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~ a celebration of nature

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Tag Archives: Newport Wetlands

Birding at Goldcliff

28 Thursday Sep 2017

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

birding, birdwatching, British birds, Dunlin, Glamorgan Bird Club, Goldcliff lagoons, Greenshank, Knot, Newport Wetlands, Shelduck, Spotted redshank, Wheatear

190728 2 mixed flock

I am SO pleased I bought binoculars. My second trip to Goldcliff lagoons and Newport Wetlands with my Glamorgan Bird Club buddies last weekend was just so much better for having them, as there was an incredible diversity of birds to be seen but most were distant views from hides or platforms. Using the bins not only brings the birds closer but it also means I get to watch and learn more of each bird species’ habits and actions, which I really enjoy.

190728 4 spotted redshank dunlin greenshank flying

Though I’m not an obsessive twitcher, I am keeping a personal list of bird sightings this year and saw a few new birds to add to my list (which now totals a respectable but not huge 130). The Club’s list for the day totalled 77 species but I didn’t see (or hear) the Great Crested Grebe, Siskin, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Goldcrest, Song Thrush, Mistle Thrush and Yellow Wagtail, so my total was 69 species: Mute Swan, Canada Goose, Shelduck, Wigeon, Gadwall, Teal, Shoveler, Tufted Duck, Little Grebe, Grey Heron, Little Egret, Cormorant, Marsh Harrier, Buzzard, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Peregrine, Water Rail (heard), Moorhen, Coot, Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, Lapwing, Knot,

190728 1 shelduck knot ringed plover

and Little Stint (below with Ringed plover),

190728 little stint ringed plover

and Dunlin, Ruff (two below with a Greenshank),

190728 3 ruff greenshank

and Snipe, Black-tailed Godwit, Whimbrel, Curlew, Spotted Redshank, Greenshank,

190728 5 greenshank

and Redshank, Black-headed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Feral Pigeon, Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, Kingfisher, Magpie, Jay, Carrion Crow, Raven, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Skylark, House Martin, Swallow, Cetti’s Warbler (heard, several times), Long-tailed Tit, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Blackcap, Wren, Starling, Blackbird, Robin, Stonechat, Wheatear (they do like their fenceposts),

190728 6 wheatear
190728 7 wheatear

and House Sparrow, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Linnet, Reed Bunting, and Mallard. It was a wonderful day’s birding.

190728 8 mallard female

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Birding at Goldcliff Lagoons

17 Monday Jul 2017

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

birding, birdwatching, British birds, Buzzard, Common Gull, Glamorgan Bird Club, Goldcliff lagoons, Little egret, Newport Wetlands, waders

170717 Goldcliff reen

I thoroughly enjoyed my first visit to Goldcliff lagoons and Newport Wetlands with my Glamorgan Bird Club buddies this week. As their names suggest, these sites are perfectly suited to water birds and waders so in the two photos below the birds include Black-tailed godwits, Dunlins, Ringed and Little ringed plovers, Black-headed and Herring gulls, Oystercatchers and Turnstones, Lapwings and Shelducks.

170717 Waders (1)170717 Waders (2)

Apparently, 67 species were seen (or heard) though my personal list only totalled 44 – this is because the birds are mostly quite distant at these sites, and I don’t have binoculars, and I can only see so far with the 300mm lens on my camera, so some birds just elude my eyes.

170717 Buzzard
170717 Common & Black-headed gulls
170717 Little egret

I did, however, manage to grab a blurry shot of a water vole that a fellow birder spotted, and saw some lovely butterflies and moths, and my sightings did include my first ever Knot and Common gull, so I was happy.

170717 Green-veined white
170717 local sheep
170717 Water vole

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About me

sconzani

sconzani

I'm a writer and photographer; researcher and blogger; birder and nature lover; countryside rambler and city strider; volunteer and biodiversity recorder.

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