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…

Recent sightings from 03 to 10 March 2019

The week started very promising indeed and on Monday a female Hen harrier which has been seen on several occasions since the end of November was spotted from the hide. One day later it made another appearance and this time it delighted us with flying right in front of the cafe window just before 5pm to allow some great close-up views. Some Snipe that were flying off in the presence…

Recent sightings from 25 February to 03 March 2019

After some quiet months in the reedbeds and on the lagoons at the Newport Wetlands, things are starting to change and to become much livelier again. Lots of Tufted ducks and a good number of Gadwall, Pochard, Canada geese and Coot can be found on the lagoons alongside the always active Little grebes and on Thursday there was still a Scaup in amongst them as well. Fortunately…

Recent sightings from 11 to 24 February 2019

In the last two weeks, spring seems to have taken over from winter - at least for now. While swallows were flying over the Gower peninsula near Swansea, we saw some butterflies (Peacock, Brimstone and Red admiral) on the wing here at the Newport Wetlands and all the birds around the visitor centre started to burst into song. Love was in the air not only on Valentine's Day.…

Recent sightings from 04 to 10 February 2019

The often windy and rainy conditions this week allowed some stunning views of the hovering Kestrel. While all its body was in motion with the wings flapping and the tail trying to steady the bird in the high winds, the head itself was absolutely still. A similar technique was used by the Stonechats over the reedbeds on a smaller scale, but not less impressive. On Thursday afternoon…

Recent sightings from 28 January to 03 February 2019

In a week in which Winterwatch spoilt us on the telly with some great footage from the Cairngorms National Park, the Newport Wetlands were the location for its very own Winterwatch with lots of joyful moments, snow, and animal stars. On Tuesday the Short-eared owl made another appearance, this time right next to the visitor centre. The Little owl was still around this…

Recent sightings from 21 to 27 January 2019

The bird ringers were at the Newport Wetlands on Saturday and their “catch of the day” allowed some rare close-up views of some of our favourite garden birds like Great tits and Blue tits. It is always a great experience to see even a familiar bird from up close (see also separate blog post). Right in time for the Big Garden Birdwatch, there were also big flocks of Goldfinches…

Bird Ringing Demonstration 26 January 2019

The Goldcliff Ringing Group were our guests on Saturday morning for a bird ringing demonstration. Richard Clarke from the group kindly gave us a summary of the results:

“A total of 33 birds were trapped and processed during the bird ringing event, which included 23 Blue tits (12 male/10 female), 8 Great tits (2 male, 6 female) and 2 Great spotted woodpeckers (both male and hatched…

Recent sightings from 14 to 20 January 2019

Another well and truly exciting week at the Newport Wetlands with lots of interesting sightings. The mudflats continued to be full of wading birds. Huge flocks of Curlew, Lapwing and Dunlin were once again joined by Oystercatchers, Redshanks and Black-tailed godwits. A flock of 200 of the latter was present on Tuesday and were disturbed by a Peregrine which caused panic amongst…

Recent sightings from 07 to 13 January 2019

Whilst the reedbeds and the lagoons were relatively quiet, the highlights were some sightings of a Marsh harrier and Stonechats which are still around in quite good numbers, it was much livelier on the mudflats. There were lots of Curlew, Lapwing and Dunlin and amongst them were also Oystercatchers, Black-tailed godwits, Redshanks and on Sunday some Grey plovers. Shelducks,…

Recent sightings from 31 December 2018 to 06 January 2019

Birdwatching can be an emotional pastime and while probably all of us have experienced going out with some high expectations of seeing a rare bird and gone home slightly disappointed because of not having had the luck to see it, most of the times being out in nature brings us joy and happiness. It can also be the little things that make you happy. I myself can…

Recent sightings from 24 to 30 December 2018

In a week in which many of us enjoyed close-up views of a turkey, there were many other birds to be seen at the Newport Wetlands as well. Monday brought not only a Merlin and 17 Grey plovers, but also good numbers of Black-tailed godwits and hundreds of Knot, Dunlin and Lapwing. Another highlight of the day was a Short-eared owl. There were good numbers of Wigeon and Shoveler…

Recent sightings from 17 to 23 December 2018

After a very exciting week last week, things have been a bit quieter this week, partly also due to the inclement weather conditions with a fair share of rain and strong winds. There was still a good number of waders around on the mudflats with Dunlin, Lapwing and Curlew being the most numerous and some Oystercatchers, Redshanks and Black-tailed godwits in between. A regular…

