One singing early morning in fields off Lansdowne Gardens. Five Blackcaps, just two Common Whitethroats but no Lesser Whitethroats again, where, until a couple of years ago the species was “traditional” throughout April and May, probably breeding.
One singing early morning in fields off Lansdowne Gardens. Five Blackcaps, just two Common Whitethroats but no Lesser Whitethroats again, where, until a couple of years ago the species was “traditional” throughout April and May, probably breeding.
Glamorgan Bird Club 
Re: the Lesser Whitethroats. Did they reappear at all after building the new athletics stadium and cutting down the poplar trees?
When I mention “traditional site”/s I mean that area west of Leckwith Rd and between Lawrenny Avenue/the old Civil Service Club (off Sanatorium Road) fields and the Ely River. The Poplar trees weren’t cut down..they are still along Leckwith Road! The athletics stadium began to be demolished in 2007 and the site cleared ready for what is now the retail park and Cardiff City Stadium. Now and again a Lesser Whitethroat would sing/pass through the area opposite Jubilee Park on Leckwith Road to the south of the couple of houses but mostly birds were at the far end of Lawrenny Avenue and in the area of fields south of what is now Lansdowne Gardens. Usually one regular singing male or occasionally two throughout Spring. Singing birds also popped up along the Ely Trail from Penarth Road west. I recorded none in 2010 but thought that was just a fluke as singing birds in this broad area of what is the Ely River valley( I suppose) were recorded on 9th May 2011 in Paper Mill Road and at the end of Lawrenny Avenue as well but their stay was short and I heard them only once in each location. However 2012 and 2013 drew blanks (although I think someone else recorded a single bird on one occasion) and I have heard no singing birds this year (so far). The whole area has altered from what is was before 2007–an expanse of fields and bushes which stretched from Leckwith Road west has been taken over by the Athletics Stadium. The rough fields and scrub off Sanatorium Road have now been cleared and a new Welsh Medium school built; the area is now active with vehicles and people. According to the recent “Atlas” there has been a national increase since the 1990’s of Lesser Whitethroats so my records might simply reflect very local habitat loss. Interestingly too is the reduction in Common Whitethroat and the absence of Linnets now in this broad area.