Image Credit: Andrew Quittelier
As we welcome in April, some very exciting changes have happened in our visitor centre. We have a calm and relaxing new style to our café to recover and ponder your days adventures in. The shop has relocated and brings a burst of colour to the centre. Our staff and volunteers have been working so hard these past two weeks to bring you a new and exciting look to the centre. We really hope you’ll come and enjoy it this spring and summer.
Image Credit: Josh Sankey
Meanwhile nature still surrounds us! Chiffchaffs are getting very active and vocal in the last week, cetti’s warblers fill the reeds with their explosive and shouty call. The reserve is alive with the sounds of spring and the warmer days are getting us all very excited. It has even got the insect world a little giddy with sightings of Brimstone, Small tortoiseshell and Red Admiral butterflies… not forgetting the midges!!
Image Credit: Hannah Beynon
A first for the year was recorded on the 22nd. A basking grass snake was loving life and soaking up the warm spring sunshine. We can’t wait for more epic sightings of these creatures.
Image Credit: Kirsty Lindsay
Canada geese pairs seem to be dominating most the lagoons, be aware of a close contact flight path, they are a little crazy when flying. We really hope to see plenty of goslings waddling around in a month or two’s time. Our scrape and reens surrounding the visitor centre have been home to a rowdy coot who likes to show who is boss and a group of three mallards who cannot be seen separated. We are really intrigued to see how this story ends up.
Image credit: Jeremy White
Bearded Reedlings are being sighted infrequently but those who do always come back with a smile on their faces. We hope as the weather gets warmer and the days get brighter these little beauties will make more appearances and have a successful year. The bittern is still being heard and almost daily sightings of a pair of marsh harrier. Curlew and Shelduck wander the mudflats with an occasional flyby of a little egret and a lapwing.
Image Credit: Jeremy White
Let’s hope the snow that’s falling as I am writing this doesn’t discourage too many of the insects and we have a good year for wildlife.
We have a fantastic range of events on in the next few weeks please follow the link to browse them all. https://events.rspb.org.uk/browse?filter[name]=Newport
Sightings: Avocet, Barn owl, Bearded reedling, Bittern, Blackbird, Black-headed gull, Black-tailed godwit, Blue tit, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Canada goose, Carrion crow, Cetti's warbler, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Collared dove, Coot, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunnock, Fieldfare, Gadwall, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Goshawk, Great spotted woodpecker, Great tit, Green woodpecker, Greenfinch, Grey heron, Greylag goose, Herring gull, House sparrow, Jay, Kestrel, Lapwing, Lesser black-backed gull, Linnet, Little egret, Little grebe, Long-tailed tit, Magpie, Mallard, Marsh harrier, Meadow pipit, Mistle thrush, Moorhen, Mute swan, Oystercatcher, Peregrine falcon, Pheasant, Pied wagtail, Pochard, Raven, Redshank, Redwing, Reed bunting, Reed warbler, Ringed plover, Robin, Shelduck, Shoveler, Skylark, Song thrush, Sparrowhawk, Spotted redshank, Stonechat, Teal, Tufted duck, Water rail, Wigeon, Woodpigeon, Wren, Buff-tailed bumblebee, Tree bumblebee, Brimstone butterfly, Peacock butterfly, Red admiral butterfly, Small tortoiseshell butterfly, Tortoiseshell butterfly, Otter, Rabbit, Grass snake.