Newport Wetlands

Weekly sightings 13/05 to 19/05/13

2013-05-20T10:37:00Z

Here’s the recent sightings from last week. 69 bird species and 2 others!

Avocet, Bearded tit, Black tailed godwit, Blackbird, Blackcap, Blue tit, Bullfinch, Canada goose + 6 goslings, Cetti's warbler, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Coot, Cormorant, Cuckoo, Curlew, Dunlin, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Grasshopper warbler, Great crested grebe, Great spotted woodpecker, Great tit, Greenfinch, Grey heron, Hobby, House martin, House sparrow, Jay, Kestrel, Kingfisher, Lapwing, Lesser whitethroat, Linnet, Little egret, Little grebe, Little owl, Little ringed plover, Long tailed tit, Magpie, Mallard, Marsh harrier, Marsh warbler (unconfirmed!), Meadow pipit, Moorhen, Mute swan + 6 cygnets, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pied wagtail, Pintail, Pochard, Raven, Red breasted merganser, Redstart, Reed bunting, Reed warbler, Ringed plover, Robin, Sedge warbler, Shelduck, Shoveler, Starling, Swallow, Swift, Tufted duck, Wheatear, Whimbrel, Whitethroat, Wren, Yellowhammer.

Also: toad, grass snake.

Here's a brilliant picture of the cygnets on the scrape:

Mute swan and 1 day old cygnets by Andy Wattson

Please note that we take our recent sightings list from the visitor sightings board that anyone can contribute to. This is great as everyone can get involved, but obviously can lead to potential errors too as they aren’t always verified! We try to keep this list as accurate as possible but if you see something unusual feel free to comment here!

New arrivals at Newport Wetlands

2013-05-16T13:41:00Z

We’ve had some new arrivals on the reserve in the last few days! There are both avocet and lapwing chicks down at Goldcliff, easy to see from the hides. The Canada geese have hatched 6 fluffy little bundles of joy, and they spent yesterday wandering around the environs and showing off in front of the visitor centre. So cute!

Canada Goose and goslings (and window reflection!)

We’re eagerly awaiting the cygnets from the mute swan which has been nesting right by the visitor centre. They should hatch any day now, so we’re keeping a keen eye on the nest. It’s easy to see from the shop so come and have a look – maybe you’ll be lucky enough to see the eggs hatch! Expect an update here as soon as the cygnets appear.

Have you had any new arrivals in your gardens? Are you expecting some soon?

Three Goslings

Weekly sightings 06/05 to 12/05/13

2013-05-13T14:55:00Z

Avocet, Bearded tit, Black tailed godwit, Blackbird, Blackcap, Blue tit, Canada goose, Cetti's warbler, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Common gull, Coot, Cormorant, Cuckoo, Curlew, Dunlin, Gadwall, Goldfinch, Grasshopper warbler, Great crested grebe, Great tit, Greenfinch, Grey heron, Herring gull, Hobby, House martin, Kestrel, Lapwing, Lesser Whitethroat, Linnet, Little egret, Little grebe, Little ringed plover, Mallard, Mute swan, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pied wagtail, Pochard, Red breasted merganser, Redshank, Reed bunting, Reed warbler, Sedge warbler, Shelduck, Song thrush, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Swallow, Swift, Tufted duck, Wheatear, Whimbrel, Whitethroat, Willow warbler, Wood pigeon, Wren.

Unfortunately no live bats seen on the bat walk as we had miserable weather, but during the talk we did get to see some bat poo!

To see pictures by john_l_uk of the Red breasted merganser have a look on the forum here.

Name the Tiger Competition Winners

2013-05-10T10:30:00Z

As we can now upload photos again, I thought I’d share with you the pictures of our two Name The Tiger competition winners!

The first winner was Lewis (in the middle) who is 6, and named his tiger Bernard the Death Eater! Amazing – a Harry Potter fan perhaps?

Lewis (6) and friends

Iris, aged 5, was also a winner with her tiger named Stripes, and here she is collecting her lovely fluffy tiger prize:

Iris (5)

Well done to both our winners, and thank you to everyone else who entered!

Keep your eyes peeled for our next competition, and in the mean time there’s plenty to do as a family when you visit Newport Wetlands! There are free Bird Bingo sheets for you to borrow, where you tick off what you see as you walk around.

