This Saturday, September 24th, Newport Wetlands will be playing host to more than 900 Guides, Brownies, Rainbows and their leaders.
The girls will be taking part in a range of activities in the environs around the Visitor Centre and on the wider reserve, including pond dipping, bug hunting and guided walks and there will be volunteers from the RSPB and Countryside Council for Wales with telescopes at various points on the reserve.
The Visitor Centre will be open to the public as normal between 9am and 5pm and the coffee shop will also function as usual between 10am and 4pm. Access to the reserve will not be restricted. However, it is possible our Guides event could affect your visit so we ask you to please take this into consideration when planning your trip.
The car park will be kept free for general public use.
Yes, it’s true! Britain’s rarest woodpecker has taken up residence at Newport Wetlands – temporarily at least.
The wryneck is the rarest of Britain’s four species of woodpecker, the others being great spotted woodpecker, lesser spotted woodpecker and green woodpecker.
Usually a shy bird, this particular wryneck has been very obliging to those hoping to get a peek and a photograph as it feeds on the ground along one of the paths running through the middle of the reserve.
It was first spotted yesterday by a regular visitor and you can see his photograph on our forum here. It was still showing this afternoon and we’re keeping everything crossed that it will stick around for a few more days.
A specially protected species, there have been some years recently when no breeding birds have been recorded. Autumn is the best time of year to see wrynecks as the number of migrants passing through the UK can be up to 300 in a good year, though they tend to be more likely to stick to the east and south coasts.
Make sure you come down to Newport Wetlands soon to get a peek of this beautiful bird. Pop in to the Visitor Centre to ask for specific directions and don’t forget to let us know if you’re lucky!
High winds and plenty of rain means autumn is well and truly here – so much for an Indian summer!
But despite the drab weather, there’s still plenty of colour to see up on the reserve if you look close enough.
There have been plenty of sightings of wheatear in the past couple of weeks, as this sleek and colourful bird starts its journey south for the winter. It can often be spotted on the gravel paths around Newport Wetlands, particularly on the foreshore as it frequently stops off near the coast on migration. Check out the photograph of a wheatear having a stand-off with a blue tit posted on our forum.
Sightings of kestrel, sparrowhawk, hobbies, buzzards and marsh harrier still abound with a peregrine spotted on Saturday 3rd September and our little owls are still putting on a show.
There’s been plenty of colour in the form of a kingfisher on Saturday 3rd, sightings of several yellow wagtails and plenty of bearded tits still being seen.
Another migrant spotted on August 29th was a tree pipit. This ground nesting red listed species will be leaving our shores this month for Portugal before going on to Africa. And the tree pipit wasn’t the only red listed species to be seen, as a wood warbler was spotted just the day before on August 28th. This bird should now have left Britain as it usually sets off on its migration in July and August and may well have been one of the last to leave.