Several species
of bat may be seen in the late evening swooping over the river. These include
the pipistrelle, Daubenton’s bat and the rare lesser horseshoe bat.
There is an enthusiastic band of naturalists devoted to conserving and increasing
the bat populations
.
A sew examples of breeding birds, both resident and migratory, are the common
sandpiper, grey and yellow wagtails, little grebe, little ringed plover,
wood warbler, pied flycatcher, sand martin and redstart. Dippers inhabit
the fast waters of the side-streams and the flashy kingfishers the slower
waters of the main river. The rare marsh warbler has been known to nest
along the river banks. The cormorant and goosander, hated by fishermen for
their consumption of trout, breed in ever increasing numbers. The common
buzzard is present in large numbers and the red kite, oft-seen in the upper
Usk Valley, is increasingly seen further south, especially in winter.
Page 2 of 3