We also have our incredible Wildlife Explorer backpacks which you can see behind Iris in the second photo. These are absolutely brilliant – inside is a pair of binoculars, a bug pot with magnifying lens, and a Detective Challenge (like a scavenger hunt without the scavenging). To help you identify all the wildlife there’s also a bird book, a bug ID chart, and another chart which changes depending on the season. I’ve just put in the Butterflies of Britain chart since we’re starting to see a few lovely butterflies around!

The Wildlife Explorer backpacks are £3.50 to hire for the day for non-members, and they are free to hire for RSPB members! Just the thing to help you make the most of your day out at the Wetlands!

Weekly sightings 29/04 to 05/05/13

2013-05-07T14:02:09Z

Here's the weekly sightings:

Avocet, Bar tailed godwit, Bearded tit, Black tailed godwit, Blackcap, Blue tit, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Canada goose, Cetti's warbler, Chiffchaff, Common sandpiper, Coot, Cormorant, Cuckoo, Curlew, Dunlin, Dunnock, Gadwall, Goldfinch, Goosander, Grasshopper warbler, Great crested grebe, Great tit, Greenfinch, Greenshank, Grey heron, Hobby, House martin, Jay, Kestrel, Lesser Whitethroat, Linnet, Little egret, Little grebe, Little owl, Little ringed plover, Magpie, Mallard, Merlin, Moorhen, Mute swan, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pochard, Raven, Redshank, Reed bunting, Reed warbler, Ringed plover, Robin, Sedge warbler, Shelduck, Shoveler, Skylark, Sparrowhawk, Spotted redshank, Stock dove, Swallow, Swift, Teal, Tufted duck, Whimbrel, Whitethroat, Wigeon, Wood pigeon, Wood warbler, Wren.

Also, a stoat, and two otters seen early morning on two occasions!

Reed Bunting by Robbie Morgan age 9

Weekend events at Newport Wetlands

2013-05-02T12:00:00Z

There's 3 more exciting events at Newport Wetlands this weekend so come out and enjoy this sunny weather!

It's the Wildlife Explorers Club monthly meet up on Saturday 4th May at 10am - this month they are going out fossil hunting on the reserve! It's £2.00 for RSPB members and £3.00 for non members. The club is for 8 to 12 year olds, and you can just drop the kids off and pick them up after (or stick around for a coffee and a walk yourself!).

On Sunday 5th, if you're an early bird yourself (or can manage it just this once) there's a FREE guided walk around the reserve led by Darryl Spittle (organised by Natural Resources Wales) to listen to the dawn chorus and learn about the different bird species. Yes, it is a dawn chorus walk which means it starts at 5.15am! It's definitely worth the effort though.

Finally, a course for budding photographers - Wildlife Photography for Beginners from 10am - 12pm on Sunday 5th. It's £10.00 per person (50% off for RSPB members), and please book in advance on 01633 636363. It's a chance to learn basic techniques and get out on the reserve to put the theory into practice.

10% off RSPB Binoculars

2013-05-01T13:23:02Z

Need a new pair of binoculars to help you ID that wily warbler? Why not come to our shop here at Newport Wetlands and grab a bargain! There's 10% off RSPB binoculars until 21st May. The offer includes both compacts and full size - and our brilliant HD range too! Come along at any time (we're open 9am - 5pm) for a personal demo and consultation.

Weekly sightings 22 to 28/04/13

2013-04-29T14:33:14Z

Here’s the weekly sightings:

Avocet, Bar tailed godwit, Bearded tit, Black cap, Black tailed godwit, Black winged stilt, Blackbird, Blue tit, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Canada goose, Carrion crow, Cetti's warbler, Chiffchaff, Coal tit, Common sandpiper, Coot, Cormorant, Cuckoo, Curlew, Gadwall, Garden warbler, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Grasshopper warbler, Great crested grebe, Great spotted woodpecker, Great tit, Greenfinch, Grey heron, Herring gull, House martin, Kestrel, Lesser whitethroat, Linnet, Little egret, Little grebe, Little owl, Magpie, Mallard, Moorhen, Mute swan, Pheasant, Pochard, Raven, Red kite, Reed bunting, Reed warbler, Sand martin, Sedge warbler, Shelduck, Spotted redshank, Stonechat, Swallow, Swift, Tufted duck, Wheatear, Whimbrel, Whinchat, White wagtail, Whitethroat, Wigeon, Willow warbler, Wood pigeon, Wren

That’s 65 bird species total.

