Recent sightings from 01 to 07 April 2019
Whilst one swallow doesn’t make a summer, hundreds of Sand martins definitely make a spring. Although some colder weather brought back some snow on the hilltops on Thursday morning, visitors to the wetlands who braved the weather conditions were treated to a sky full of Sand martins which were flying low over the reedbeds and lagoons especially on Thursday and Friday. Some Swallows were mixed in as well and this week also brought the first House martins of the year. Bearded reedlings remained elusive and were only recorded on Monday, but some other of our reedbed specialist were much more active. Two Bitterns were heard booming throughout the week and the Marsh harrier was seen on a daily basis over the reedbeds. Despite a slow start to the week things got really exciting again towards the end of the week. Willow warblers were seen once again during the weekend and a Wheatear was spotted on the grass just outside the visitor centre on Saturday. Three Water pipits in their summer plumage were other highlights on Saturday. Sunday brought a variety of butterflies, another clear sign that spring has arrived. Apart from Peacocks, Red admirals and Commas there were also the first sightings of the year of a Brimstone, and Orange tips were on the wing all around the visitor centre. And what about our Otters? They kept a low profile up until the weekend when they finally decided to show themselves again and all four of them were seen on Saturday and Sunday. Goldcliff lagoons were once again a paradise for waders. A good number of Avocets were joined by Lapwings, Ringed plovers, Little ringed plovers, Black-tailed godwits, Dunlins, Redshanks and there were a Ruff and a Golden plover in amongst them on Sunday. A Merlin was seen at Goldcliff once again on Friday and the Glossy ibis seems to have changed its habit and seems to be staying around much longer at Goldcliff. Rather than being seen only early morning and later in the evenings, it has been spotted there this week also during late morning or early afternoon. Another rare sighting this week was a Garganey which was spotted from Redhouse Barns.The bets are on which migratory species will be coming back during next week. The cuckoo might be a good bet as we had the first last year on the 15th April, but then again nature is not usually predictable which makes it doubly exciting.
Avocet, Bearded reedling, Bittern, Blackbird, Blackcap, Black-tailed godwit, Blue tit, Buzzard, Canada goose, Carrion crow, Cetti's warbler, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Coot, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunlin, Dunnock, Gadwall, Garganey, Glossy ibis, Goldcrest, Golden plover, Goldfinch, Great spotted woodpecker, Great tit, Green woodpecker, Greenfinch, Grey heron, Greylag goose, Herring gull, House martin, House sparrow, Kestrel, Lapwing, Lesser black-backed gull, Little grebe, Little owl, Little ringed plover, Long-tailed tit, Magpie, Mallard, Marsh harrier, Merlin, Moorhen, Mute swan, Oystercatcher, Peregrine, Pheasant, Pied wagtail, Pochard, Raven, Red kite, Redshank, Reed bunting, Ringed plover, Robin, Ruff, Sand martin, Shelduck, Shoveler, Snipe, Sparrowhawk, Swallow, Teal, Tufted duck, Water pipit, Wheatear, Wigeon, Willow warbler, 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: Comma by Hannah Beynon