A quick walk round and on entering E paddock I immediately heard some very agitated and loud yaffling from 1 poss 2 Green Woodpeckers. I scanned around and found two on a tree trunk in the wooded area behind the play park. I crept across the paddock and eventually got close enough [they’re normally very nervous], to get some nice cropped stills and I took a couple of video clips using the Sony RX10 IV at max zoom. The birds were an adult male [on the right – red in its ‘moustache’] and a stripey and flecked immature. There’s a link below to a vid clip on Youtube.

Here’s the Youtube link – just click to go to the vid and then play it. Best to choose full screen option. https://youtu.be/ne9d9eK1Eak

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Pretty quiet bird-wise at the moment due mainly to the heat. A group of 9-10 Tufted Ducks have been around for a few days – a sign of autumn – returning non-breeders probably. The half grown Gt Crested Grebes on W lake are pretty vocal but never very close. Had an obliging juv Blackbird in Cogan Wood 2 days ago and a Song Thrush outside. The bird in the tree is a young Blackcap which was v difficult to get a picture of.

We had a pleasant GBC trip to Goldcliff yesterday with 8 participants. No other birders there – reflected in that there weren’t many birds! Waders were pretty disappointing although we did have 6 Ringed Plover, 2 distant and v brief imm Little Ringed Plover, just 2 Blackwits, 1 Common Sanpiper, 4 Dunlin a few Redshank and about 50 Lapwing. We timed it for high tide at 11:27 but that didn’t bring in anything extra. No Short-eared Owl although one was seen recently. The v pale bellied/headed Buzzard was sitting on a post. By 1 p.m. it was getting too hot and we called it a day. Thanks to the folk who attended. Pix below of obliging Pied Wag and Linnet in front of one of the hides, and a peekaboo Greylag. Click here to see the full list.

Morning walk round. Near the dragonfly pond there were three juv Robins together, presumably from the same nest, a Green Woodpecker and a Great Spotted was calling but not seen. A small flock of Linnets was in W paddock and allowed me a couple of shots. A Grey Heron was resting on the dead tree by E lake near the bridge and 3 Cormorants were on the W lake posts. A drake Tufted Duck was on E lake. Also shown, a Small Skipper – these have just appeared on the wing.

There were 5 or 6 very active and vocal Whitethroats in the vegetation by the dipping pond this morning, a famliy group. A Cetti’s Warbler sang several times at the back of the dipping pond but as usual didn’t show. A pair of GC Grebes were together on the far side of W lake and looked to have 2 or 3 young ‘humbugs’. By the E lake boardwalk there were a couple of Reed Warblers which I just failed to get a shot of.

Yesterday there were Black-headed Gulls on the W lake posts, a sure early sign of autumn. Also I noticed then and the day before that one of the Gt Crested Grebes had a youngster [humbug] on its back. I’ve no idea where the nest was. There have been a couple of Grey Herons in residence by W lake too. A Whitethroat family was active in the long grass at the far end of W paddock and there’s also a family near the dipping pond.Dragonflies active recently on sunny days gave been Emperor, Black-tailed Skimmer, Broad-bodied Chaser, and Four-spotted Chaser, and Beautiful Demoiselles have been by Sully Brook through the kissing gate beyond the Medieval Village. A poor summer thus far for Butterflies in any number.

Nothing terribly exciting in a quick walk round this morning. A nice patch of the 100’s of Pyramidal Orchids in E paddock, a Meadow Brown [1 of only two Butterflies seen, the other being a Speckled Wood], a posing Moorhen chick [one of 7] showing off its long toes, an adult Little Grebe creating a nice wake pattern on W lake, one of two Grey Herons that have been around for a couple of days, wing stretching on the fallen tree by E lake that is sometimes used as a perch by a Kingfisher, and an adult Carrion Crow feeding a juv in W paddock. Interesting to see that the adult’s nictitating memrane was across the eye during the act of feeding the youngster. This was the case in the other three shots I took.

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Slightly damp walk round this morning. Highlights – family group of Common Whitethroat in W paddock plus 5 Linnet, 1 Stock Dove and 1 imm Pied Wag, singles of Sand Martin and House Martin over W lake. In one small area of E paddock I counted 80 Pyramidal Orchids.