Also seen: Peacock butterfly, Small tortoiseshell butterfly, Green veined white butterfly.

Wild Art and Walks at Newport Wetlands

2013-04-25T11:41:07Z

Looking for something to do this weekend? Look no further! We’ve got three fantastic events here at Newport Wetlands which should keep the whole family busy.

Firstly, we have the Big Wild Art event which is FREE for everyone and is now running all day Saturday and Sunday from 11am til 3.30pm – just drop in when you can for some nature related crafty fun! Be sure to wear old clothes because it will get messy! All ages welcome.

Secondly, there’s the monthly guided walk starting at 10am on Saturday. This is £6.00 per adult and £4.00 per child, and RSPB members get a 50% discount. The price also includes a hot drink from our lovely cafe. The walk will take in the wonderful wildlife and fascinating history of the reserve.

Finally, if you’re looking to learn, why not come along to Birdsong for Beginners on Saturday? This is a relaxed walk and talk to discover about the super songsters around our reserve and help you identify those Little Brown Jobs! The event is aimed at adults and is £6.00 per person with a 50% discount for RSPB members. It starts at 11am and if you fancy coming along please ring us to book a place on 01633 636363.

So as you can see there’s plenty to do and hopefully one of the three events will entice you along.

Weekly sightings 15 to 21/04/13

2013-04-22T15:58:03Z

Weekly sightings 15 to 21/04/13

Here’s the weekly sightings:

Bearded tit, Blackcap, Blue tit, Buzzard, Canada goose, Carrion crow, Cetti's warbler, Chiffchaff, Common tern, Coot, Curlew, Dunnock, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Grasshopper warbler, Great crested grebe, Great spotted woodpecker, Great tit, Green woodpecker, Greenfinch, Grey heron, House martin, House sparrow, Kestrel, Lapwing, Little egret, Little grebe, Little owl, Long-tailed tit, Magpie, Mallard, Moorhen, Mute swan, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pochard, Raven, Redstart, Reed bunting, Reed warbler, Sedge warbler, Shelduck, Shoveler, Skylark, Sparrowhawk, Spponbill, Swallow, Teal, Tufted duck, Wheatear, Whimbrel, Willow warbler, Woodpigeon, Wren.

Goldcliff:

Arctic tern, Avocet, Black-tailed godwit, Commic tern, Dunlin, Gadwall, Greenshank, Herring gull, Knot, Linnet, Little ringed plover, Meadow pipit, Redshank, Ringed plover, Spotted redshank, Turnstone.

That’s 77 bird species total.

We also had a Peacock butterfly and a Small tortoiseshell butterfly seen, glad to see the warmer weather bringing out some insects!

Earth Day

2013-04-19T12:01:37Z

So Monday 22^nd April is this years Earth Day, what do you have planned to show your support for environmental protection?

Earth Day was first held on April 22, 1970 originally focused on the United States until 1990 when it went international. It is now celebrated in more than 192 countries every year, some communities have even gone one step further and now celebrate Earth Week, an entire week of activities focused on environmental issues. More than 1 billion people now celebrate Earth Day each year, and my favourite part is that there is even an Earth Day Anthem!

“Joyful joyful we adore our Earth in all its wonderment
Simple gifts of nature that all join into a paradise
Now we must resolve to protect her
Show her our love throughout all time
With our gentle hand and touch
We make our home a newborn world
Now we must resolve to protect her
Show her our love throughout all time
With our gentle hand and touch
We make our home a newborn world”

I’m sure you are all already members of the RSPB and taking part with all the actions in our stepping up for nature campaigns! If you do have some spare time why not see if there is anything on the actions that you can take to celebrate Earth Day and do more to help protect the environment: http://act.earthday.org/campaigns.html

Apologies for the lack of images still – Robbie aged 9 we have your photos ready to go up as soon as our network is fixed!!

Spring migrants

2013-04-17T16:03:48Z

It definitely feels like spring has arrived here at Newport Wetlands, at last! You can tell just from looking at the recent sightings from last week really, with spring migrants being seen and heard all over the place (reed warbler, chiffchaff, willow warbler and blackcap to name a few), the first cuckoo being spotted yesterday (photo verified!) and today Mat heard a sedge warbler by the visitor centre too.

