Pretty quiet bird-wise on a walk out to Sker Pt then back via Sker Farm & golf course. Couple of Common Whitethroat on the way out and a good show of butterflies on some Hemp Agrimony, with 10 Red Admirals, 2 Comma, 2 Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock and a few Meadow Browns. Also had a fem Common Blue [I think]. At Sker there were a couple of Wheatear and some Linnets, and near Sker Farm a few Stonechat incl a young male, a Meadow Pipit, and a Kes on the telephone wires.

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Garden warbler in our Whitchurch garden this morning – feeding on berries- a very pleasant first

Cosmeston a.m. I thought this was a tree full of Swallows and grabbed a few shots, but when I zoom them in they seem to be mostly Sand Martins and one or two juv Swallows. Never seen that many in a tree before. This was in the field that has the Medieval Dovecote. Further along in the next field there were 3 Common Whitethroat, 3 Stonechat, male Blackcap, 1 Raven and 1 Buzzard over and a couple of people had seen 2 Tree PIpits. I also had a calling fly-over Yellow Wagtail. There were 2 Whinchat there y’day apparently.

1500 Hrs. Single Swift among 30-40 House Martins also single Peregrine soaring high with House Martins above. 20-30 Swallows and Chiffchaff and Whitethroat also seen.

Pretty quiet on a walk through E and W paddocks this morning. The Silver-Y moth was nice to see [see pic]. A Sparrowhawk was circling over E lake when I arrived and another was with 1 of the 4 Buzzards of the other day, over the Dovecote field. Buzzards very vocal again today. A Jay was in the edge of Cogan Wood at the southern entrance. There were a lot of Swallows circling high above the Dovecote field. In the pouring rain yesterday there were about 20 Sand Martins and a couple of House Martins flying around just above the surface of W lake.

Good to see and hear a rather vocal Nuthatch seems to have taken up residence in the trees along the railway line – our first here since we moved in July 2019.

Fem Blackcap seen at Cosmeston this morning and a couple of Chiffchaff but no other interesting passerines apart from the currently resident Linnet flock. Did manage to grab a couple of Sparrowhawk shots, when a couple were doing a bit of airborne combat. Rubbish pix as I had to leg it from the lee of some trees too see them then get the cam in the right mode! Whilst in the edge of Cogan Wood I heard a lot of Buzzard ‘mewing’ and when I emerged there were 4 circling together over the wood, poss a family group – no pic. The Common Darter was on the fence by the dragonfly pond.

Green Sandpiper heard calling overhead just before 7 pm, followed by Ringed Plover calls half an hour later; both over a high point (450 metres a.s.l.) between Llanwonno and Tylorstown.  Also Crossbill and Tree Pipit calling overhead there; the latter have been moving virtually daily in numbers for the past fortnight.

Did a delayed WeBS at the Rhymney Estuary {Green Point} this morning [was raining y’day]. Main show was 500 Redshank and the bizarre and surprising sight of a Sanderling flying in off the channel, flying a short distance upstream then going up fairly high and circling around randomly over the near edge of Lamby landfill before disappearing off in the direction of Rumney Gt Wharf. Only other countable birds were 5 Shelduck, 4 Teal and 55 Mallard, plus 150 Black-headed Gulls sitting offshore. A Peregrine oversaw my count sitting up high on the pylon opposite Green Point.
Decided on a late afternoon stroll around E & W paddocks at Cosmeston. Met Graham Smith who had seen a Redstart and Tree Pipit. Couldn’t find those but had a nice little feeding flock of LTTs plus Blue & Great Tits and two Willow Warblers. There was also a flighty flock of around 40 Linnet in W paddock. They’ve been around for a few days now.

A Spotted Flycatcher and a fem Blackcap were high in trees 100 beyhond the dragonfly pond this a.m. Apparently there were 3 in the park y’day plus a Whinchat. An amazing report on tgwitter this a.m. – A Brown Booby was seen briefly off Port Eynon on Gower!!

