Goldcliff again

A trip to the pools for the reported Wood Sand also produced a smart juv Marsh Harrier - very nice. The supporting cast included Spotshanks, Ruff, Yellow Wag and Wheatear; at last, birds are on the move again. Down at Uskmouth the main interest came in the form of at least 20 Clouded Yellow butterflies, the only bird of note being another Yellow Wag.

Having totted up my total, something I haven't done of late, it would appear I have reached 163. Given some of the species still required, 175 is still well in the frame.

Spotshanks

Another wader falls; three Spotted Redshanks at Goldcliff this afternoon, unfortunately not accompanied by Wood Sand, Curlew Sand, Little Stint or any Yankee vagrants.

Back in the game!

Far too much work and not enough play recently. But today I'm back in the game with a bang, well at least a pop...





Or two! The Aquatic Warbler at Uskmouth (ringed,... released,... evaporated...) is Gwent's 11th and the Red-necked Phalarope is only the 4th county record. I think I can confidently say, I'm the first person to have bagged both in a day in Gwent (not the greatest of claims, but that's what birding in Gwent does to you).

And one more

A quick stop at Goldcliff produced four Greenshank and filled a yawning gap on the list. One or two summer migrants are proving a bit of a struggle though, anyone know the whereabouts of a Gwent-based Turtle Dove?

Wet-my-lips

Another dilemma has arisen, do I cave in and count 'heards'? I'm certainly not going to see this one, perhaps I should keep two year-lists? The ethics of modern birding eh?

The total is now either 154 or 155, or possibly 154 (+1)...

Sloppy seconds

Another post-work trip to see the Sabine's resulted in rather good views. The bird would appear to be a second-summer (e.g. dull bill-tip and dull, imperfect hood) and is similar to the Farmoor bird pictured in plates 769 and 770 in Gulls of Europe, Asia and North America (Malling Olsen & Larsson 2003).

Another tasty seabird

Two days working out of county and the place goes nuts, first an American Wigeon turns up at Goldcliff only to be followed by a Sabine's Gull at Llandegfedd Reservoir. A mad dash back from Dorset resulted in views of the gull roosting amongst Black-headed Gulls and then briefly flying after being momentarily flushed by a BLUFO (best left unidentified flapping ornithologist). Once again, conditions were perfect for photography (see below). Also bagged a noisy Tawny Owl fledgling back at the car. The total is now 154, American Wigeon next?

Stormies

Two hours of pre-World Cup final seawatching produced 16 Storm Petrels battling their way down-channel, most were pretty close in and a few lingered offshore, so good views were had by all (well, the two of us anyway). They were even near enough to attempt high quality photography (see below), at least until my battery failed, at which point I realised my missus had pinched my spare ... aaaaarrrgh!

Patience, the cornerstone of a good innings

Content to build my Gwent year-list in ones and twos, I again nudged a quick single this morning (in the form of a Hobby at Uskmouth) before battening down the hatches and playing a perfectly straight bat to this afternoon's googly (a reported Long-billed Dowitcher at Goldcliff). It was good to see the slow build-up of passage waders continues at Goldcliff though, including a single, rather showy snipe, feeding with the Redshank on the first lagoon (see pic below).



Addendum: was I being too subtle? Yes, I do think there may have been a slight identification faux pas relating to the Long-billed Snipewitcher, probably involving a brief view and poor light conditions. It happens to us all at some point... my personal best is flying fish for Little Shearwater (not in Gwent)! I have also been present when Royal Navy helicopter has been called as Chiffchaff (again not in Gwent)!

One hundred and fifty!

A post-work visit to Slade Woods came up trumps. A White Admiral butterfly provided a bit of interest whilst staking out a small stand of cherry trees; half an hour later a Hawfinch (149) flew out (God knows where it had been sitting) and, after another half hour of mooching around, a couple of Spotted Flycatchers (150!) were bagged. Also heard Willow Tit (would have been 151) but the little bleeder evaporated before I could slap eyes on it.

One hundred and fifty and plenty of 'tarts' still required.