We have quite a few coot chicks around the scrape and by the entrance ramp, although the adults are showing their typically bad parenting skills unfortunately. There’s also a pair of mute swans on a nest visible from the cafe – we think it’s about 30 days until their eggs should hatch, which is very exciting!

I can pinpoint exactly the moment I felt that spring was here – it was last Saturday afternoon, and I was standing in the visitor centre. I happened to glance up through the glass roof by the entrance, and spotted a lone swallow swooping around – my first one of the year. I was quite excited by that to be honest!

Is there anything in particular that makes you feel like spring is here?

Apologies for the lack of photos still – it’s a problem with our internet here! Check out the Newport Wetlands group, there’s loads of brilliant photos by our visitors on there.

Weekly sightings 08 to 14/04/13

2013-04-15T15:34:56Z

Here’s the weekly sightings:

Bearded tit, Blackbird, Blackcap, Blue tit, Bullfinch, Canada goose, Cetti's warbler, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Coot, Curlew, Dunnock, Gadwall, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great crested grebe, Great spotted woodpecker, Great tit, Greenfinch, House martin, Kestrel, Kingfisher, Little egret, Little grebe, Little owl, Long-tailed tit, Magpie, Mallard, Mute swan, Pheasant, Pochard, Redwing, Reed bunting, Reed warbler, Robin, Sand martin, Sedge warbler, Shelduck, Snipe, Song thrush, Swallow, Teal, Tufted duck, Wheatear, Willow warbler, Wren.

Goldcliff

Avocet, Bar-headed goose, Bar-tailed godwit, Grey heron, Lapwing, Oystercatcher, Pintail, Redshank, Shoveler, Skylark, Spoonbill, Spotted redshank, Stock dove, Water rail, Wigeon, Woodpigeon.

That’s 62 bird species total.

As you can see, there’s been quite a few migrants seen this week, it’s definitely felt more Spring-like! Sorry about the lack of photos recently, we're still having trouble uploading them.

Weekly sightings 1st to 7th April 2013

2013-04-08T13:27:00Z

Here’s the recent sightings for the past week at Newport Wetlands (1st to 7th April) with 54 bird species in total:

Blackbird, Blue tit, Bullfinch, Canada goose, Carrion crow, Cetti's warbler, Chiffchaff, Coot, Curlew, Dunlin, Dunnock, Fieldfare, Gadwall, Goldcrest, Goldeneye, Goldfinch, Great crested grebe, Great spotted woodpecker, Greenfinch, Grey heron, Grey plover, House sparrow, Kestrel, Knot, Little Egret, Little grebe, Little owl, Long-tailed tit, Magpie, Mallard, Marsh harrier, Moorhen, Mute swan, Osprey, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pintail, Pochard, Redshank, Redwing, Reed bunting, Robin, Shelduck, Siskin, Song thrush, Sparrowhawk, Spoonbill, Teal, Tufted duck, Water rail, Wheatear, Wigeon, Woodpigeon, Wren.

The Spoonbill has been down at Goldcliff for the last few days and is still there today apparently! The osprey was seen flying over on Tuesday 2nd April at the Goldcliff end of the reserve.

Weekly sightings 25/03 - 31/03

2013-04-03T16:15:27Z

Hi all, here’s the recent sightings list for Newport Wetlands over the last week.

Bearded tit, Blackbird, Blackcap, Black-headed gull, Buzzard, Canada goose, Carrion crow, Cetti’s warbler, Chiffchaff, Coot, Curlew, Dunlin, Dunnock, Gadwall, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great crested grebe, Great spotted woodpecker, Greenfinch, Grey heron, Grey plover, Hen harrier, Herring gull, Little egret, Little owl, Long tailed tit, Magpie, Mallard, Moorhen, Mute swan, Pheasant, Pochard, Raven, Redwing, Reed bunting, Robin, Sand martin, Shelduck, Snipe, Sparrowhawk, Teal, Tufted duck, Water rail, Woodpigeon, Wren.

A weasel and a small tortoiseshell butterfly.

At Goldcliff we also had the additional sightings of: Avocet, Bar-tailed godwit, Meadow pipit, Pintail, Redshank and Wheatear

53 species in total.

Just a reminder as well, if anyone has any good photographs from their day at the reserve and you don't mind us using them on the blog please send them to newport.images@rspb.org.uk