Too hot for serious birding at Cosmeston this morning. Whilst in the shade of the car park trees with our coffee I noticed this Wren which was hopping around in front of the parked cars, right in the open. At one point it spread its wings and ‘sunned’ for a short while but I wasn’t quick enough to get a shot. I did carefully get up and grab a few other shots and on looking at the pix it’s a very bedraggled individual. On the cam I thought it was a fledgling but on cropping on the laptop, in these shots you can see the almost bald head and throat, and the very poor state of the main feather tracts. It hopped around, sometimes going underneath the cars then flew up onto a tree by us and eventually entered the nest box. It stayed there for a few minutes and then suddenly exited and flew down into the bushy landscaping by the parking bays.

A tad late posting, but walked from E. Aberthaw round the front of the power station to W Aberthaw on Sat 8th. There was a nice breeze coming up the channel. At E. Aberthaw lagoon a pair of Mute Swans with 4 fully grown cygnets, several Coot, a Moorhen. On the power station buildings, about 400 Starlings, and in the grounds a flock of 250 resting Gulls, mostly Herring. A rather dusky looking male Pied Wag was on the beach [coal dust??]. On the shoreline pools, 2 Litte Egret and 2 Grey Heron, plus 30 Oystercatcher. A flock of c.20 Linnet were flitting around and by the Leys, and female Wheatear and a feeding flock of Goldfinch.

Not much birding today but 5, poss 7 Tufted Duck on E lake was a sure sign of early autumn. Of most interest was a large number of Autumn Lady’s Tresses orchids [40+] in and adjacent to E paddock. A Lesser Emperor dragonfly was at the N end of W lake but I did not check for that but it was seen.

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In the area between Garth Mountain and Coed y Bedw this evening there was a party of 6 or more spotted flycatchers hawking from the tops of the trees.

Local coastal sites this morning over high tide:

Cadoxton Rivermouth – Wheatear, Whimbrel, Ringed Plover, 2 Turnstone, 7 Oystercatcher, Rock Pipit

Barry Old Harbour – Wheatear, 2 adult Mediterranean Gull, 2 Whimbrel

Sully Island – 24 Ringed Plover, 2 Dunlin, 58 Oystercatcher, 2 Great Black-backed Gull, 7 Turnstone, Grey Heron

In our garden this afternoon, heard a Chiffchaff calling and then saw it briefly bathing in the bird bath. A couple of Swifts were flying high over.

6th Aug: 4 Common Whitethroat in bushes in the snipe paddock, 30 Linnet, 10 Goldfinch, and 3 Greenfinch in W paddock area, and 2 adult Little Grebes with the 1 small chick on W lake
7th Aug: 1 juv Common Whitethroat in bush by the Mile Road kissing gate into W paddock.

Tuesday morning 4th August Green Woodpecker flying North over M4 1 mile south of McArthur Glen.

This morning, over garden, 3 Buzzards and 2 Ravens uneasily sharing a thermal. Then, 2 short bursts of a Green Woodpecker calling and a GS Woodpecker on a nearby dead tree.

This afternoon on a cycle ride saw another Green Woodpecker flying near Llanfihangel and then, a mile north of Llanmaes, a Polecat ran across the road in front of me

A fem Blackcap was feeding on Elder Berries at the far end of W paddock this a.m., and 2 Common Whitethroat were there also. 2 Green Woodpeckers present [1 E paddock, 1 W paddock], and a Great Spotted Woodpecker was on a treetop near the dragonfly pond. 30 noisy Swallows flew over the lower dovecote field, heading towards the coast.

An immature Common Redstart was in bushes 50m beyond the dragonfly pond this morning. Calling incessantly and pretty shy but it did show at a distance and flew a short way. My first this year! Pic below cropped as much as poss.

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There was a fem Wheatear in E paddock this morning which then flushed and flew over the trees towards W paddock. The Little Grebe pair have at last got a chick on view – a single adult with a small chick was on W lake.

At least 2 Coal Tit,3 Great Tit and 2 Blue Tit (all recently fledged) feeding along the Hawthorn hedge by the railway track and 2 calling Bullfinches flying over. Also a Willow Warbler gave a short (half-hearted) burst of song.

pied flycatcher along the field fence line/hedgerow S of Garth Mtn and above Coed y Bedw