Recent sightings from 05 to 11 October 2020

Autumn has well and truly arrived with chilly mornings and earlier sunsets. The week started promising with lots of curlews and shelducks along the foreshore. They were joined on Monday by a small flock of dunlins. Later that day a mixed flock of waders including black-tailed godwits and redshanks was seen flying over the reserve towards the coast. Whilst sparrowhawk and buzzard…

Recent sightings from 27 September to 04 October 2020

It was a wet week! Four out of the seven days could well and truly be classed as wash-outs but in between there was the one or the other period of calmer and even sunnier weather. The week started rather promising sightings-wise when not only kingfisher, goldcrest, stonechat and green woodpecker were seen on Monday but also a nuthatch and a spotted flycatcher – both…

Recent sightings from 21 to 27 September 2020

There was plenty going on along the coast this week. Especially the numbers of curlews and shelducks were rising. Up to at least 150 curlews and 650 shelducks could be seen on the mudflats which was quite spectacular. Some oystercatchers and little egrets were around as well and especially during high tide you could also spot a few wigeons. On the lagoons, teal, gadwall and…

Recent sightings from 14 to 20 September 2020

It was a very good week for some of the absolute favourites of our visitors. Up to three kingfishers were seen every day flying over the lagoons or perching on the reeds. Often you could also see them hovering over the water before diving into the water to catch fish. Spectacular! Bearded reedlings were heard and seen in the reedbeds from Monday till Thursday before windier…

Recent sightings from 07 to 13 September 2020

Swallows were still seen flying over in big numbers with smaller flocks of house martins joining them. Along the hedgerows blackcap, bullfinch, chiffchaff and goldfinch were regulars and robin, blue and great tit and not least flocks of long-tailed tits brought many a smile to our faces when they visited the feeders next to our welcome marquee. Jays added a splash of colour…

Recent sightings from 31 August to 06 September 2020

It was another busy week at RSPB Newport Wetlands. Willow warblers, chiffchaffs, bullfinches and blackcaps remained regulars as did the green woodpecker. Buzzard, peregrine and sparrowhawk were all seen and a hobby on Tuesday might well have been attracted not only by the dragonflies but also by swallows, sand and house martins which were flying over in sizeable flocks…

Recent sightings from 24 to 30 August 2020

It was a week in which some of the songbirds burst into new life. The robin next to our welcome marquee treated us to several concerts and the Cetti’s warblers tried their best to outvoice not only the robin but also each other in their quest to win their internal competition of who is the loudest individual. Along the hedgerows there were plenty of common whitethroats and blackcaps…

March 18^th, a busy day filled with team members making the final preparations before the closure of the visitor centre. The team were not expecting to be away for too long from their beloved home away from home. A few days later lockdown was announced.

Four months on, a small team of volunteers and staff dusted off their uniforms and name badges eagerly awaiting to return to Newport Wetlands. It is safe to say things…

The life of an insect is a harsh one, a story of hunt or be hunted. This is a story that plays out amongst the wildflowers at Newport Wetlands every day, right beneath our feet. A story that often goes unnoticed, except for those rare moments when you are there to witness the drama unfold. This is true for this week’s wildlife spectacle when a member of the team witnessed a beewolf hunt and capture its prey, illuminating…

Recent sightings from 17 to 23 August 2020

It was another rather wild week at RSPB Newport Wetlands with heavy rain and stormy conditions. All week long you could still see the swallows preparing for their migration south and there were a few house and sand martins amongst them as well. During a rainy Wednesday four swifts were flying over and a few more individuals were seen in Goldcliff during the weekend. Our bird…

During the last two weeks we had the moth trap out overnight twice and were rewarded with a rare insight into this absolutely fascinating group of insects.

