Recent sightings from 11 to 17 March 2019

It was another wet and windy, yet quite exciting week at Newport Wetlands. Whilst Bittern, Cetti's warbler, Water rail and Bearded reedling did their best to make themselves heard in the stormy conditions, most birds tried to seek shelter from the wind. One can't blame the Little owl to only make an appearance on the odd occasion during the last few days, although it did enjoy the sunshine on Sunday. There was still a good number of Shelduck and Curlew braving the elements on the mudflats, plus some wintering Wigeon on the seashore. Flocks of Fieldfare with a few Redwings reminded us that winter isn't quite over yet but the first two Sand martins of the year, which could be seen flying low over the lagoons on Thursday are a clear sign that spring is on its way. The unrivalled stars of the week were a family of Otters! Up to four Otter were seen on several occasions on the lagoons and for many it was the first encounter with this semi-aquatic mammal. It is well and truly an exciting experience to get close-up views of this wild and fascinating animal! Another highlight was a Merlin, which was seen on Monday. Once again, Goldcliff was a great destination for birdwatchers, regular sightings include 2 Barnacle geese, 5 White-fronted geese and Spotted redshank, all of which have been around for several weeks now. Two Cranes were spotted on Monday, a female Goldeneye on Thursday and the Glossy ibis is also still around. Big flocks of over 70 Avocets arrived at Goldcliff lagoons, too. With the weather looking much more settled for next week, there is no excuse not to go out for a walk at Newport Wetlands and take a closer look at some of our star species. Who knows, maybe you might even be lucky to spot the Otter family...

Avocet, Barnacle goose, Bearded reedling, Bittern, Blackbird, Black-headed gull, Black-tailed godwit, Blue tit, Bullfinch, Canada goose, Carrion crow, Cetti's warbler, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Coot, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunnock, Fieldfare, Gadwall, Glossy ibis, Goldeneye, Goldfinch, Great spotted woodpecker, Great tit, Green woodpecker, Greenfinch, Grey heron, Greylag goose, Herring gull, House sparrow, Jay, Kestrel, Lapwing, Lesser black-backed gull, Little grebe, Little owl, Long-tailed tit, Magpie, Mallard, Marsh harrier, Merlin, Moorhen, Mute swan, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pied wagtail, Redshank, Redwing, Reed bunting, Ringed plover, Robin, Sand martin, Scaup, Shelduck, Shoveler, Snipe, Sparrowhawk, Spotted redshank, Starling, Stonechat, Teal, Tufted duck, Water rail, White-fronted goose, Wigeon, Woodpigeon and Wren.

Please note that we take our recent sightings list from the visitor sightings board that anyone can contribute to. This is great as everyone can get involved, but obviously can lead to potential errors too as they aren’t always verified! We try to keep this list as accurate as possible but if you see something unusual feel free to comment here!

  

Photo credit: Otters by Harry Hunter