Third site lucky

Having failed to see Lesser Pecker at Silent Valley and Red Kite at Garnlydan, I was finally repaid for seven and a half hours of effort by a gorgeous male Hen Harrier hunting over Waunafon Bog. Another 'regular' species bites the dust, 179 species have now been accrued (just one more and I'll be happy, not ecstatic, but happy).

Q. Why do ducks float?

A. Because they're all plastic... but you gotta go and see 'em, just in case.

Dark-bellied Brent Goose in the dark

Spent the best part of the day at Caldicot Moor and Collister/West Pill, whilst looking for the reported Brents and Grey Partridges found: two Jack Snipe, two Red-legged Partridge, six Golden Plover, one Bar-tailed Godwit and a Stoat. Just before dark two Dark-bellied Brents appeared on the mudflats,... kerr-ching 178. And, in case you were wondering, this is what a Dark-bellied Brent in the dark looks like...

Desperate measures

OK, desperate measures are required. Today the local patch failed miserably to produce the slightest whiff of a year-tick, therefore, I need recent Gwent gen on: Grey Partridge, Red Kite, Hen Harrier, Barn Owl, Long-eared Owl, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker and Black Redstart. If you have any recent sightings or suggestions (NOT breeding locations, please don't put breeding sites of Schedule 1 species on a website) please click on 'comment' below and leave me some year-list enhancing information. Cheers all,... now don't fall over each other in the rush.

Two more

Finally! Wentwood produced Marsh Tit and Crossbill today, filling a couple of glaring gaps in the list. Unfortunately, the Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers at Goytre House Wood did not see fit to behave accordingly and a couple of numptee shotgun bearers f**ked up any chance of a recount of the Bewick's at Llangibby. Oh well, 177 in the bag, one week to go.

A bit of a grip back

Come late March I thought I'd blown Bewick's for the year, made all the worse when a couple of belated records came out of the woodwork. Luckily they have returned early this winter and despite fog, distance, hedgerows and fading light, I saw at least nine amongst the Mute herd in Llangibby Bottom this afternoon... sweet.

All change

Whoa! Don't worry, basically only the formatting has changed... as you were.

All gone

Two Bonxies off Goldcliff Point were all that remained of this week's seabird action; the Black Redstart and Brent Goose reported in the week had also disappeared, arse! Did get cracking views of a female Merlin though...

A tad windy

An overnight blow had me touring the local reservoirs either side of lunch, and produced absolutely diddly-squat. However, whilst I stood overlooking the dam at Llandegfedd, a chirpy sounding county recorder informed me he was watching a Leach's Petrel off Goldcliff. Some swearing, 30 whole British minutes and a few speeding violations later... and I was partaking of half a dozen Leach's, about a dozen Kittiwakes and a Bonxie, and the year-list had leapt to 174. I believe the exact quote was "Woohoo!" or something to that effect.