Cosmeston – Buzzard, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, 2 Green Woodpecker (in West Paddock, both seen from gate at SE corner), 1 GS Woodpecker calling from Cogan Wood, Fieldfare, Redwing and Mistle Thrush all in West Paddock. Lesser Scaup, Pochard, Gadwall and Shoveler on the West Lake. Treecreeper in the car park.

Sully (this morning soon after high tide) – 1 Mediterranean Gull on the playing fields (viewed from coast path just east of Clevedon Ave), 7 Grey Plover and 20 Turnstone on the beach (between Clevedon Ave and the derelict slipway).

Lavernock (fields along Fort Rd south of the disused railway bridge) – mixed flock of Mistle Thrush, Fieldfare, Starling and (mostly) Redwing, 1 Grey Wagtail (seems a bit out of place here, though there was 1 on Lavernock church roof last Autumn!), 3 Jays, 1 Buzzard, 1 Raven and a Pheasant.

Sully Island high tide roost at sunrise today included 94 Oystercatcher, 23 Dunlin and 9 Ringed Plover. On Sully beach (near Burnham Avenue car park) just after high tide 65 Turnstone, a high count here.

In Barry, 5 Cetti’s Warbler at Cadoxton Ponds and at the Docks singing Skylark, a hunting Kestrel and an overwintering Common Sandpiper.

A Black Redstart was again on Swanbridge beach this morning – at the St Mary’s Well Bay Road end of the Captain’s Wife car park.

Also this morning an adult Mediterranean Gull moving into summer plumage was on the water at the western end of Barry Docks.

Many thanks to Strinda Davies for leading this morning’s Glamorgan Bird Club monthly walk at Kenfig. An enjoyable couple of hours birding despite weather conditions which started wet and breezy and then deteriorated. In total we saw or heard some 35 species and the highlights were a distant drake Scaup (good find by Tate Lloyd), several Goldeneye, 2 Great Black-backed Gulls and a Sparrowhawk.

Full species list: Tufted Duck, Pochard, Scaup, Mallard, Gadwall, Goldeneye, Wigeon, Canada Goose, Mute Swan, Great Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Great Crested Grebe, Coot, Cormorant, Water Rail, Goldcrest, Robin, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Starling, Wren, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Bullfinch, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Collared Dove, Woodpigeon, Magpie, Carrion Crow, House Sparrow, Cetti’s Warbler, Sparrowhawk

Early this morning 2 Snipe were an unusual sight on a frosty boardwalk at Cosmeston. Late this afternoon 4 Chiffchaff were feeding together by the Cadoxton River about 100m east of Sully Moors Road. Near Cadoxton Ponds at dusk there was a rooftop gathering of at least 70 Pied Wagtail. Kestrels were at Bendrick Rock and Sully Moors.

Five Goosander on Pontycymer Pond, and Dipper and Grey Wagtail on the Garw river were the highlights of a walk on Monday afternoon in the Garw valley.

Barn Owl seen and Tawny Owl calling at Cosmeston earlier this evening.

Tuesday 9 February:
Cadoxton Ponds, Barry – 3 Cetti’s Warbler, 1 Water Rail and 2 Bullfinch
Sully – on the beach nearly 200 Black-headed Gulls, 2 Common Gull and 20 Turnstone (about 1 hour before low tide). Also a Mute Swan flying up channel.
Barry Waterfront – Mediterranean Gull and, in scrub at eastern end, 2 Stonechat
Cosmeston – Kingfisher along Sully Brook and Great Spotted Woodpecker in trees along boundary with the golf club

Barry Old Harbour late afternoon near high tide: 2 Shelduck, 8 Oystercatcher and 25 Redshank (including 1 with the yellow over white rings being used by the BTO on wader research for the proposed tidal lagoons in the Severn Estuary) – more on the BTO/WWT ringing and colour-marking in the Severn Estuary at https://eastglambto.wordpress.com/

Bendrick Rock at high tide – 1 Rock Pipit, 2 Shelduck, 6 Turnstone, 9 Oystercatcher and a singing Blackbird

Best of a short visit to Garwnant on Thursday morning was 2 Willow tit, 4 Crossbill and a Kestrel. The first Willow Tit was seen and heard calling at the top of the visitor centre car park near some large green storage containers. The second was heard calling with a mixed Tit flock about 150m north along the forestry track from the Visitor Centre car park. Good views of the Crossbills in the top of a tree in the VC car park. The Kestrel was hunting in the northern clearfell.

A drake Goosander was at the eastern end of Butetown Pond, and the Mute Swans were still at Parc Taf Bargoed.

1st Winter Glaucous Gull at Knap Lake, Barry late this afternoon. Flew off towards Knap Beach at 16.45

This morning at Cosmeston a Lesser Scaup on the East Lake, Kingfisher over the East lake and later flying down the stream from the West Lake to Sully Brook, Green Woodpecker feeding in West Paddock, Cetti’s Warbler in East Lake reedbed, 15 Siskin in the tall, ivy-covered tree at the west end of the cafe boardwalk and a singing Goldcrest along the path between the lakes. On the West Lake Gadwall, Pochard, Teal and Common Gull, a male Bullfinch along Sully Brook and a Buzzard in Cogan Wood.

