Nice little find

Red-rumped Swallow, Boat Lane/Redhouse Barns area. Picked it up as I drove toward Goldcliff Pools. The little cutey performed right overhead, sat on wires, etc., before leaving with most of the mixed hirundine flock once the weather cleared. Unlike Gwent's first (more on which here and here), this bird was present for just an hour and a half and only seen by a handful of observers. A proper, if fleeting, bit of excitement. Short snippet of video can be seen here.

All the rage

Isn't it nice that Common Gulls are getting their moment in the sun.

The sea gives and the sea takes away,... but mainly gives

A couple of hours on the point, with the tail end of Doris and this afternoon's rising tide, produced a couple of Gannet and handful of Kittiwake (with another 15-20 probable Kittidots on the far side). Not the hoped for aukfest but better than useless.

Yesterday's incoming tide also produced. The female Scaup, reported on and off at Peterstone recently, flew in to the mouth of the gout for a wash and brush up in the rain. Well worth a slither about in the mud and horse shit. 

Distant ducks,... mostly

Popped to Peterstone Gout for high tide and the reported Scaup. Saw an f. distant dot that was probably the Scaup, convinced myself for a while before the birding conscience kicked in. The fact it didn't even cross the threshold for a Gwent year-tick should give you an idea of just how shit a view it was. Did have a Common Scoter drift slowly down-channel on the falling tide though (also distantly, perhaps v. distant as opposed to f. distant) so,... swings and roundabouts.

Found a dozen of these guys on the way home. Fly-catching from roadside trees, not a berry in sight. 

Flying elephants

A Jackdaw outside Tescos giving a withering look to someone who mistook the 'mother and baby parking' for the 'fugly and lazy parking'.  Jackdaws,... famously judgemental.  And, boy, do they hold a grudge.  Memories like elephants,... tiny, evil, flying elephants.

Withering before the blast

A finger-numbing morning in an easterly on the eastern levels.  Checked out the Lapwing flock on Caldicot Moor, nearly 600 birds but not a single Golden Plover (or anything more interesting) among them; did bump into a couple of Red-legged Partridge though.  Decided on more wader fun in the form of a Jack Snipe foray.  A quick potter on the saltmarsh between Collister Pill and West Pill produced three Jack Snipe and 30 Snipe.  The dense cord-grass along this stretch doesn't make for crippling views on the deck but got decent enough looks of all three of the stripey ickle sweeties in flight. 

Red-flanked Bluetail

Finally caught up with the bluetail, only took the five visits.  Not easy to dig out but, once it appeared, it showed down to about five yards, albeit briefly, just beyond the point where the stream goes through the plastic pipes and under the path.  Luckily, it popped up in a reasonably sunny spot so half-decent views were had by one and all (well, all two and a half of us). 

Bettws Bittern

Breakfast, Bettwsbound, Bettws, bagged Bittern, back.

Not the best,... but not the worst views of Bittern. Also Kingfisher(s) knocking about.

Was today International Shite Day?

"… I folded away the letter and put it in my inside pocket 

All of a sudden I felt brushed by the wings of something dark 

May the Lord have mercy on Stringy Bob …"

Come friendly fog and fall on Gwent!

Apart from the moan of fog horn and rifle crack of dew-soaked electric fence it was predictably quiet at Goldcliff.  A few waders drifted in and out of the murk but nothing to write home about (13 Turnstone being the most notable); no disoriented seabird or grounded migrant appeared.  Two silver linings, had the place to myself and I got to play 'possibles and probables' with more or less everything (animate and inanimate) between about 40 and 60 yards away.  Beyond that it may as well have not existed, it may not have existed, everything within the mist may have been a writhing mass of transmogrification only taking solid form on looming into view,... who knows?     
 

 The vista from the third viewing platform was somewhat truncated.

It got a little better but never achieved 'crystal clear'.