Seawatch Hotspot

An afternoon visit to Gwents seawatching hotspot(Goldcliff Point) didn't muster up a lot at first.3 Commic terns were the highlight.Started to head back home and a bit of news filtered through that a few Stormie's were being seen further down channel close inshore.As i was only down the lane the decision was made to head back up to the cliff.Had another hour peering out into the murky waters to be greeted by 1 Storm Petrel 12 Manx Shearwaters 2 fulmars and a Gannet.Note to myslef must check closer in at regular intervals as the Stormie flew quite close in.Everything else was as usual mid channel.There is nothing like an afternoon at this seawatching hotspot.

Click on Big you will need to.

Cute

How can something so cute turn into something so ugly.

Seabird Spectacular

Spectacular.Well not quite but highlights were 2 Storm Petrels 20 Manx Shearwaters 4 Gannet and 6 Fulmar.I thought when i got there that i was going to be some kind of special day as within 15 minutes a Storm Petrel Gannet and fulmar flew past the point close in.But it got worse as the morning went on.Never mind a Balearic will show some day.Heard today that the Spoonbill that spent a few days at goldcliff pools is most probably from the Dutch ringed birds but couldn't be identified to an individual as one of its rings are missing.

Probably the first Rubbish Photographs of Seabirds in Gwent Ever.

Some More Gwent Year Ticks

Sites visited this weekend were Goldcliff Pools,Chew Valley Lake,Wentwood Forrest and a site near Usk that has seen a few Tree Sparrows.Two Artic Terns dropped in at goldcliff for a few seconds before flying off high inland.Were going to call them Commic Terns as i didn't get enough time to study them.Managed to get a few pictures so the decision of Artic were based on these.Grey looking underparts,no darker grey panel in the primaries therefore showing clean grey upperparts.A nice clean dark line on the primary tips and not smudgy.Bill was a deep red colour but seems to show a darker tip.Not always a clear cut identification factor for common as Artic can sometimes show this.Chew Valley Lake was next for the presumed American Herring Gull.What a huge bird and sometimes aggressive to the other gulls around it.It had a very large Strong thick looking bill that recalled a Yellow Legged Gull.Really mean looking eye and head.Very short thick legs pale pink in colour but at some angles showing a yellowish tinge.A w shaped mark on P5 which apparently not normally seen in European Herring Gull.Long grey tongues extending right into the black tipped with white.The call was very different to any Herring Gull I've heard as it seemed much deeper.Anyway that's enough of that.Picked up a Couple of Gwent Year Ticks in the form of Nightjar and Woodcock at Wentwood Forest.Also visited a site twice were a few Tree Sparrows have been seen a few weeks ago.No joy on both occasions.Highlights in the moth trap this week were 5 Elephant Hawkmoths,1 Blotched Emerald,1 White Ermine and a Ghost Moth.

Quite Foxes

With all the banter on the GOS website lately i thought i would post some pictures of a lovely fox going around the wet field in Caerleon.

Right where are those Avocet Chicks.

I was sure there were some here earlier.What am i doing Here!I wish i was down on the reserve.

Spoony

Nipped into Goldcliff this evening to see the ad Spoonbill that arrived yesterday.Not that unusual but had to be seen.Also a quick scan around produced 50 Dunlin 3 Knot and 2 Stock Doves.

One Fifty Four

Picked up Pied and Spotted Flycatcher this week for the GYL.Had a quick count to see what i was on and surprised myself with 154.Could quite easily add 10 to that pretty quick if i had the time Patience and energy.Still need quite a few pretty easy ones.Spent Saturday night at the moth evening at the Newport Wetlands.Highlight there was an Elephant Hawkmoth and a few Nouctule Bats.Whist watching the trap a bird gave a brief call that i just didn't have a clue what it was.Never heard anything like it to this day.Spent Sunday evening listening for a Corncrake that had been heard a few times recently.Although the Ipod was blasting out Corncrake calls nothing was heard.Starlings were flying into the reedbeds to roost.Must have been quite a few hundred there in the end.Also Had an Elephant Hawkmoth in the garden trap this morning.Checkout http://www.pics-by-nathan.fotopic.net/

Checkout the Dragonfly.