Tuesday April 13th with Alex Hagge.
A walk through Coed-y-Bedw NR failed to produce any Pied Flycatchers but we did have nice views of a male and female Siskin on the ground with the female collecting nesting material. Also Goldcrests, Wrens, Jay, Tits etc. We returned to the car via the Garth Hill Trail through the fields with 5 singing Redstart and a Singing Tree Pipit. Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers heard and a distant Red Kite seen.
Chiffchaffs, Willow Warblers, Blackcaps and Cetti’s Warblers all singing and showing around the lake this morning. 2 Sparrowhawks overhead. Good numbers of Swallows with House Martins among them over the lake. Reed Warblers heard but not seen.
Quiet at the reen with one brief sighting of Common Whitethroat. Peregrine, Buzzard and Kestrel over.
A coot with 3 chicks this morning. Good numbers of sand martins passing through with 1 swallow among them. Reed warbler heard but not seen . 1 cettis warbler seen briefly with 4 more heard only. 5 Chiffchaffs and 2 blackcap seen. Full list of species seen here – https://ebird.org/checklist/S84582992.
10 Grey Plovers, 8 Lapwing , 5 Wigeon, 1 Great Black-backed Gull + Curlew, Little Egrets among 19 species seen this afternoon at RGW high tide.
2 Hawfinches seen very briefly this morning plus 2 Bullfinches and 12 Chaffinches but still no Brambling.
3 short-eared owls seen this evening at R.G.W. Flushed from the salt marsh by someone with a rifle at 16:00!!!
4 Avocets at Green Pt were a pleasant surprise this afternoon. Unfortunately flushed by walkers. I relocated one of them but not the other three.
14 species seen at Forest Ganol this morning including my first Hawfinch of the winter.
Only 10 species seen this morning in the small bay by the Helipad but it’s a good spot to get close views of Pintail, Shoveler, Shelduck, Oystercatcher, Curlew and BH gulls.
32 species seen this morning including dipper, goosander and siskin.
23 species seen this afternoon including kingfisher, dipper, greenfinch and my first siskins of the winter.
24 species seen this morning including kingfisher, dipper and goosander.
33 species seen this morning around RGW including my first Kestrel of the year.
Kingfisher, 2 Snipe, 2 Water Rail and Stock Dove among 20 species seen this afternoon.
There was a short-eared owl on the wharf this morning. Also 8 grey plovers and 6 stonechat among 29 species seen. Full list here. https://ebird.org/checklist/S61552579
22 species seen this morning in a 2 hr walk around Forest Farm including a Stock Dove. https://ebird.org/checklist/S61170051
11 species seen at Lisvane and Llanishen reservoirs this morning including the long-tailed duck. Full list here https://ebird.org/checklist/S61084645
18 species seen this afternoon at High Tide including Redshanks, Pintails and a Great Black-backed Gull. Also a Ruddy Shelduck which unfortunately I now think is a hybrid.
27 species seen in a 2 hour walk this morning including my first blackcaps of the year. On the river were 4 Canada Geese, Redshanks and a single Teal. Over the lake were good numbers of sand martins and on the lake were great crested grebe, Coot, Moorhen, Tufted Duck, Mallard and Mute Swan.
18 species seen in a walk from Roald Dahl Plass to the barrage and back again including 1 female Wheatear on the barrage, about 20 Sand Martins and 5 Linnets. Also a couple of Wrens , a small flock of Greenfinch and 2 Carrion Crows nest building by the Norwegian Church.