An evening filled with sunshine is the perfect setting to put out a moth trap but even in less favourable weather conditions it might well be worth giving it a go. The team at RSPB Newport Wetlands dusted off the UFO-style equipment and placed it among the wildflowers…

Recent sightings from 10 to 16 August 2020

This week had a bit of everything in many aspects. In regard to the weather we had it all from near unbearable heat to some heavy rain. All week long you could see swallows with some house and sand martins gathering in bigger numbers and starlings started to get together in smaller flocks as well. There were some parties of long-tailed tits visiting us with the one or the other…

Recent sightings from 03 to 09 August 2020

The week was heating up towards the weekend not only in regard to temperatures but also in regard to sightings. All week long we had some “usual suspects” around us such as the green woodpecker and there was a noticeable increase in swallows which could be seen flying over the reserve with some house and sand martins as well as the occasional swift mixed in. Starlings also started…

RSPB Newport Wetlands are not only home to plenty of birds, butterflies and dragonflies but also to several species of bumblebees. Rhiannon Munro got fascinated by these buzzing winged wonders and introduces you to one very special little bumblebee which you can see at your next visit to the wetlands - the shrill carder bee:

As lockdown saw more people reconnecting with their local wildlife places, it can often be surprising…

Recent sightings from 27 July to 2 August 2020

The week started with a real wash-out on Monday which brought lots of rain but hardly any sightings. However, the wet weather was short lived and already on Tuesday conditions improved rapidly. The result was some really nice sightings including bittern, peregrine and a few whimbrels on the mudflats. A magpie moth didn’t go unnoticed and once again a clouded yellow butterfly…

If you are looking for an interesting activity for the summer holidays, then look no further. Our moth expert Kevin Hewitt has put together some useful tips for how to get the most out of moth trapping and to explore the wonders of this secretive group of insects:

Everyone will be surprised by what is flying around their gardens at night. Yes, you may be seeing bats or hear an owl BUT there are many more creatures on…

Recent sightings from 20 to 26 July 2020

Lots of birds are quite secretive at this time of the year and try to keep a low profile after finishing their breeding business. There were, however, still regular sightings of reed buntings whilst Cetti's warblers could be heard every now and then. A sedge warbler was spotted on Monday and some bearded reedlings including at least two juveniles were seen on Wednesday. The fact…

Recent sightings from 13 to 19 July 2020

Photo credit: Welcome committee by Stefan Zitzmann

Our first week back on site brought lots of lovely encounters with wildlife. There were plenty of butterflies, dragonflies and bumblebees on the wing which gave the reserve a real summer feeling. No less than 15 different butterfly species have been recorded during the week including ringlet, large, small and green-veined white…

We are back to welcome visitors to our RSPB Newport Wetlands reserve!

Our first day back today on Monday 13^th July already brought a lot of exciting sightings - despite of some rain - such as marsh harrier, peregrine, lots of waders, hundreds of shelducks and a wide range of bumblebees, dragonflies and butterflies.

We want you to feel welcome and enjoy connecting to nature here in safety. Therefore, some changes have…

Recent sightings from 30 March to 05 April 2020

As all the RSPB reserves are still closed until further notice due to the Coronavirus, this week’s recent sightings blog will be concentrating once again on what our team from RSPB Newport Wetlands have seen in their gardens or have come across during their one daily exercise walk, nearby their homes. Once again, the variety of sightings was quite astonishing with the one…

The Covid-19 government instruction to stay at home until further notice is a serious one and by supporting each other we can get through this challenging time. This is a period where we can spend more time in our gardens and so to help we will be posting blogs about enjoying nature from your own gardens and about the wildlife that calls your garden their home. There will be a mixture of funny and factual and hope you…

Following the latest clear instructions from the Government for us all to remain at home apart from a limited number of allowed activities, we are closing our reserves to visitors until further notice. It is with great sadness that we ask people to refrain from visiting RSPB reserves.

This means we will close car parks, toilets, playgrounds, visitor centre, hides, cafes and shops to the public. Our efforts will now move…

Recent sightings from 23 to 29 March 2020

As all the RSPB reserves are now closed until further notice due to the Coronavirus, this week’s recent sightings blog will be the first one that comes in a slightly different form. We asked the RSPB Newport Wetlands team to have a watchful eye on what wildlife they can find on their doorsteps, be it in gardens or during their exercise walks near their homes. The response and…

The new Covid-19 government instruction to stay at home until further notice is a serious one and by supporting each other we can get through this challenging time. This is a period where we can spend more time in our gardens and so to help we will be posting blogs about enjoying nature from your own gardens and about the wildlife that calls your garden their home. There will be a mixture of funny and factual and hope…

Recent sightings from 16 to 22 March 2020

It was another week dominated by the Coronavirus. Following the government advice the RSPB made the difficult decision to close all visitor centres, cafés and shops to visitors. The access to the nature reserves remains open for the time being. Whilst we were busy with getting everything done, nature outside the visitor centre just carried on as normal and offered some real treats…