Yesterday saw a white-heaed Cormorant on the W lake posts. Photos confirmed it as a standard ‘carbo’ bird rather than the continental ‘sinensis’ subpsecies which is always charaterised by a white head. The one pictured is a breeding plumage adult [due to the white thigh patch] but the cropped head photo shows the ‘gular angle’ as being clearly acute and nowhere near the almost 90 degrees that sinensis would show. It was on the adjacent post today. Also yesterday a Cetti’s Warbler sang briefly near the café.
Today, the highlight was a smart adult winter Mediterranean Gull on the grass overlooking W lake bay. There were also 4 Gadwall by the W lake reeds [3 drakes and a duck].

A late afternoon stroll around the park starting at the marshy area at the north of the lake. Besides the usual resident Mallard ( plus hybrids), Coots and Moorhens there were a few notables. A Peregrine circling overhead, 3 Teal (2 males and a female), a male Pochard, 2 Chiffchaff, 7 Goosander ( 2 adult males,3 redheads & 2 young males almost in adult plumage with just the last hint of russet on their otherwise green/black heads) and 5 Mute Swan ( parents + 3 fully grown cygnets).

Highlight this morning was the drake 1stW Scaup that had disappeared yesterday. It was on E lake with the Tufties. W lake still had the 15 Pochard from 22nd and a pair of Gadwall. 2 Little Grebes on E Lake.

17-Little Egrets flew from the island roost at first light.This afternoon 9-Snipe on the east side of the peninsular.

There were 15 Pochard on W lake Cosmeston this morning in amongst the hoards of Tufties, and there were 7 fem Teal on the far side. Couldn’t find yesterday’s Scaup on either lake, nor the Shoveler or Gadwall pairs. There were some nice reflections of sleeping drake Tufties, and a Grey Squirrel feeding on something natural rather than scraps thrown down by humans. A Jay was by the central Mile Road and the paddocks revealed a couple of Green Woodpeckers.

In a brief visit this morning: 1 1stW Greater Scaup was with the Tufties on W lake, plus a few Pochard, a pair of Shoveler and a pair of Gadwall. I couldn’t find the Wigeon that Graham Smith had seen. The Tufties still number about 200, and most of them are drakes. A Great Spotted Woodpecker flew over E paddock and I managed to snap a confiding female Pied Wag that was feeding in the mown patch just outside the entrance gate into E paddock.

Portobello, Ogmore Est pm 21 Dec 2021

Decided to visit Ogmore Est this pm- only my 2nd visit since the pandemic started – thought the cold wind would keep people in.

Nice surprise was a Black-tailed Godwit with Redshanks and Common Sandpiper on the island.

In 2020 report, last report of B-t Godwit in 2020 was on Sep 2 and the first was on Jan16 2020. Both RGW.

Regulars were there – L. Egret, Goldeneye, Goosander (3 Fem), Little Grebe (9), Raven, Grey Wagtail and a large flock of Gulls (H, LBB, GBB (3), Com, B-h)

Bitterly cold walk across the barrage this morning – risked it despite my nasty cold, to accompany family members. There were about 8 Cormorants in the water just inside the locks and one caught an Eel and had some competition! Pretty c**p photos as I wasn’t prepared. By the inner barrage shore there was a pair of Goosander [crap pix there too – light was dire], and a Peregrine flew over at the Cardiff end. No luck with the Black Redstarts although Anne thought she had a v brief glimpse of one. There were 86 Tufted Duck just past the Norwegian Church [as at Cosmeston, nearly all of them drakes], and a Grey Wag was near there too.

18/12/21

16 folk braved the cold wind to come on the Kenfig public birdwalk on Saturday, and were rewarded by finding 40 species, and having hot mulled fruit juice, mince pies and chocolates!

Highlights were a flying Bittern, a Water rail, 12 Bullfinch in the same tree, 14 Lapwing over, Wigeon, Scaup, and 3 Goldeneye.

Full list

Canada Goose , Greylag Goose , Mute Swan , Gadwall , Wigeon, Mallard , Teal , Tufted Duck , Scaup Goldeneye , Goosander , Feral Pigeon , Woodpigeon , Collared Dove , Water Rail, Moorhen, Coot
Lapwing , Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Herring Gull, Cormorant , Bittern , Grey Heron , Sparrowhawk, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Magpie , Jackdaw , Carrion Crow , Blue Tit , Great Tit , Long-tailed Tit , Wren, Starling , Blackbird , Robin, House Sparrow , Dunnock , Bullfinch , Greenfinch

Thanks to everyone for coming, and to Dave Carrington for leading.