Recent sightings from 10 to 16 December 2018

It was a great week in regard to birdwatching at the Newport Wetlands which delivered one or another early Christmas presents! The week started off with a bang on Monday which brought some rare owl sightings. A Short-eared owl circled over the picnic area near the visitor centre in the afternoon in search of some early dinner and the Little owl made a welcome return to the…

Recent sightings from 03 to 09 December 2018

Much to our delight and to the delight of our visitors, the Starlings are still around to perform their murmurations and, even better, they decided to come closer and to perform right over the visitor centre. That way, we got some great views of them this week and when locking up the visitor centre in the evening we would still hear them chattering about in the nearby reedbeds…

Recent sightings from 26 November to 2 December 2018

Apart from the biggest Starling murmurations this autumn so far with an estimated 30.000 birds, this week brought loads of waders to the mudflats and saltmarshes. It was a fascinating sight to see, well over 500 Lapwings which sometimes filled the air with their distinctive flight pattern. There were probably even larger numbers of Dunlin gathering on the mudflats,…

Did you know that if you play the National Lottery then you’re helping to save nature every time you buy a ticket?  That’s why we’re saying a big #ThanksToYou for your funding support by offering free parking at RSPB Newport Wetlands if you bring along a Lottery ticket from Monday 3^rd to Sunday 9^th December.

The National Lottery players raise, on average, £30 million each week for projects all over the…

Recent sightings from 19 to 25 November 2018

In the hedgerows, you could still find big flocks of Redwings feasting on the remaining berries and with some colder weather coming in there was also an increased activity on our bird feeders which were full of Great tits, Blue tits, Goldfinches, Greenfinches and House sparrows. The Great spotted woodpecker was also a regular visitor. Wednesday brought a female scaup to the…

Recent sightings from 12 to 18 November 2018

The week started with a Kestrel waiting for us at the car park when locking up on Monday morning. This set the tone for another interesting week at the Newport Wetlands. Big flocks of Redwings and Fieldfares could be seen all around the visitor centre as well as all over the reserve where they continued to pick up the remaining berries from the hedgerows. The starlings continued…

Recent sightings from 05 to 11 November 2018

The week has been a windy and wet one, but not really a very cold one. However, the flocks of Fieldfares and Redwings are clear signs that winter is indeed on its way. Wintering wildfowl such as Wigeon, Gadwall, Teal and Shoveler have also been around and the mudflats held a good number of Curlews, Dunlins and Shelducks. The Starling murmurations kept on attracting raptors…

Recent sightings from 29 October to 04 November 2018

The Baird’s sandpiper still attracted birdwatchers from afar to the Goldcliff lagoons where it showed itself nicely for the second week running. It also still got the attention from a Peregrine which chased it away on more than one occasion. Water pipit and Greenshank were other highlights of the week at Goldcliff. On the reserve the Starlings have taken over centre…

Recent sightings from 22 to 28 October 2018

This week brought more sightings of birds of prey with Merlin, Marsh Harrier, Peregrine, Kestrel, Red kite, Buzzard and Sparrowhawk all being spotted. Noticeable were also huge flocks of Woodpigeons flying over the reserve, especially in the mornings. While big flocks have been recorded from several regions in the UK in the past, it still remains a mystery why they gather and…

Recent sightings from 15 to 21 October 2018

The week not only brought plenty of sunshine, but also some birds that one would expect to be further on their journey to the south already. On Monday (some were even still around on Tuesday) Swallows passed through and there were around 20 Sand martins as well. One of the highlights of the week was a Black redstart which was spotted near the sea wall on Friday. Up to three…

Recent sightings from 01 to 14 October 2018

October is there and the days are getting shorter. The month, however, started nicely and apart from the “usual suspects” such as Kingfisher, Curlew, Snipe and Shelduck, there was also one Bar-tailed godwit around for a few days. Amongst the plenty little birds that were flying around, there were lots of Stonechat as well as a Redstart and a Wheatear. A Hobby was still around…

Recent sightings from 24 to 30 September 2018

With the weather being kind to us with plenty of sunshine around this week, the butterflies and the dragonflies were once more very active: Speckled wood, Red admiral, Comma, Hawkers and Darters. At the beginning of the week the Water rail entertained us right in front of the visitor centre with its unmistakable calls in the morning and the passerine migration was picking…