If you're down at Goldcliff...

... check out the Black-tailed Godwits for colour-rings; one of the seven present today had orange over pale green above the 'knee' on the right leg, but I couldn't make out the colours on the left (it spent 99% of its time asleep with its left leg tucked away). The only other waders worth a mention were four Tunstone on Lagoon 1.

Back to the list

Now that the perennial World Cup exit has occurred, it's back to the year-list with avengence. Thanks to the cheating **** who goes by the name of Ronaldo, I can now concentrate on the birds. If I ever meet that jumped-up little piece of shit one trick pony, I'll probably be locked up within the hour. Anyhoo...

A pre-match saunter, to quell the nerves, produced Common Tern at Llandegfedd; a post-match wander, to avoid wasting an entire evening plotting Ronaldo's untimely demise (pity he's leaving Man Utd, tickets to the first pre-season training session would have been worth their weight in gold, just to be there to hear the audible crack of Portuguese tibia as Rooney gave him something to really moan about), resulted in Nightjar and Tree Pipit in Wentwood.

148 species in Gwent so far in 2006, hoo-bleeding-ray.

PS. I'm not bitter, it's just, given the opportunity, I'm going to kill the little ******.

The Doldrums

Late June in Gwent is shit, I am now at the stage at which a solitary Whimbrel is noteworthy and a dead mammal is sighting of the day. The Whimbrel was on the foreshore at Uskmouth and the mammal, a Water Shrew, was alongside one of the reedbeds (see pic below, inset showing bristles on edge of feet, an adaptation to aid swimming). Water Shrew is possibly declining in the UK and definitely under-recorded so if you see a large, blackish above/whitish below shrew with bristles at the edge of the feet and along the tail send the record in (a list of mammal recorders is available at www.abdn.ac.uk/mammal/recorders.shtml).

Finally

Due to work, sheer bleeding laziness and the World Cup, I haven't added anything to the year-list for about five weeks! Today, Rock Pipit fell, a pair with fledged youngsters out on Denny Island, does this mean the ball is once again rolling? Let's hope so.

PS. Who had the bright idea of county year-listing during a World Cup year? DOH!

Bootiful weather Bernard...

... but buggerall birds. Here's a pic of Goldcliff Pools in the sunshine.

Back to blighty with a bump

Two days back in the county and nothing more than a Spoonbill and a trickle of passage waders to raise the pulse. Last week I couldn't step foot outside Tbilisi without tripping over Corncrakes, Quails, shrikes and buntings; thank God I'm back in a country where the government (enthusiastically aided by the farmers and 'developers') keep all these pesky birds under control.

Definitely not Gwent

Have just returned from another two weeks in the bird-filled Republic of Georgia, probably the best birding in the Western Palearctic. Managed to get to the Lesser Caucasus this time, a new mountain range tick. Unfortunately a rather intense work schedule severely limited the birding opportunities, however, it is impossible to spend any time in the country without seeing something of interest. Topics for discussion this time include: distribution of rubicola, variegata and armenica Stonechats; 'eastern' Black Redstarts and/or Redstart x Black Redstart hybrids; and the status of Laughing Dove in Tbilisi... discuss.

Flippin' un-ber-loody-believable

What an absolutely outrageous FA Cup final, it's official Stevie Gerrard is greatest being ever to have graced this planet.

PS. Also bagged a couple of Wood Warblers this morning before the footy, 144 for the year.

Fourth time lucky

Finally caught up with a Garganey today and it looked like this...

Look who's back...

Spoonbill was added to the year-list today but, of more interest, was the return of one of our Pochard hybrids. This female is of a very similar appearance to the bird recently reported as an "apparent first-winter female Redhead" at Slimbridge. The pics below were taken in dull conditions this evening, resulting in an artificially dark appearance, however, many features, e.g. details of the shape of the facial 'blaze', appear identical to the Slimbridge bird.




And just to prove Spoonbills can be exciting too...