Gwent Year Tick (Yellowhammer)

Visited a lovely GWT reserve called Springdale or Springvale farm this morning.Late afternoon i went up to the Blorange.Highlights of the day being,Tree Pipit(plentifully), Yellowhammer 3, Hobby 1, Whinchat 2, Redstart 1 and Cuckoo 2.

Ticking Over

Kept the year list ticking over yesterday with a Red Backed Shrike at Portbury NR.Not the best of views as it showed about 4 times for a few seconds before diving back in the hedge.Just about to have a nice bath when news of a Purple Heron came through.Do i go now or wait until first thing in the morning.I decided to go straight away and within 15 minutes I was watching a really weird looking Grey Heron.It looked like it had been grabbed by the head and dipped in a barrel of something or other.

Taken in the dark(and it was raining)

Little Egret

This Little Egret was the only Bird that came out in the rain for me this weekend. Will Cattle Egrets be as common as these one day?

Moth Pics

Couldn't go out birding in the rain or more like i didn't want to get wet so i set up a website with my Moth pictures on.Check out the links on the left hand side.www.pics-by-nathan.fotopic.net.Also had a immigrant in the trap last night called a Silver Y.Not sure how regular they are in Gwent so if anyone knows please leave a message.I will try and update the pics as often as possible.

Scrap

Highlights of this morning were 2 House Martins having a scrap over the best bit of mud for there nests.Very quite at Goldcliff Pools with just a handful of waders present.

Great White

Popped up to Cantref Reservoir after work to pick up a year tick in the form of a Great White Egret.Showing well as soon as i arrived and still showing well when i left.

Weekly Moths

Flame Shoulder 17 - Brimstone 11-
Small Phoenix 1- Nut Tree Tussock 6-
Yellow Barred Brindle 1- Cabbage Moth 1-
Waved Umber 1- Garden Carpet 5-
Red Twin spot Carpet 1- Grey Dagger 1-
Spectacle 3- Muslin Moth 3-
Mocha 1- Swallow Prominent 1-
Buff Ermine 3- Common Pug 1-
Hebrew Character 1- Alder Moth 1-
Pine Beauty 1- Sallow Kitten 2-
Miller 1- Heart And Dart 3-
Shuttle Shaped Dart 2- Orange Footman 1-
Angle Shades 1- Light Brocade 1-
Treble Lines 2 - Early Grey 3-
Pale Tussock 1-
And Then Possibles
Pale Mottled Willow
Bee Moth
Setaceous Hebrew Character
Vines Rustic
Common Marbled Carpet.

A Bit of Passage

A bit of passage movement this weekend with 16 Sanderlings 5 Bar Tailed Godwits on West Usk Beach and a around the same number at Goldcliff.Also at Goldcliff a couple of Little Stints 4 Artic Skuas and a comic Tern all mid Channel.

Take a look at what the fishermen left behind.

2ND For Newport

Ive Been informed this evening that the mocha i caught last weekend was a second record for Newport.Cool!!!

Also a couple of pics from last weekends birdwatching activities.

Mothing

Invested in a skinner moth trap last week and have run it 3 times so far.Numbers have varied over the last 3 nights but the best night for numbers was the night we had the heavy rain and thunderstorms.I did get a moth called a Mocha which is classed as scarce in Gwent.Not to forget a Garganey showed reasonably well from the second platform at Goldcliff.

Short Birds-Long Walk

A long walk to the haul road at Kenfig on Saturday afternoon for a Short-Toed Lark.Showed really well down to a few meters.Very flighty ,every bare chested tattooed man jogging put it up.It always flew back to the road.With this in mind i thought the best bet was to settle down an sit still in the grass.It wasn't long until the next jogger put it up about 50meters down the road.The next thing i knew it was feeding about 3meters away until the jogger got closer and put it up again.Did have a few looks off a couple of joggers just sat there in the grass.On the way back to the van a Short-Eared owl was seen hunting the dunes.

Ringed Plover News

Had news back of a ringed Plover that was seen at Goldcliff Pools wearing some colour rings.This is the email i received.

This is a male, ringed on a nest in Bolungarvík, western part of Iceland 2006. He had four chicks in 2006. In 2006 he was last seen in Bolungarvík 24.07 and then seen in Mauritaníu, Banc d‘arguin Africa on the 15th of august.
In spring 2007 he was first seen 1st of may. He was with the same female, lost the clutch two times (run over) and tried for the third time with another female and had 2 two chicks with her. He was last seen 20th of August (which is late) in Bolungarvík. He has not been seen this year.

Bolungarvik Iceland.

Banc d'arguin Africa

Goldcliff Pools 20/04/2008

Just a map to get a feel of the distance.