Interesting brief encounter this morning. Whilst walking past the snipe paddock towards the dragonfly pond a bird suddenly appeared flying across the open area and settled briefly in a tree by the sipe paddock, then flew off again – a Hawfinch! A small wintering group had been present up to at least 18th Mar, but a record in May is interesting. I couldn’t relocate it. All three hirundines were over the lakes in the steadily increasing wind.

Pretty busy by the time we walked across, but not too bad. No sign of the 6 Yellow Wagtails that Peter Howlett had seen on the barrage earlier, but I soon relocated them in the grassy area behind the green chainlink fence opposite the swift tower. Never very close but I managed a few record shots through the fence. At least three Whitethroat were singing a bit further along and an obliging Song Thrush was singing by the swift tower. The Sand Martins are now visiting holes in the old feeder dock. On the way back a female Wheatear was on the outer barrage rocks.

Alerted via Twitter to the presence of 10-12 Little Gulls in Cardiff Bay, so went down to Penarth Marina at about 6:45 p.m. to have a look. Many B-h Gulls sitting on the water way out mid bay and couldn’t really find any Littles with the scope. But during a scan a group of gulls suddenly took off and there was the tell-tale black ‘W’ across the wings of a 2nd yr bird. Others then popped into focus as did the black underwings of some adult birds, the total in the flock being 10. They flew up very high, then drifted eastwards and I lost them to view beyond the barrage, so assumed they’d left. Still scanning around for another 20 mins or so and then suddenly there was a 2nd yr bird feeding over the water, then another, then 2-3 adults. Whether these were from the original group I couldn’t say, or maybe they were different birds that had still been sitting distantly on the water. Some observers did report 12 birds but maybe there were more? Nice sight tho’ – the most I’ve seen together in the UK.

Quite a productive morning. A Common Whitethroat was singing by the dipping pond, enabling some pohotos albeit distant. By the main boardwalk in the E lake reeds there was a singing Reed Warbler, singing Sedge Warlber and singing Cetti’s Warbler, and two Reed Buntings, although none of them showed, and another Reed Warbler was singing near where the hide used to be. Saw my first Speckled Wood of the year, which reminds me 2 days ago I had my first male Orange-tip, and also my first odonata in the form of a female Large Red Damselfly. On the Blackthorn blossom was a Tapered Drone-fly [Eristalis pertinax] and a common Honey Bee. A Cormorant was wing drying on the W lake posts.

Finally one of the Great Crested Grebe pairs has started to build a nest. On the same day I saw a Coot pair with 9 small chicks, an adult Moorhen with at least 1 chick in the dipping pond, a Little Egret was sitting in a tree at the far end of W lake, a Common Sandpiper flew across W lake in the afternoon. A Ring Ouzel had been seen early morning. A Reed Warbler sang briefly by the E lake boardwalk and 2 Reed Buntings were singing there too.

A bit late posting this, but I nipped down to Cardiff Bay on 19th Apr to see the immature Boonaparte’s Gull that had been found the day before. It was out with the Black-headed Gulls, viewed from Plas Taliesin – Penarth Marina., too far out for decent shots. At the Cardiff end of the barrage there were 2 Rock Pipits on the outer rocks, one of which was singing [never heard that before]. A few showy Greenfinch were near the old dock, where 50+ Sand Martins were busy choosing holes in the walls for nest sites. One obligingly perched on a jutting out twig on my side of the dock, to give a good photo opportunity. One image shows how far away the Bonaparte’s was! – spot the gull!

The Common Redstart was in E paddock again this morning, in the same area. Got a couple of nice shots against a better background, but still from quite a distance. One below as taken and the other cropped with the bird in a better pose. Nothing else particularly special although a Buzzard dropped into trees behind the dragonfly pond.