On Sully Island at sunrise 76 Oystercatcher sheltering from the wind at the western end.

Sully beach at low tide this afternoon: 11 Ringed Plover, 15 Turnstone, 14 Oystercatcher, 3 Shelduck, 1 Rock Pipit, 1 Curlew, 2 Dunlin and 1 Grey Heron. The birds were mostly between the sailing club slipway and the Hayes Road beach car park.

At Lavernock earlier 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Kestrel, 1 Water Rail and a singing Goldcrest.

A couple of hours in the sunshine at Nelson Wern on Wednesday morning yielded great views of plenty of birds including Green Woodpecker, Nuthatch, Coal Tit, Jay, Bullfinches and Raven. Sadly though no Willow Tit, the second time recently I have drawn a blank here.

Better luck later towards the northern end of Llwyn On reservoir with a Willow Tit in roadside shrubs on the narrow road on the west side of the reservoir. The bird called as it flew over the road from the reservoir side trees and settled in view. Grid reference approxiamtely SO005126, where there is a small off road muddy ‘layby’ on the west side and an opening to the reservoir grounds on the east side. It flew off in the general direction of the Garwnant visitor centre.

On the reservoir at the north end a female Goosander and 3 Little Grebe. At the south end a Grey Wagtail foraging in the shallowest water on the outflow, a Grey Heron below the dam and a Dipper also below the dam flying out from one of the manmade openings in the riverside wall and heading off downstream.

Great views of a hunting Kestrel in the sunshine in the northern clearfell at Garwnant, but no luck with the Great Grey Shrike. Quiet here birdwise – there is treefelling ongoing in part of the visitor centre car park.

Many thanks to Strinda Davies for leading this morning’s GBC walk at Kenfig. On a cold, crisp morning there were 20 participants and we saw or heard 40 species in total including Scaup, Goldeneye, Gadwall, Pochard and Teal.

The full species list follows:
Scaup, Goldeneye, Gadwall, Pochard, Teal, Mallard, Canada Goose, Mute Swan, Great Crested Grebe, Grey Heron, Moorhen, Coot, Snipe, Common Gull, Black-headed Gull, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Cormorant, Collared Dove, Woodpigeon, Starling, Mistle Thrush, Song Thrush, Blackbird, Robin, Wren, Dunnock, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Raven, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Goldcrest, Pied Wagtail, Buzzard, Skylark, House Sparrow.

The high tide at sunrise this morning left just a narrow strip of beach for most of the Sully Island shoreline and next to nothing on the Swanbridge side. In the island roost were 134 Oystercatcher, 11 Ringed Plover, 3 Grey Plover, 10 Dunlin, 15 Curlew (which flew off towards Sully playing fields), 8 Turnstone and 2 Grey Heron.

Birds seen on four BTO NEWS sector surveys this morning for Swanbridge/Sully Island included 15 Oystercatcher, 1 Great Black-backed Gull, 3 Shelduck, 20 Greenfinch and a Raven. At Cosmeston earlier a Sparrowhawk at the south end of Cogan Wood.

Thursday afternoon at Garwnant I couldn’t find the Great Grey Shrike but did see around 20 Crossbill just after leaving the car park and turning north along the forest road. Also a flock of 100 or so Fieldfare in the field adjacent to the exit road from the Garwnant car park.

16 Brent Geese were on the beach at the rivermouth by Aberthaw power station about two hours after low tide. At Barry Docks 2 Stonechat were on wasteground just beyond the eastern end of the Waterfront homes, and a Kestrel was on a streetlight nearby. On Sully Island a Shelduck (first I have seen here since last June) was with 30 Oystercatcher, and in Penarth Marina this afternoon a male Black Redstart was on the roof of a house in Plas Taliesin.

A very showery Kenfig Pool this afternoon had 24 Gadwall, Great Black-backed and Common Gulls, a 1st winter drake Scaup, 90+ Tufted Duck, a pair of Goldeneye, 1 female Pochard, an overwintering Chiffchaff and several Great Crested Grebes.

On Sully beach this afternoon (about 2 hours after high tide) 19 Curlew (switching to/from the playing fields when disturbed by walkers), 21 Oystercatcher, 3 Turnstone, 1 Dunlin, 3 Grey Plover and a Grey Wagtail.

This morning at Cosmeston, after the deluge, a Marsh Tit was with Blue and Great Tits and a Nuthatch roughly halfway through Cogan Wood. There were Pochard, Gadwall and 2 drake Teal on the West Lake, and a Green Woodpecker was feeding in the West Paddock.

Pintail, Shelduck, Oystercatcher, Turnstone, Redshank, Curlew and Shoveler at Heliport Bay just before high tide on Saturday morning. Later in the Ogmore area, 30 Teal at the Watermill, Gadwall and Teal at Ploran Mawr, a drake Goosander, Curlew, Redshank and more Teal at Portobello, and downstream from Portobello at least 16 Goldeneye.