Jean

Thirteen participants visited the two above locations yesterday 12th Dec. Birds are never close there but we were treated to 58 species including huge flocks of Golden Plover and Lapwing, often spooked into the air [possibly by a female Merlin which we had super scope views of], and 1000’s of Dunlin over the main shoreline near the R. Parrett mouth. Other highlights included 2 female Marsh Harriers, but no male Hen Harrier that had been seen the day before, nor two Pink-footed Geese. 12 wader species wasn’t bad, including a few Avocet and 10 Snipe standing in a row from the small hide at the point. A few lucky group members got a Short-eared Owl as they left. A few pix here to give a flavour of this great location. A full trip list is here.

During a quick walk this morning, a conservative estimate of c.150 Redwing feeding on the newly mown E. paddock, together with a flock of Goldfinch. The number of Pochard with the ever present Tufties is now up to 14.

Sunday 12th December Goosander 22 including fifteen males on the west lake.

Walked across the barrage in mizzle and headed to Porth Teigr Way to try & see the Black Redstarts [3 of them!] initially found by club member Evan Jones. Conditions & light were awful but on arrival I heard a call and saw one on top of the roofs of the Adventurer’s Quay appartments, which obligingly flew down into the waste ground by Porth Teigr Way and used a large concrete block as its favourite perch. [See map]. The birds commute back & forth between the waste ground and the appartments. On the way back I got some nice shots of a Grey Heron standing on one of the old mooring structures in the Bay, and there were two Ravens foraging along the inner barrage shore.

Walked along the Sully foreshore this morning by way of a change from the mud of Cosmeston. As we pulled into the dirt car park by the cricket ground there were 2-3 Rock Pipits feeding around a large puddle with a couple of Pied Wags. I backed the car in and parked and then looked out of the windscreen to see a Rock Pipit sitting on the bonnet looking at me! I wasn’t quick enough to grab a pic with camera or phone. I got out of the car slowly and it was very confiding and went back to feeding around the puddle, allowing for the shots below. In one you can see it has caught what looks like a small shrimp like creature. There were around 8 ‘Rockits’ in total, some feeding on the cricket pitch. No waders even tho’ the tide had only just started to recede, but it was v windy blowing up-channel, producing some impressive waves [for Sully].

In the last few days there have been anything up to 30-40 Redwing in the W paddock area, and an occasional Fieldfare. The 200 or so Tufties are comnstantly present, with about 10 Pochard and a pair of Gadwall that are not visible every day. The photos are from yesterday. The Heron was resting on the horizontal dead tree by E lake near the main bridge. When we arrived I imeediately noticted the big size difference between the two immature Herring Gulls shown. A Green Woodpecker was actively feeding in E paddock until we inadvertently disturbed it when it flew up on to the kissing gate into the Mile Road, where it kept and eye on the Magpie. One of the Cardiff Bay female Ring-necked Ducks was reported in the afternoon at Cossie today [on BirdGuides], and a Black Redstart near Atlantic Wharf, Cardiff.

A walk through the forest this morning much evidence of logging presumably Larch. Chaffinch a flock of 12 Jay 4 Nuthatch 3 Great Spotted Woodpecker 3 Tree Creeper 1 Mistle Thrush 1 Redwing 3 Cole Tit 1 Blue Tit 6 Great Tit 2 and lots of Robins.

A circuit of Cosmeston this morning revealed around 50 flighty Redwings in the W paddock area, with a few Fieldfare in with them. They were very restless and none settled suitably to give a chance of any photos. There were 10 Pochard on W lake, plus a pair of Gadwall and on E lake there were about 200 Tufted Ducks sitting along the far shore of E lake, out of the wind. A Grey Wagtail was by Sully Brook opposite the medieval village. I guess it’s the same individual I’ve seen on 2 prev occasions recently, in other locations.

Not much to report but good to see 3 smart male Greenfinches among a Goldfinch flock on the way up the steps, also a small flock of Long Tailed Tits. Also good to see the new planting of Pines (Corsican?) along the route. Male Chaffinch near the car park

A quick walk around the moat this morning there were 9 Goosander 5 of which were males a drake Teal 5 Cormorants 50 Coot 6 Moorhen 1 Shelduck and lots of Black-headed Gulls.