Just myself, Alan Rosney, plus Adrian Webb, Mark Davies & Diane visited on what was going to be a hot day. We got there at 9:30 and birded {and butterflied etc} until about 1 p.m. then headed off home before it got too hot [and busy]. As it was, by the time we headed back down from the top view point both lakes had more human occupants than avian! Considering the time of year we did pretty well with 42 bird species logged. The lower lake had a nesting Coot, and a single Little Grebe stuck to the far margins and whinnied a couple of times. House Martins dropped in to drink, as did a couple of Swifts. Blackcaps, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler and Chaffinch sang as we walked up by the stream. The the first viewing ‘platform’ area we lucked out and got good viewds of a Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary [Alan’s target for the day -pix below] and we also briefly saw a Dark Green Frit but it didn’t settle. Whilst snacking in the shade at the top viewpoint we had some close fly-by Siskins and in the trees below by the stream was a male Redstart. A Kestrel chased a Buzzard along the ridge, and on the walk back we got on to a singing Garden Warbler which gave reasonable views as it flitted about in the top of a tree. Click here to see the full list pdf.

A very successful evening trip to the Llanwonno forestry above Pontypridd, saw 11 participants delight in the performance of up to 7 Nightjars. Despite the midges we had excellent flight views of 4 birds, including a male that few right over our heads and perched up for a few seconds, and a female, then later a pair flying together. Others were seen and heard more distantly, and as we walked back to the cars, my torch and that of John Duffy caught the ‘eye glow’ of a churring bird not far off the road. Tree Pipits were singing and showing well and at least two Grasshopper Warblers were heard [not by me!], plus a Common Whitethroat and several Willow Warblers. A fly-by Cuckoo added to the show plus a few fly-over Lesser Redpolls.

We walked across the Barrage in pretty hot sunshine but a cool breeze occasionally. At the locks end of the barrage I found 3 Grey Wagtails on the outer barrage rocks, at least one of which was a juvenile. By the maintenance yard at the other end, there were 2 Ravens resting and I took some images of them interacting – I think one [on the right in the photos] was a juv and the adult was seemingly ‘grooming’ it [known as allopreening when it involves a pair]. The usual Sand Martins were busy in the old dock where they nest in holes in the dock walls. We had a coffee in the Lookout cafe and then Anne & I made our back back. During the walk back I had a Rock Pipit on the outer barrage and there were 50 or more Swift distantly over the swimming pool. Just by the inner barrage near the waterbus stop were two large fish [Grayling?]. At Penarth Marina, there was plenty of House Martin activity but it seems that some residents are trying to deter them from nesting under the eaves by hanging glitzy strands of tinsel-like ribbons from their upper window frames, so they blow around and ‘flash’ in the breeze.

An adult Rosy Starling was found at Lavernock late this afternoon and showed until about 6:45 p.m. It was with a small flock [c.12] of Common Starlings in the big coastal field north of the Church and the two big houses. This large field has quite a few nesting Skylarks so do not walk across it – just walk around the periphery – it’s a big field but this must be stuck to.

An Arctic Tern has been feeding in Cardiff Bay today. First seen at around 8:30 this morning by Peter Howlett on his regular round of the Bay, I wasn’t able to go until early afternoon. I set my scope up by Plas Taliesin by Penarth Marina and after some scanning soon picked it up flying back & forth more or less mid bay, looking towards the Taff road bridge. It continued to fly back & forth in that general area all the time and was still present when I left at 2:30. The House Martins from the nests in the Penarth Marina apartment complex were very busy feeding over the water. On my way back I came across the smart male Grey Wagtail below on the concrete wall at the opening of the entrance into the Penarth Marina locks. When it few off it was joined by another.

There was 1, poss 2 Spotted Flycatchers present this morning, in the edge of Cogan Wood about 75m beyond the dragonfly pond. I had 1 in open view for about 10 secs, then it moved back into a leafy tree, and appeared to be chased by another, then both birds disappeared further into the trees. I’d tried checking on the path just inside the wood but couldn’t relocate. A Green Woodpecker was in a tree just down from the pond and a few Swift were feeding overhead. A couple of Buzzards were thermalling.

Yesterday, 22nd May we had our first proper field trip since Covid restrictions were eased, although we stuck to our limit of 10 participants for the time being. Despite an unexpected wet start, we enjoyed good views of Pied Flycatcher, Common Redstart, Wood Warbler and Tree Pipit in the oak woods, plus plenty of common woodland species. A Garden Warbler also gave good views near the car park. Alan Rosney has the foresight to bring some seed to ‘bait’ the feeding log by the car park and we had superb views of a male Yellowhammer and a Marsh Tit dashed in and out too, plus a male Great Spotted Woodpecker. In total we saw 40 species. The Afon Tywi was impressive and, incredibly for the time of year, was in full spate. Clear of the woods we saw several Red Kite, a couple of Buzzards and a Kestrel over the nearby ridge. Photos clockwise – Pied Fly, Common Redstart, Tree Pipit, Yellowhammer, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Wood Warbler, Pied Fly. The Pied Flycatchers and Wood Warbler were nowhere as near as the images would suggest. The full trip list can be seen by clicking here.