1-Black Tern showing well this afternoon.

Not bird related,but in a walk around the lake i found Bee Orchids in two locations.

10,maybe,11-Common Sandpipers on the islands this morning.Photos on south wales birders.Also 50+Sand Martins.

150+ Sand Martins and at least one House Martin over the bay.1-Sandwich Tern alongside a first winter Common Gull on the orange buoys at the barrage.Also,several White Wagtails around the Scott memorial.

1m-Gadwall at Hendre Lake this afternoon.Can’t ever remember seeing one there before.

visited at first light,06h35,expecting to see Little Egrets flying out from the island roost.Instead 24-Little Egrets were together at the waters edge at the western end of the island.I returned at dusk to find 23 Egrets in the same place.Is it possible they are roosting there and not in the island’s trees? I will check again in the coming days.

18/01/2024  4-Snipe from the hide looking to the left. This is the most Snipe i have seen at this site for a long time.

A visit to Garwnant today was pretty quiet apart from good numbers of Crossbills.A flock of 20-25 in firs near the car park.Also small numbers elsewhere too. I have noticed tree felling,not far north from the car park,has cleared a sizable area which could attract a Great Grey Shrike if one was around.

The Two Great Northern Divers are still there.They are not together so sometimes hard to find.

24-Little Egrets flew from the island roost today at first light.

38-Little Grebes yesterday,12- on Llanishen and 26-on Lisvane 13h00-14h00.

Whilst watching today’s game a Peregrine swooped in under a stand roof and out again.It returned ten minutes later and perched on a roof beam at the north stand.It remained for up to 45 minutes,i didn’t see it fly off,too busy watching the game!

i was amazed at the numbers of tadpoles in the pond near the visitor centre,never seen so many there in previous years.

Birds were disappointing apart from Swifts-20+,Swallows-few,Sand Martins-2 and House Martins-2 11h35-12h40

28/4/23

A productive afternoon visit .Greenfinch-1f,Spotted Flycatcher-1,Whitethroat-1,Blackcap-1m,Reed Warblers-2.

Butterflies; Holly Blue-3,Comma-1,Speckled Wood-1,Brimstone-1,Small White-2,Orange tip-1,Small Tortoiseshell-1.

At lunch time today there were hundreds of hirundines and Swifts over the bay. I was at the ice rink side without my scope and the birds were mostly in the middle and further away.

However a good percentage were Swifts.Later,over Lamby lake twenty or so Swallows and House Martins.

25-30 Siskins in alder trees.11h00

Birds of note this morning; 2-Chiffchaffs,6-Bullfinches 3m 3f, 15-Snipe the most i’ve seen here this winter.

4-Common Gulls amongst several hundred Herring and Black Headed Gulls on the lake which was 90% frozen over.10h30-11h00

I have heard reports of the above bird being seen near the Wenallt road car park in Cardiff.

Today i have witnessed something i have never seen before.

A Mute Swan attacking and killing a Mallard duckling.Death was probably by drowning as the swan kept it underwater.Has anybody else witnessed this behaviour?