Two Sandwich terns and 3 common terns were hanging around the point and beach this morning. A shag was feeding off the point and a few whinchats were mixed in with the many wheatears, stonechats and meadow pipits.

A black-tailed godwit flew up from rocks between Sker and Pink Bay, over my head and away overland towards Porthcawl mid-morning. Five whinchat were on a wire fence near Sker Pool and there were a handful of yellow wagtails among the cattle and on the Royal Porthcawl Golf Club. Lots of meadow pipits seemingly everywhere!

Per Jeff Curtis and Tony Messinger: 500+ house martins passed through in a single flock late this morning. At Sker there were two wheatears showing characteristics of the Greenland race and a single golden plover among the commoner waders.

Eight wigeon on the pool and three great crested grebes.

While watching bats this evening a greenshank was roosting on the east shore. Bats recorded included (in order of appearance): noctule, common pipistrelle, soprano pipistrelle and Daubenton’s.

One common tern and another six unidentified terns (probably all commons) seen passing the point in the rain at high tide this morning heading down channel. At least 10 yellow wagtails were counted by Graham Roblin among the Welsh Black cattle but birds could be heard calling all over the place so there could have been many more. No sign of yesterday’s knot but there were plenty of oystercatchers, turnstones, curlews and ringed plovers. There were also 2 teal, three dunlin and a sanderling.  

 

One of 26 tree pipits caught during this morning’s ringing session down by Kenfig Pool. We also caught a grasshopper warbler, kingfisher, several Cetti’s warblers and plenty of Acros. 

 

Little tern still present this morning and ruff feeding in frothy margin near boat house this morning (found by ND).

 

 

 

Today’s little tern hiding in the froth on the east short of Kenfig Pool late this morning. Nice find by Neil Donaghy.

While out with the Kenfig Ringing Group this morning a green woodpecker was calling on the north side of the pool (pretty rare at Kenfig these days). Also 4 tree pipits, little egret and sparrowhawk. There were plenty of Acros about first thing and the group trapped over 50 birds. The highlights were this juvenile female kingfisher and a control sedge warbler (ringed at another site).

Here’s a picture of the escape seen at Sker in June along with a celebrity confirmation of identification. From Sandra Evans’ blog.

Greenshank over this morning.

Several hundred Manx shearwaters flew up channel around 8am and 13 common scoters flew down channel. 21 oystercatchers, 3 whimbrel and 2 ringed plovers were at Sker Rocks. An adult common gull was on Ffynon-wen rocks.

The bird was still present today on the saltmarsh/reedbed at 3.50pm.

0610 to 0805: group of ten or so storm petrels through at 0720, 4 skuas together at 0740 (probably Poms), a single common/Arctic tern and 5 fulmars. All birds down channel. Tough viewing conditions out at the point.

1330-1500 5 fulmar, 2 gannet, 8 common scoter, 4 kittiwake, 7 whimbrel and 2 shelduck. All down channel.