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A thread about birding my local patch during 2020.
I started living in the Old Arts College in Newport in Oct 2017 and the River Usk, right on my doorstep was the obvious place to adopt as my new patch.
Here's a map of the area I regularly cover. 1/
I started living in the Old Arts College in Newport in Oct 2017 and the River Usk, right on my doorstep was the obvious place to adopt as my new patch.
Here's a map of the area I regularly cover. 1/
My only decent local find to date (Gwent's first Caspian Gull, in December 2018) was, ironically, not here, but on a playing field in Bettws. So this year, I decided to put in a lot more time around the Usk, convinced that there were birds to be found. 2/
New Years Day 2020 started well with 42 species including my first (and to date only) patch records of Shoveler and Jack Snipe. I added 8 more species on the 2nd including my first patch Treecreeper near Newport Castle. 3/ https://twitter.com/stevepreddy/status/1212409345859837954?s=20
It was then slow going until the spring, and then of course lockdown kicked in, which meant even more time around the patch as I couldn't go anywhere else. Rewards included my first patch Whinchats and Redstart, and several Whimbrel. 4/
The summer was quiet: my only Yellow-legged Gull of the year was in May, but I saw my first patch Gadwall, and a pair of Oystercatcher fledged 5 young, appropriately enough near Bird Port. 5/
Contender for bird of the year was the Yellow-browed Warbler I found at the Old Sainsbury's site on 11 Oct: incredibly, just the tenth record for Gwent. My first patch Siskins and Redpolls were also during the autumn, both in the riverside alders near Spittles Point. 6/
I then put in a final effort over the end of year period, and was rewarded with my first patch Black Redstart, second Rock Pipit, and the biggest surprise of all, a Dartford Warbler (of which there've only been c.10 previous Gwent records) on 30 Dec close to the city centre. 7/
In total, I recorded 90 species here this year, 16 of which were new, and there are only 8 species I recorded in previous years which I didn't see this year. Those of you who can do maths will realise that this means my 100th patch species is on the cards some time in 2021. 8/
Elsewhere in urban Newport I recorded a further 12 species this year, of which a Water Rail and a Pied Flycatcher on the canal in Malpas, and a Green Sandpiper on my other (not quite so) local patch, the Ebbw River, were the best. 9/
There were also the ones that got away - a Glaucous Gull that presumably wasn't one unless the two-bird theory comes into play, some presumed Common Scoter and some unidentified geese. 10/
And some obvious misses: no Lesser Whitethroat or Sedge Warbler, no Barn Owl, and I didn't see Tawny Owl (although I heard two in the now felled trees along Caerleon Road, St Julians). 11/
The River Usk is never going to be as good as big name patches like Goldcliff or my 1990s patch, Chew Valley Lake - I'm not at all surprised that I never see any other birders here - but this was a pretty effective way to keep myself sane(ish...) during 2020. 12/
Finally, here's a map showing the locations of each species recorded (either the first record of the year, or the one nearest to the city centre). 13/13
