Not having visited for ages, we did a complete circuit of the Cardiff Bay Trail this morning, starting at the Penarth end of the barrage. 100’s of Black-headed Gulls in the bay but nothing exciting with them, but a white-headed Cormorant on the inner barrage structure was a very good candidate for the continental sinensis subspieces. After coffee at Coffi by the dock bridge we were more or less halfway round so decided to carry on. After a take out bacon bap overlooking the wetland reserve, there was a Chiffchaff singing by St David’s Hotel and 4 different Cetti’s Warblers were heard. On into Hamadryad Park and two more Cetti’s sang, and a pair of GC Grebes were attending a recently finished nest. Another Cetti was singing just outside by Clarence Embankment, then a further 3 singing on the other side of R. Taff by Channel View. On the The Marl playing field there were 2 Med Gulls – a 2nd cal yr bird with a yellow ring bearing ALPN (thanks to Gareth Stamp – my pix don’t clearly reveal the letters), and a another bird approaching 2ndS plumage.

Having thought they had disbursed, it appears the wintering Hawfinches are still at Cosmeston. Graham Smith saw 7 this morning, I’m assuming in the same place as before, in tall trees of Cogan Wood, on the left about 50m past the dragonfly pond. They are sporadic and usually appear in the very tops of the tallest trees, esp the ones with Sycamore keys still visible. Modified annotated map off my blog below.

Got a year tick this morning in the shape of a Greylag Goose on E. Lake – never thought I’d get a kick out of seeing one of those! Two pairs of Green Woodpeckers seem to be present, with one regularly yaffling near E paddock and aonther by W paddock. A smart male Reed Bunting was by the gate to the conservation area and a Mistle Thrush showed well along the Mile Road.

A pair of Stonechat are back on territory where they bred last year, in the area of the sapling plantation overlooking Sully Brook just outside the southern border of Cogan Wood. The male was singing and display flighting for the female this morning. Not sure I have ever heard the actual song of a Stonechat before in all the years I’ve been birding. Slightly reminscent of Dunnock but more ‘fluty’. Buzzard displaying this morning too.

Two Greeen Woodpeckers seen, 1 in far end of E paddock and the other in W paddock near the dragonfly pond. Had my first Sand Martins of the year, with 3 feeding low over W lake, and there was a Chiffchaff feeding low down by the water’s edge on the far side of the W lake ‘bay’. As we left, the now regular Water Rail shot off ito cover in the Sully Brook ditch and sat in its now favoured well hidden position. Pair of GC Grebes were displaying on E lake.

Pretty cold today. Highlights were 2 Redpolls on a treetop in the Snipe enclosure, one a smart male. Sadly too far away and too quick to fly off for a photo. Also 3 Snipe flew out from there. The other highlights were a pair of GC Grebes displaying on W lake, and a pair of Gadwall there too, and there was a Grey Wagtail in the now smelly Sully Brook by the park entrance, where I saw the 2 Water Rails recently.

The hybrid aythya duck [probably a Tufted x Pochard] was in E. lake on 1st Mar.

A few shots below of the rather elusive Water Rail in Sully Brook, which this morning was preening in dense vegetation.

40 Fieldfare in W paddock plus a few Redwing and a Mistle Thrush. A pair of Little Grebe together on W lake with some whinnying. Pair of Mute Swans copulating. There were 5 Shoveler on E lake [3m, 2f], a Grey Wagtail in Sully Brook near the park entrance and a Water Rail again.

A few vocal Fieldfare and Redwing around S edge of W paddock this a.m. but highlight was great views of 2 Water Rail scuttling along the ditch on the RHS as you enter the park, by the low concrete parapet. No. 72 for the year I think.

5 poss 6 Buzzards circling at Cosmeston this morning. A pair were cirlcing together again over Cogan Wood. A Peregrine whizzed past one of the circling pairs.

Late morning circuit of Cosmeston as usual. Took some sunflower hearts to put on a stump in Cogan Wood, and the Marsh Tit appeared. First time I’ve seen it there since 2019! Images are a bit ‘noisy’ as they are big crops at 1000 ISO. A pair of Great Crested Grebes in full regalia were displaying on W lake and an adult Common Gull was on the posts. There were 32 Pochard. The Crow is ‘Beaky’ who hangs around the park entrance and the car park, so named due to the extended sharp hook at the end of his or her upper mandible. He/she is very confiding.

Just the usual wildfowl today, with small birds not being very showy in the strong v cold easterly. Only interest was a drake Shoveler in with the Tufties and Pochard, all sheltering on the lee side of the mile road, on W lake. A pair of Great Crested Grebes there were displaying. Three cob Mute Swans were doing some ‘busking’. Got a nice shot of a Song Thrush by the site office, although when I processed the image I found that it had lost its tail [cat?]. Highlight was a very confiding Wood Mouse right by the side of the exit road.

On 2nd I watched a female Great Spotted Woodpecker chipping away at a tree in the wooded area behind the bird table. Today, 7th Feb, in a very cold easterly wind a quickish circuit round both lakes. There were 22 Pochard on W lake in nice light so managed some nice shots of a couple of drakes. They were closer than usual but still needed a biggish crop. Two Little Grebes were in the bay and there were 3 Gadwall. A lone Redwing was in leaf litter by the high path at the back of W lake.

Nothing too exciting at Cosmeston this morning. An adult Yellow-legged Gull was on E lake way out in the middle, and an adult Common Gull was a bit closer[see pic]. There are currently 2 prs of GC Grebes, 1 pr of which were displaying although I missed the crucial bit. W lake had 3 Gadwall, 2 drake Shoveler, and 21 Pochard of which only 4 were females. One GCG was diving near the main bridge.