A circular walk this morning from Cyfarthfa Park to Penmoelallt and back produced 40 species, including:

Goosander and Great Spotted Woodpecker at Cyfarthfa Park;

Dipper and Kingfisher on the Taf Fechan (just upstream from Pont y Cefn);

Lesser Redpoll, Siskin, Green Woodpecker, Goldcrest, Raven and Crossbill in Penmoelallt.

Flemingston Moor is once again very flooded after recent rain. Waterbirds present this morning included 2 Teal, 6 Wigeon, 2 Gadwall (4 years to the day since my last record here), 13 Mallard, 8 Greylag Geese, 81 Canada Geese, 9 Mute Swan, 1 Cormorant, 15 Little Egret, 2 Grey Heron, 13 Coot and 5 Moorhen.

Also present: Green and Great Spotted Woodpecker, 2 Chiffchaff (1 singing) and 2 Great Black-backed Gull.

On the way home a Kestrel was hunting alongside Hayes Road, Sully.

A ‘high’ high tide this morning pushed some of the gulls and waders off the beach and on to the playing fields. Birds seen on the WeBS count included 4 Curlew, 21 Oystercatcher, 1 Dunlin, 53 Turnstone, 5 Shelduck, 38 Black-headed Gull, 30 Herring and 4 Lesser Black-backed Gull.

Also present 1 Green Woodpecker, a singing Blackcap and calling Chiffchaff, singing Mistle Thrush, 14 Goldfinch, 2 Greenfinch and a Pheasant .

Seven Little Egret at Barry Old Harbour early this morning was my highest count for the site (previous highest 4). Also present 12 Redshank, 1 Kingfisher and a Blackcap. Later at Cadoxton Ponds a flock of 15 Siskin were busy in the trees near the Nature Centre building.

Yesterday’s WeBS count at a cold, windy Flemingston Moor included 15 Little Egret (highest count there recently is 27), 1 Cormorant, 9 Greylag Geese, 96 Canada Geese, 12 Mute Swan, 10 Mallard, 2 Coot , 1 Moorhen and 5 Herring Gull.

A variety of waders along the coast over high tide this morning with Curlew and Oystercatcher on Sully Island, Turnstone on Sully beach, Ringed Plover and Dunlin on Bendrick Rock and 2o Redshank in Barry Old Harbour. A female Scaup, found by Graham Smith, was on Cosmeston’s East Lake.

Yesterday morning on Flemingston Moor a flock of 26 Little Egret was notable.

Much of the moor is still flooded and waterbirds present late morning/early afternoon today included 1 Shelduck (first time I’ve seen one here), 23 Little Egret (highest ever count here), 3 Grey Heron, 1 Little Grebe, 1 Egyptian Goose, 13 Greylag and 131 Canada Geese, 10 Coot, 2 Moorhen, 12 Mute Swan, 3 Cormorant, 2 Lapwing and 9 Mallard.

Curlew, Oystercatcher, Rock Pipit, Turnstone and Pied Wagtail on Sully beach over high tide early this afternoon. Later on Sully & Cog Moors 2 Teal, 2 Shelduck, 4 Grey Heron, 3 Little Egret, 2 Cattle Egret and 33+ Rook.

Yesterday morning 26 species on a short walk along the road at Penllyn Moor included 100+ Stock Dove, 2 Kestrel, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Stonechat, a calling Green Woodpecker, 1 Raven, singing Skylark and a distant flyby Cormorant.

GBC volunteers have recently helped two farms in South Cornelly participate in this year’s Big Farmland Bird Count. This is an annual event organised by the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust and involves counting, recording and reporting bird species on farms.

Ty Tanglwyst dairy farm was participating for the third time this year, and despite some quite wet weather at times, the count on the morning of 5^th February produced a total of 25 species. This year’s highlight was undoubtedly a flock of c. 100 Linnet moving regularly between the fields and adjacent woodland.

The full list of species seen and/or heard at Ty Tanglwyst was: Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Redwing, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Robin, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Dunnock, Wren, House Sparrow, Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, Feral Pigeon, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Magpie, Jay, Linnet, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Pied Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, Stonechat and Nuthatch.

