Water birds galore - Goldcliff June 9th 2023

 

Little Egrets with Lesser Black-backed Gulls in                                     the background

The first thing I noticed at my visit to Goldcliff Reserve on the Gwent Levels yesterday morning, was the number of egrets present. I counted 21 Little Egrets in total which is a great number here, but mixed in with them on the first lagoon, was not one but a pair of Great White Egrets (see my previous post), but also a pair of handsome Spoonbills.

Eurasian Spoonbill

I arrived just after dawn to plenty of bird song, and a calm and warm early morning. En-route to the hides I saw a Magpie, Pheasants, Wren, a Chiffchaff singing, and a Kingfisher was an unexpected surprise, perched on a branch with a tiny Minnow just by the little bridge you walk over by the car park. Several Common Whitethroats were singing, and Crows and Blackbirds were added to the list.

At the first hide it was clear this was where all the action was, with the lagoon awash with water birds. Egrets seemed to be everywhere, and it is always a delight when some of the first birds you see for the day include Great White Egrets and Spoonbills. A Reed Bunting was on the fence ahead of me, and a Cettis Warbler was calling close by, as usual, well hidden. Several Grey Herons were here and there and Common Redshank numbers had crept up to 38. A family group of Cormorants were diving for fish amongst the egrets, which was causing a bit of an inconvenience for them. 

Along the edge of the island, 190 Black-tailed Godwits were taking a rest, soon to be interrupted however by a passing Common Buzzard, and later a Marsh Harrier. It always amazes me that when they take flight at the sight of a predator, that with every twist and turn, they never bump into each other.

Black-Tailed Godwits

Gadwall were gently criss-crossing the lagoon amongst the Mallards which are starting to go into eclipse plumage, and noisy Canada Geese were escorting their now quite well grown young across the water.

Canada Goose young.

Coot were here and there and some Black Headed Gulls made a brief appearance. Oystercatchers were making their familiar 'piping' calls from the island, where several Lapwing and Avocet were scurrying about. Several Shoveler passed by with Woodpigeons overhead. A pair of Ringed Plovers were later joined by 8 more, and a pair of Dunlin moved around the Godwit flock once they had re-settled, and a large flock of adult and juvenile Starlings whizzed past. A distant Curlew could be heard but not seen.

After quite some time watching the egret spectacle, I moved on to the Snipe Platform where I counted 9 Mute Swans and two pairs of Tufted Ducks.

Male Tufted Duck

Several lone Swallows drifted past as I walked up to the Marsh Platform, where apart from some Herring Gulls, a male Wigeon was an unexpected surprise. They have usually left the reserve by March after spending the winter here. There was nothing of note to see from the seawall, so I made my way down to hide three, where 18 more Avocet and 11 more Gadwall were added to the tally. A Little Grebe was calling close to the reeds, and several birds were dotted along the edge of the island, included a female Teal and brief views of a Little Ringed Plover.

I needed to make my way out as I had places to go mid-morning, but I couldn't resist stopping again to see the egrets and Spoonbills, one of which was now fast asleep.

A pair of Great Tits and Jackdaws were added to the list, and the Godwits were still quite nervous with the Marsh Harriers still being about. A Reed Warbler was singing its heart out in the reeds, and a Cuckoo caught my attention, flitting from one Bramble bush to another, seeking out some large caterpillars. I was only ale to get a very distant shot before it flew off.

Distant shot of a Cuckoo

A dapper looking Woodpigeon from hide 1.

All images: Neville Davies