and sometimes in the Autumn.

Other sightings

Flying over

• Lots of common, lesser black backed and black headed gulls
• 20+ wood pigeons
• 3 collard doves
• 1 magpie
• 4 green finches
• 40+ starlings
• 3 fieldfares
• 30+ redwings
• 3 adult male blackbirds
• Corvids
• 10 house sparrows

Trees

                                                                            Dunnock

 

                                                                  

                                                              1st winter male blackbird

                                                                      Mistle thrush

                                                                           Starling

                                                                  Female house sparrow

                                                                   Chiffchaff

• 30+ house sparrows
• 3 dunnocks
• 10 blackbirds- 1 1st winter male, 6 adult males, 3 adult female blackbirds
• 2 green finches
• 10+ gold finches
• 10+ chaffinches
• 30+ starlings
• 20 jackdaws
• 2 magpies
• 7 redwings
• 40+ Blue tits unusual numbers in the trees all day. Lots of them together and flying to every tree.
• 9 great tits
• Heard a few long tailed tits
• 1 Chiffchaff sighted and photographed briefly in the apple tree
• 1 gold crest heard
• 1 mistle thrush
• Several carrion crows

Opposite house

                                                                   White wagtail

• 1 White wagtail
• 20 feral pigeons
• 3 house sparrows
• 3 black headed gulls
• 30+ jackdaws

Garden

 

Female Blackcap

• 1 adult male blackbird
• 7 jackdaws- 1 on the 3rd post and the other 6 on the bird table or fence
• 2 house sparrows
• 1 blue tit on the 3rd post briefly
• 1 Female Blackcap

Other news
Glos Birds

• Smew at Cotwolds water park
• Waxwings still around Gloucestershire, Somerset and the old avon area
• Old Avon sightings http://avonbirding.blogspot.co.uk/

Somersets Rare Birds

• Lesser scaup (Blagdon Lake)
• Ringed necked duck (Hawkridge Resivour)
• Great white egret and smew (Ham Wall RSPB).
• Hawfinch (Bruton)
• Temmerincks stint (Steart)
• Scaup (Wall common)
• Black Redstart (Portishead)
• 4 Jack snipe (Sand point)

My Oldbury Power Station 16/12/12 sightings

Orchard

• 40+ fieldfares
• 5 great tits
• 7 wood pigeons
• 30+ goldfinches went to roost
• 2 great spotted woodpeckers flew over calling

Estuary

• 1 shelduck
• 2 black headed gulls
• 7 mallards
• 3 curlews heard

Lagoon 2

• carrion crows
• 4 gold finches
• 1 Water rail calling
• 3 starlings
• Several long tailed tits
• 2 dunnocks

Sightings to the Power Station

• 1 juv mute swan at Hill
• 30+ redwings- road to Power Station
• Carrion crows
• 40+ fieldfares flying around road and then they flew towards the orchard
• 4 mallards on the lake
• 1 gold crest on path to the River Severn

Birds I didn't see

http://www.opsbirds.webspace.virginmedia.com/

Sightings from areas around Glos including WAXWINGS

Sharpness

• 1 male sparrowhawk
• Corvids
• 3 buzzards
• Gulls
• Blackbirds
• Several chaffinches
• 20+ house sparrows

Purton

• 1 curlew - in field by the Berkeley Arms Pub at hide tide
• 1 adult shelduck- in field by the Berkeley Arms Pub at high tide
• 9 mallards on the canal
• Lots of gulls feeding on the remaining mud
• 30+ house sparrows
• 2 adult male blackbirds
• Corvids
• 1 female sparrowhawk

Breadstone

• 200+ fieldfares- together feeding in a field
• 50+ redwings
• Corvids
• 20+ chaffinches
• 30 house sparrows
• 1 buzzard
• 1 female sparrowhawk

Halmore

• Corvids
• 20+ redwings
• chaffinches
• house sparrows
• Blackbirds

Cheltenham

• 10 blackbirds
• Corvids
• gulls
• 50+ WAXWINGS flew over Mcdonalds and down Princess Elizabeth Way.
• Starlings
• 4 pied wagtails
• Feral pigeons

This weeks bird sightings in the town

Lots of rooks, carrion crows and jackdaws like normal. Also lots of starlings and house sparrows every where. Other birds:

• 16 magpies together down the road from the house
• 19 dunnocks
• 200+ gulls= black headed, herring and common gulls
• 30+ gold finches
• 3 pied wagtails
• 50+ redwing
• 50+ fieldfares
• 190+ blackbirds- Alot in the area around the garden as well as lots in the area feeding in the gardens after the frost dissapeared.
• 1 Male blackcap- Becoming more of a resident in the area and latest record of the year so far. Sighted on Tuesday 11th.
• 400+ wood pigeons
• 30 collard doves
• Several robins
• 100+ chaffinches

Weekend garden sightings

Not a lot of birds sighted over the two days

Bird sighted

                                                                        2 Feral pigeons landing

                                                                   Wood pigeon

 

• 10 Feral pigeons on the opposite house
• 1 pied wagtail
• 7 blackbirds
• 7 redwings
• 1 robin
• 6 gold finches
• Carrion crows
• Rooks
• Jackdaws
• Common and black headed gulls 
• 3 chaffinches
• 20+ starlings
• 1 wood pigeon in garden and 15 flew over
• A few collard doves
• Several magpies

Other sightings on the 9th

                                 Robin

• 2 cormorants- Stone (Glos)
• 1 great spotted woodpecker (M5 near Bristol)
• 1 kestrel (M5 near Bristol)
• 1 buzzard getting mobbed by a magpie (Near Stone Glos)
• 1 robin, 1 carrion crow and 2 chaffinches (Dursley Sculpture trail) 
• The resident female sparrowhawk and the resident buzzard (Berkeley Castle)
• 16 Magpies just down the road

Slimbridge WWT Sightings 9/12/12

Lots of sightings due to the flooded fields and there was some great wader displays when all the waders were in the air and then a perigrene flew under making the waders spooked and the ducks alert.

Tack piece sightings

6 redshanks

 

                                                                   Pochard male

lapwing front with lots of golden plovers

• 10 bewick swans
• 20+ shovelers
• 41 pintails
• 20 mallard ducks
• 40+ teals
• 100+ wigeons
• 1 buzzard
• 1 perigrene
• 40+ black headed gulls chasing the dunlin because of food
• 1 great black backed gull
• 3 herring gulls
• 200+ lapwings
• 100+ golden plovers
• 60+ black tailed godwits
• 200+ dunlin
• 20+ pochards
• 90+ curlews
• 1 LONG BILLED DOTWICHER was breifly sighted flying over with the black tailed godwits
• 90 redshank
• 1 grey heron
• Several canada geese
• A few greylag geese
• Lots of corvids

Garden birds from the feeder hide (Tack peice)

                                                        Winter adult male chaffinch

Jackdaw

• 30+ chaffinches
• 4 mallards
• 4 cormarants flew over
• 17 canada geese
• 1 great spotted woodpecker
• 20+ blue tits
• 10+ great tits
• 1 robin
• 40+ jackdaws
• 4 adult bewick swans flew over

Road fields

                                           4 bewick swans with lapwings

• 16 bewick swans
• 20 white fronted geese
• 200+ lapwing
• 1 female sparrowhawk
• 1 carrion crow
• 40+ rooks

Zeiss hide

                                                                  Bittern

• 30+ mallards
• lots of corvids
• 30+ lapwings
• 3 pintails
• 20 pochards
• 1 Bittern very hard to see in the reedbeds
• 1 Cettis warbler heard from the reeds