Not in S. Wales, but a club trip.
We had a big turnout for the trip to the Forest of Dean yesterday – 19 folk. A dull, still, but thankfully dry day. Sadly we ‘dipped’ on the key species – Goshawk and Hawfinch … and the mythical Lesser Spotted Woodpecker! Even so we logged 41 species. Stars of the show were the Mandarins at Cannop Ponds – see the photos. There were around 20 by the stone works, a large group of them on the grass by the lake. One cheeky male was up on the fence below the bird feeder, picking off the spillages! I did have a pic of that but it was pretty poor so it was binned.
Here’s the list: https://drive.google.com/…/1ZMJS1H4Gv…/view…

A walk round E. and W. lakes at Cosmeston this morning to avoid the extremely muddy paddocks. The female Scaup was still present on E. lake and was more active than yesterday when she was asleep all the time, plus I had my camera today. The Great Crested Grebes are displaying most days. Of other interest, on blossom at the back of W lake I had my first hoverfly of the year, so I’ll have to start tuning in to those again. I think this one was the ‘Common Drone Fly’ i.e. Eristalis tenax [fingers crossed]. The last pic is of a distant lone Buzzard keeping an eye on the plantation.

Walked along the Sully foreshore from the cricket pitch car park to the carvans and back along the rocky shoreline. Pretty high tide so just 7 Oystercather, 12 Turnstone, a couple of Curlew, 2 Rock Pipits and a Grey Wag to see, plus around 6 Pied Wags near the parking area.

Walked thru Cogan Wood late morning after squelching along the path past the dragonfly pond and failing on Hawfinch, although we did flush a Green Woodpecker. Delighted to have good views of 2 obliging Marsh Tits along the slope up to the exit at the SE end of the wood. Didn’t take camera due to rain threat, nor any seed but they actually followed us up the slope right to the junctiojn with the path that goes round the back of W lake. W lake had 3 drake and 1 duck Pochard. Earlier in the morning Wayne Strong had a fem Pintail on W lake that flew off towards Cardiff and presumably the Bay.

The Siskins were back in the Alder near the dipping pond this morning, quite high up but I managed to get 4 half decent shots out of a load taken. The Little Grebes are very active and vocal at the moment, and the Great Cresteds have been practice displaying.

Cosmeston yesterday & today. A Common Gull yesterday allowed some nice shots. There haven’t been many this winter. Today a Water Vole was swimming by the dipping pond boardwalk and I managed to grab a shot before it disappeared beneath. In an Alder there, there were c20 Siskin feeding but they flew off N towards the golf course. Up by the dragonfly pond quagmire, there were a few Fieldfare and Redwing, and 2 Green Woodpeckers. One of the Gret Crested Grebe pairs have been doing some preparatory displaying recently, and the Little Grebes have been very vocal.

A nice find by Wayne Strong this morning at Cosmeston was 2 adult Cattle Egrets in the dovecote field, with the small herd of cattle that are now grazing there. No photos from me – they were too far away for anything decent. Also via Wayne, an adult Med Gull moulting into breeding plumage was on E lake near the sluice in the NW corner. There’s a couple of pix I took below which give a nice comparison of overall structure compared to Black-headed Gull, for any gull ‘newbies’. A couple of other pix of common birds of Cogan Wood taken a few days ago when I was failing to tempt Marsh Tits with some seed.!

Brief short walk at Cosmeston this morning [dodgy back!]. A Common Gull was on the canioe launch jetty on E lake, pr of Great Crested Grebes displaying briefly on W lake, 3 Little Grebe being very vocal, and a large of birds feeding in W paddock amongst the low vegetation [c.50 Redwing, c.10 Fieldfare, Greenfinch and Goldfinch].

A good turn out for the GBC trip to Cosmeston today – 18 participants! East Lake, West Lake via Mile Road, West Paddock and Cogan Wood were covered during 3 1/2 hours. Sadly depsite promises by the leader yours truly, Hawfinch and Marsh Tit weren’t playing ball. Actually we had what was probably a Marsh Tit seen very briefly high up in a tree beyond the dragonfly pond but concensus was that it wouldn’t be logged. Tufted Duck numbers were down on recenr cold weather numbers and the recent female RIng-necked Duck couldn’t be found. We did see a very smart Aythya hybrid, most likely a Pochard x Tufted Duck. Other highlights were a Cetti’s Warbler in the open briefly by the dipping pond, Treecreeper, Great Spotted and Green Woodpeckers, and a large flock of feeding thrushes and finches above the dragonfly pond which included Redwing & Fieldfare affording nice scope views, plus Goldfinch and Greenfinch. Cogan Wood produced Great, Blue and Coal Tits, Nuthatch and Chaffinch coming to seed but no Marsh Tit. Many, including me, were pooped buy the time we got back to the cafe so we called it a day, and didn’t head off to Cardiff Bay. Light was pretty dull but here’s a few piccies. John Wilson. Edit – we saw 41 species including the hybrid – full list here

The lone Waxwing was seen again early this morning in E paddock, but it then reappeared in the row of trees by the dragonfly pond where I saw it yesterday afternoon, as I was walking past there late morning, although I only saw it briefly. It was then seen again not long aftterwards. There were c.10 Fieldfare and c20 Redwing plus 4 Mistle Thrush, 20 Goldfinch and 2 Greenfinches in that raised area of W paddock behind the dragonfly pond. A Hawfinch was seen early on at the far end of E paddock and also 3 in the usual area beyond the dragonfly pond.

Yesterday, west lake was more or less completely frozen over with a bunch of Black-headed Gulls and a lone Common Gull resting on it. A couple of Green Woodpeckers were near the dragonfly pond, and one paused enough for a photo. After I got home, news came that a single Waxwing had been seen near the dragonfly pond. I couldn’t return so hoped it would be there today. Thankfully it was although I missed on my first pass, but after a coffee in the cafe I got a Whatsapp that it was showing and went back and was pleased to see it still there. It just rested on the same tree for about 20 minutes before flying off. Needless to say a lot of photos were taken. On the way back I managed a couple of record shots of the female Ring-necked Duck that was found yesterday. As a PS the Waxwing was refound later in E paddock.

Back to local birding after a week away in N. Norfolk [117 species!! – maybe a separate post when I’ve got time].
On Mon 15th I did my monthly WeBS [Wetland Bird Survey] count at the Rhymney Estuary on the E. side of Cardiff. Highlights were around 800 each of Redshank and Dunlin, plus 55 Pintail, 30 Teal and 90 Shelduck. On my way back I stopped off at Cardiff Bay to see the Black-necked Grebe [distant from the road bridge] and then the Long-tailed Duck [from the barrage].
Yesterday, 17th on another ‘tick’ hunt I went up to Llanishen/Lisvane Reservoirs and found the Red-necked Grebe, and also the drake and female Ring-necked Duck pair plus an overwintering Common Sandpiper. Sadly the Great Northern Diver had left.
Today was the usual circuit of Cosmeston where W lake was partly frozen over but there were 140 or so Tufted Duck, 2 drake Pochard, a pair of Gadwall, and around 20 Teal. Got a couple of nice shots of Redwing and Fieldfare feeding on berries, and there were 2 Water Voles by the dipping pond boardwalk.

Photos – top L some of the Redshank & Dunlin; top R fem Goosander in the bay; middle R – v distanrt Long-tailed Duck; middle L Redwing; bottom L Fieldfare; bottom R Water Vole.