It’s amazing what sun & blue sky can do! An excellent turnout of 22 folk attended today’s weekday trip – thanks all. Fortunately the Lesser Scaup had decided to return to the lakes after a brief sojourn at CBWR yesterday, and showed well on W lake. Also present there were 5 Shoveler, a few Pochard, 9 Gadwall and the usual Tufties. A Little Egret flew in and landed in a tree by W lake. Whilst discussing the features of Common Gull on the bridge, most of us were rewarded by a 5 second fight view of the Bittern as it moved from one part of the reed bed to the other. A single Snipe flushed from the west paddock and being silent and not ‘towering’, could have been a Jack, although it did fly some distance, but keeping low. Sadly we couldn’t connect with the Marsh Tits in Cogan Wood, despite Lol Middleton having seen them earlier coming down to collect peanuts, and also despite Lol having ‘lent’ me some peanuts! Most of them were snaffled up by a Magpie and a Jay! There were plenty of Long-tailed Tits and a Cetti’s Warbler sang near the cafe and a nice male Siskin was in an Alder near the main boardwalk.

We decided against the planned visit to Cardiff Bay and those that still remained after lunch went down to Swanbridge and had good views of the male Black Redstart.