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Cosmeston a.m. produced a v smart male Common Redstart in E paddock, 2 singing Willow Warblers by the Mile Road, and an obliging male Pied Wag by the car park picnic tables. Also there of interest, a Tawny Mining Bee and a Buff-tailed Bumble Bee which was carrying a load of mites [these re apparently harmless to the bee but take a ride too the nest where they clean up detritis and other unwelcome guests]. If you’re on Facebook there’s an interesting post here: https://www.facebook.com/monktonreserve/posts/1555662794623353

Due to a visit to Brackla to collect something we decided on a quick visit to Kenfig. There were c.1000 hirundines over the pool, mostly Swallows and Sand Martins but I did pick out a couple of House Martins. Willow Warblers singing everywhere plus Chiffies and Blackcaps but couldn’t find any Whitethroat. It did rain tho’ – continuous light rain getting more & more steady. Had a pair of Linnet in the dunes and a pair of Bullfinch feeding on buds, plus a Stonechat.

A walk round today with our 2 teenage grandchildren. In Cogan Wood Flynn & I had a nice encounter with the local Marsh Tit by the dragon tree. A GS Woodpecker was heard calling there, and a Buzzard was sitting up high in a tree. At W lake there had been an arrival of Swallows, with 30+ feeding over the lake and a single House Martin was with them. Another GS Woodpecker drummed briefly in the wood near the Medieval Village. Snapped a bumblebee sp on Hawthorn blossom in W paddock.

From a visit on 3rd April – a posing Willow Warbler near the central viewpoint, a Dark-edged Bee-fly feeding on Ground Ivy and some Cowslips coming in to flower.

Very very bracing walk in a bitter NW wind this morning. 11 Turnstone were resting on the rocky embankment by Penarth Marina. On the Barrage, a couple of Rock Pipits, and 2 Linnet. A Swallow was with Sand Martins at the Cardiff end, my 1st Swallow of the year at last. Managed to hold the binos steady enough to find a couple of 1s cal yr Med Gulls in with the B-h Gulls in the Bay. A Raven flew over the Barrage and another was circling above Penarth. Some sleet bearing cloouds passed over then gave dark skies over N Somerset.

Yesterday, had a pleasant stroll along Glamorgan Canal and by Forest Farm, then along the Taff Trail. Not too bad although the Taff Trail was bit of a cycle motorway. Had a couple of fairly confiding Wrens. Called in briefly to the one hide that’s open and saw … 1 Rabbit, 1 Squirrel and 2 Crows! The new hide not yet open. Chiffchaffs were singing and Blackcaps, a pair of Grey Wags were on the Taff but couldn’t find any Dippers, either on the Taff or on the feeder stream.

In the afternoon I decided to go somewhere different, this being the first opportunity for months! I went to Goldcliff in Gwent. The two main interests were a Tundra Bean Goose and an imm European White-fronted Gooses, which were duly seen and photographed from the Snipe platform. Also present were Greylags and Canadas which emphasised the smaller build of the rarer ones. Other wildfowl were Mallard, Gadwall, a few Wigeon, Teal, lots of Shoveler, Tufted Duck, and Shelduck. The annual Avocets were present with 13 on the first lagoons and others elsewhere, plus 100+ Black-tailed Godwits, Redshank [some display], a single Spotted Redshank, 1 Curlew, 2 Dunlin, a pair of Ringed Plover and a pair of Little Ringed Plover doing some display, and Lapwing. Quite a few Skylark were singing. On the lep front I had a brief Small Tortoiseshell.

Penarth birder Graham Smith saw a male Common Redstart this morning by Sully Brook below the upper Dovecote field. Had a look mid-late morning but couldn’t find it. The Stonechat pair were still present and I grabbed a shot of a male Reed Buting there – he was paired up with a fem but she wouldn’t stay still! Had distant view of a Brimstone in that area and a Comma landed on the path by the brook near the Medieval Village. Also on the dovecote field area, two Stock Doves flew over. The dipping pond boardwalk is now open – a Cetti’s Warbler was singing very loudly there but wouldn’t show, and neither would any Water Voles.

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From Twitter: Male Common Redstart this morning by Sully Brook. This was Graham Smith. I’m guessing this is the stretch of the brook just outside Cogan Wood, below where the plantation of saplings is, at the far end of the upper Dovecote fields.

Absolutely heaving at Cosmeston today. Car park more or less full, incl the new extended section. OK in the paddocks, away from the lakes. No song from y’days Willow Warbler, but a Wren posed nicely near the Medieval Village, and there was a total of 3 Buzzards thermalling. Nice show of Primrose in E paddock.