A couple of days ago on 13^th February and Ty Draw farm was participating in the Big Farmland Bird Count for the first time. If anything, weather conditions were even wetter than at Ty Tanglwyst, but nonetheless 24 species were recorded including a flock of 15 Skylark, a couple of which were singing.

The full list of species seen and/or heard at Ty Draw was: Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Fieldfare, Redwing, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Starling, Robin, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Dunnock, Wren, House Sparrow, Woodpigeon, Feral Pigeon, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Magpie, Linnet, Chaffinch, Meadow Pipit and Skylark.

More information on the Big Farmland Bird Count can be found here.

A walk along the Sully coast starting just after sunrise coincided with a ‘high’ high tide at 12.2 metres, leaving just a narrow strip of beach for waders to use.

36 Turnstone and 3 Oystercatcher were on Sully beach near Burnham Avenue car park, and 4 Curlew and 11 Oystercatcher were further east on the playing fields. Sully Island held a single Grey Plover, 2 Turnstone, 3 Ringed Plover, 9 Dunlin (all on the rocks at the western tip), as well as 66 Oystercatcher, 3 Curlew, 4 Shelduck and a Cormorant. No sign of the recently present Brent Geese.

Later on Sully and Cog Moors there were 2 Cattle Egret, 10 Grey Heron and at least 7 Little Egret.

This morning’s WeBS count at Barry Old Harbour was on the falling tide. Just three waterbird species present: 6 Oystercatcher on rocks below Parade Gardens, 2 Shelduck and a flock of 24 Redshank (just one less than my highest count here of 25 in February 2016). Gulls present included 2 adult Great Black-backed Gulls, along with small numbers of Black-headed, Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gulls.

Waterbirds at Cadoxton Ponds included a Kingfisher, 6 Moorhen, 1 Cormorant and a flyover Grey Heron. Sparrowhawk and Raven were also present, and birds singing there included Song Thrush, lots of Dunnock, Robin, Wren, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Woodpigeon, Cetti’s Warbler and Greenfinch.

Back to the flooded moor at Flemingston on Friday morning (9th) for the Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS).

Waterbirds recorded for the survey comprised 18 Greylag Geese, 1 Egyptian Goose, 118 Canada Geese, 6 Cormorant (on a pylon), 6 Grey Heron, 20 Little Egret, a pair of Wigeon, 10 Mallard, 9 Mute Swan, 2 Moorhen, 1 Water Rail, 1 Lapwing and a Coot (first Coot recorded here since March 2020).

Gulls recorded were 1 Black-headed Gull, 33 Herring Gull and 31 Lesser Black-backed Gull.

Raptors present were Peregrine (on a pylon), Kestrel, Sparrowhawk and Buzzard.

A visit yesterday afternoon (8th) between downpours to what’s once again an extensively flooded moor after recent rain. Lapwing (18) had returned after being absent on my previous visit. Other waterbirds and gulls present included 1 Egyptian Goose, 3 Greylag and 107 Canada Geese, 1 Little Grebe, 25 Mallard, 7 Mute Swan, 2 Grey Heron, 16 Little Egret, 2 Moorhen, 1 Cormorant, 2 Great Black-backed Gull plus Herring, Lesser Black-backed and a single Black-headed Gull.

Song Thrush, Dunnock, Robin, Wren and Collared Dove were singing, and other birds present included 1 Stock Dove, 3 Stonechat, 1 Buzzard and 15 Pied Wagtail.

Peregrine, Kestrel and Buzzard were all present at Flemingston Moor early this afternoon, as were 19 Little Egret, an Egyptian Goose, a Wigeon pair and five gull species including Common and Great Black-backed.

A pair of Willow Tit in Coed Penmailard on the east side of Penmoelallt was the highlight of a walk from Cyfarthfa Park this morning. Other species seen or heard included 10 Goosander on the lake at Cyfarthfa Park, drumming Great Spotted Woodpecker in Cyfarthfa Park, Green Woodpecker and 5 Crossbill at Penmoelllallt, two Siskin flocks in Cefn-coed-y-cymmer, Dipper pair visiting a likely nest site on the Taf Fechan and a singing Dipper on the Taf Fawr.