Went to Goldcliff in the vain hope of seeing the Pectoral Sandpiper in what turned out to be v diff conditions – the wind was coming straight at the viewing platforms – scope shaking like fury! However managed to ID 1 Little Stint and 1 v brief Curlew Sand, then there were 100’s of Ringed Plover, Dunlin, plus 4 Knot incl 1 in almost full breeding plumage, a few Turnstone, 100+ Blackwit, Redshank. An imm Peregrine flew in and sat on the deck.

Mediterranean Gull 2nd year with Black-headed Gulls the bird was ringed PY8 red

3 Swifts with House Martins over the estate midday.

Osprey flying slowly, fairly low, over the pool approx.1230 – unable to see whether it stopped to hunt because we were at the far side of the pool where the bushes quickly obscured the bird.

Pleased to see young bullfinch with female parent in garden. Had pair of bullfinch present for last 4 years but this is first young I have seen.

The three young great spotted woodpeckers seem to have dispersed (hopefully nothing more sinister) after being ever present. Young green woodpecker(s) daily as are at least two nuthatch. Feeders are busy with tits – up to 5 each of long tailed, great and blue tit and 2 regular coal tit together. Goldcrest and treecreeper showing occasionally but pretty secretive.

The large groups of mistle thrush seem to have moved on with singles seen occasionally as are song thrush.

Up to three buzzard together with single red kite and two raven are regular (likely daily if I spent more time in the garden – thankfully the raven are always vocal). Plenty of jackdaw, carrion crow, magpies and still have a couple of jays present. Suspect sparrowhawk could be daily but I spot one once or twice a week.

Average of around 15 species daily either in or over the garden which climbs into the 20’s if I spend a bit more time observing. Had 26 on 7th August. A bit less rain would be nice.

1 Yellowhammer singing, 1 Nuthatch calling, briefly confiding male Bullfinch (very nice), 3or4 -30/40 strong flocks of House Sparrow , a flock of c. 100 Linnets (by the sound of them) disturbed feeding on a harvested Oil Seed Rape field, 2 or 3 – 20/30 strong flocks of Starling, 3 Buzzards plus1 young one calling incessantly.

Good turnout of the Tit family seemingly enjoying the rain and Hawthorn this morning. (At least) ……..2 Long Tailed, 5 Blue, 4 Coal, 2 Great all visible at the same time and all apparently young birds.

In the light on-and-off spitting rain, some activity in the ‘snipe paddock’ this morning: 1 poss 2 Spotted Flycatchers, several imm Common Whitethroat, Chiffchaff, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Linnet, 1 Reed Bunting, Blue Tit & Great Tit. Pair of Bullfinch by back entrance to Cogan Wood and a single in the W paddock hedge. 1 Green Woodpecker in the Lower Dovcote meadow.

The first of some trial GBC field trips to locations where social distancing is feasible [as announced on the <Events><Field Trips> page, this one had 7 participants plus myself and Alan Rosney as leaders. We were lucky with the weather. Kidwelly provided a good selection of waders with Common and Green Sandpiper, a juv Ruff, several Greenshank, Dunlin, Ringed Plover and 2-300 Redshank. A couple of us saw a high fly-over Marsh Harrier being mobbed by a crow. At the old ‘harbour’ at Burry Port there were many Sandwich Terns with a few Common Terns amongst the huge flock of gulls on the beach, which included a good number of Mediterranean Gulls, all the ones we noticed being adults. Along the tideline there were 20 or so Sanderling, plus Ringed Plover and Dunlin. A successful first trial then, with a total of 46 species seen. A few photos below.

Best find in the soaring temps this morning was this Jersey Tiger moth on Hemp Agrimony by the upper end of Mile Road near the kissing gste into W paddock. The Black-tailed Skimmer was one of many by the ‘golf course’ shore of E lake. Graham Smith had seen Lesser Emperor there earlier too.