Yesterday morning I led a GBC field trip to Goldcliff lagoons on the E. side of Newport. Fortunately it was a pleasant sunny day and we were pretty successful in logging 52 species. The first bird I saw as I entered the first hide was a Great White Egret, but it soon flew off, and the second bird I ‘trapped’ in my scope was a very smart breeding plumaged Spotted Redshank. For those not familiar, in this plumage it looks like a black Redshank. There were many Avocets, quite flighty at times, some apparently already sitting on nest scrapes. Amongst a few Ringed Plover we found a single Little Ringed Plover and a Dunlin. Other waders comprised Redshank, Oystercatcher, Lapwing and Black-tailed Godwit, and a Whimbrel on the sea wall rocks. On the wildfowl front the highlight was a smart drake Scaup which I spotted drifting by just offshore from the sea wall. Also there, was a Wheatear. All in all a good morning’s birding although hoped for migrants such as Whinchat and Yellow Wagtail were absent, but we did see all three hirundines.
Click here for the species list. If necessary this wiill be updated if I’m told I’ve missed something! 🙂