An early Saturday (27/1) morning walk at high tide along the Sully coast path included sightings on Sully Island of 10 Brent Geese (8 pale-bellied, 2 dark-bellied), 9 Curlew, c. 60 small waders (mostly Dunlin, but with a few Ringed Plover), 8 Turnstone and 77 Oystercatcher. Another 25 Turnstone and 4 Ringed Plover were on Sully beach near Burnham Avenue beach car park.

Later, after drawing a blank on a couple of previous visits, finally got to see the male Black Redstart at Porth Teigr. On to nearby Heliport Bay for a brief look (the tide was halfway out by now) and saw distantly 3 Pintail, 5 Shoveler and 2 Curlew along with Shelduck, Dunlin and Redshank.

Just 1 Common, 5 Black-headed and 10 Herring Gull present at Kenfig Pool yesterday mid-afternoon (24/1) for the BTO’s Winter Gull survey, and all had left by sunset.

Waterbirds on the pool and/or nearby included 2 Goldeneye, 29 Tufted, 2 Teal, 50 Gadwall, 50 Pochard, 115 Canada Geese, 6 Cormorant, 3 Great Crested Grebe, 48 Gadwall, 2 Grey Heron, 2 Mute Swan, 33 Coot, 29 Wigeon and 2 Water Rail. Other birds present included Cetti’s Warbler, Bullfinch, Redwing, Jay and Long-tailed Tit.

100+ Woodpigeon gathered in trees at dusk on the west side of the pool.

32 Curlew were on Ogmore Moor this afternoon in a field adjacent Ogmore Castle. Also there: 2 Gadwall, 1 Teal, 18 Mallard, 72 Canada Geese, 3 Pied Wagtail and a Meadow Pipit.

At The Watermill flood: 1 Lapwing, 21 Teal, 2 Shelduck, 2 Redshank, 2 Grey Heron, 1 Cormorant, 20 Mallard and c. 100 Black-headed Gull.

Very few gulls present yesterday afternoon in a strong, southerly wind at the Thaw rivermouth for the BTO Winter Gull survey. Single figure counts of Common, Black-headed and Lesser Black-backed when I arrived, and during the afternoon never more than 50 or so Herring Gull in the count area (the sea and the beach, from Breaksea Pt to East Aberthaw lagoon). By dusk there were 150+ Herring Gull sheltering outside the count area on the former power station buildings, and just 10 on the sea.

Early afternoon near high tide 13 Curlew and 67 Oystercatcher were on the beach between Breaksea Pt and the rivermouth, and a Kestrel was hunting near the coast path in the same area. 10 Shelduck were east of the rivermouth. Other birds present included 2 Peregrine on towers in the former power station site, and 85+ Wigeon and 5 Mute Swan along the coast including at the rivermouth. Most numerous birds on the beach late afternoon were 500+ corvids – mostly Jackdaw and Carrion Crow.

At high tide this morning there were 4 pale-bellied Brent Geese on the sea along the Sully Island shoreline. On the island itself 104 Oystercatcher, 12 Curlew, 7 Shelduck , 1 Turnstone and 40 or so Black-headed Gulls.

Barry Old Harbour was sunny, calm and freezing just before high tide this morning. Highlight of the WeBS count was a flock of 21 Redshank at the water’s edge below Parade Gardens. Also in the harbour: 7 Mute Swan, 1 Curlew, 1 Shelduck and 4 Oystercatcher. A Sparrowhawk was in Parade Gardens.

Sully Island had 1 Grey Plover, 119 Oystercatcher, 13 Curlew, 4 Shelduck and a Turnstone. A Mute Swan was on the sea in Sully Sound.

Flemingston and Llanbydderi Moors were much drier than of late and what surface water there was was mostly frozen. The cold weather has substantially increased the Lapwing count, with over 400 present this morning. Also there 10 Little Egret, 30+ Pied Wagtail and a pair of displaying Ravens.