Aaaaaargh

A post-work dash resulted in a first-winter Med Gull at Caerleon plus a few Swallows and Sand Martins. Sounds OK dunnit? Unfortunately, I also stopped at Goldcliff Point for an hour during which time I saw nothing more exciting than a dead sheep moving (surprisingly swiftly) up-channel. On returning home and checking the GOS website, it would appear that I failed to see both a Common Scoter and a Little Gull... DOH! Either I need to sit higher up or stop watching dead sheep, arse. The total is now 112 but it feels like it's all going to pot.

The first few signs

Finally, migrants have begun trickling into the county. I managed to dip a Black Redstart during the week and have yet to catch up with Wheatear and Sand Martin. However, bagged four Avocets today taking the total to 109, the plan was 120 by the end of March, might be a bit hard pressed to get that now.

Hawks

Two Goshawks kept the numbers ticking over, neither view was great but got a brief close look at a male and a prolonged distant look at a female.

Famous Grouse

This morning found me up the Blorenge in search of Red Grouse, a potential Gwent tick due to the fact that I'd never bothered going looking for them. As far as I could tell, most of the mountain was covered in grouse poo, which was lucky, as this, and the odd feather, was all that was keeping my spirits up after the first hour or so of searching had resulted in exactly zero grouse. However, on the third traverse of the summit, a cracking male and his missus leapt from the heather and whirred off down the slope in the vague direction of Abergavenny (ka-ba ka-ba kabak kabak kabak karrrrrrrr). Unfortunately all the action was a tad rapid for photography, however, if you are into poo and feathers see below.



I spent the afternoon partaking of a sort of ornithological penance for the morning's good fortune; a dead 45 minutes of seawatching from Goldcliff Point was followed by a pretty uneventful hour at the pools. Only the first seen (as opposed to heard) Little Owl was new for the year.

Wild Swan/Duck Chase

Went looking for Bewick's Swan and Scaup today, I saw neither, the swans weren't there and the 'scaup' wasn't a Scaup. Whilst searching through the Mute Swans in the Usk valley, I did manage to add Common Sandpiper to the year list, so the total plods onwards.

Having given up on the swans I dropped in at Uskmouth to look for the reported Scaup. Unfortunately, what I assume to be the bird in question, is a Pochard hybrid (pics below). This individual has been around for a while now and is quite striking when seen briefly, however, the bill pattern, grey wingbar, solidly dark mantle/scaps, Pochard-like head shape, dull iris and the shape of the pale patches on the head all point to a whole lot of Pochard genes (presumably inter-mixed with Tufted Duck?).

Ho-hum, another day birding in Gwent.

Back in the Game

Finally a new species and a self-found goody too - Purple Sandpiper on the foreshore at Uskmouth. The last accepted record was as long ago as November 2000, however, there was a report from the Usk in Newport a few weeks back, so this sighting might refer to the same individual. Apart from this cracking wader, it has been a story of near continual dippage of late with Hen Harrier, Goshawk, Marsh Tit, Willow Tit, Bearded Tit and Crossbill all slipping by the wayside.

ARSE!

Oh dear

Well, everything has rather ground to a halt. Various outside influences have eaten into the birding time and, coupled with a few dips, the result is only one new species since the last update - Dipper.

Oh dear.

... And There's The Century!

Two dips, one horrible, one quite enjoyable, couldn't dampen down the fact that I pushed through the mighty 100 today.

The day started slowly and in a near wrist-slashing vein of form. Wherever I went I was shadowed by semi-orchestrated hordes of octogenarian Gortex fetishists. If I couldn't see the aged snake of red, purple and yellow, I could hear the accompanying chorus of wheeze and cough and, hours after an encounter, a faint aroma of Murray Mint and denture fixative seemed to persist, Will O' The Wisp-like, below the canopy of Wentwood.

Anyhoo, having seen the square root of bugger all at Wentwood, I tried to connect with the Corn Bunting at Dingestow. Again I failed to achieve the primary goal, but a supporting cast of farmland passerines more than made the trip worthwhile. I can't remember the last time I saw three figure flocks of Skylark and Linnet in Gwent (if ever) and Tree Sparrow, Brambling and Yellowhammer were all bagged for the year.

The total is now 102, come on!

Almost Three Figures

Another ringing trip to Llanwern produced a Jack Snipe and, finally, a Water Rail seen as well as heard. Dipped Dipper on the way home, so I'm left (for another day at least) one short of the magic three figures.

Unexpected Riches

Llanwern
A morning's ringing at Llanwern didn't seem to present the ideal opportunity for building on the yearlist and I was resigned to a couple or three new species at best. I certainly didn't see five jumping onto the list! Yep, five, count 'em - Woodcock, Greylag Goose (category C only), Stock Dove, Cetti's Warbler (finally seen, as opposed to heard) and, pick of the bunch, Firecrest!

The Woodcock was flushed from the side of a country lane near Rhiwderin, from almost exactly the same spot as one had appeared (presumably the same bird) just before Christmas. The Greylags are resident at Llanwern, as are the Stock Dove and Cetti's Warblers but unlike the Firecrest. First seen 'bouncing out' of a mist net this little gem (a probable female) gave two or three cracking views as it fed low down in bramble along a rhine-side fenceline. It managed to evade capture but even so, as this wasn't a species I was banking on, it was a proper bonus and a flipping good looking one to boot.

The total so far has now reached 97, soon the three figures shall be mine, all mine... ha ha ha ha... oops (misplaced demonic laughter, first sign of birding induced madness).