The 2025 AGM took place last night [Tues 22nd] and was attended by 34 members – thanks for coming along to support us!. The formal business was completed without a hitch. This included the re-election of Strinda Davies, Jean Haslam and John Wilson as per the Agenda resolutions, and the election of Jenna Clark. After the official business,. John Wilson presented young GBC member Tate Lloyd, with the inaugural Robert Bradshaw award. Congratulations and well done Tate! After some refreshments including Mrs Wilson’s exceedingly good cakes, the raffle was drawn, and then all took part in a typical Alan Rosney devilish quiz.
Author: John Wilson
Birder and traveller
Cardiff Bay
This morning there were 3 Common Sandpipers along the R. Ely embankment by Penarth Marina, plus 15 Turnstones. A Raven was sitting around on equipment in the environment building yard at the N end of the barrage and 2 Common Whitethroats were singing in the scrub by the path past the Swift tower. The feeder dock had about 40 Sand Martins investigating the nest holes.
March 2025
Highlights: A first-winter Bonaparte’s Gull was a popular attraction at Ogmore Estuary (10th-25th), this being the third site record for the species. The long-staying American Wigeon finally departed Kenfig Pool, while the female Ring-necked Duck remained throughout at Lisvane Reservoir. An Avocet turned up at Kenfig Pool (18th). A Black-necked Grebe called in at Llanishen Reservoir (31st). A Velvet Scoter was again noted off Cardiff Foreshore.
Other Sites: A Ruddy Shelduck was briefly at Kenfig (25th). Egyptian Geese comprised two at Roath Park Lake and one at Parc Tredelerch. A Common Scoter called in at Llanishen Reservoir. A Bittern was seen at Kenfig Pool. Osprey passage was evidenced at Kenfig (four individuals), Cardiff Bay (two) and Fochriw. A Hen Harrier was at Cwm Cadlan. A Common Crane of unknown origin overflew Penarth, heading high west (26th). At least five Little Ringed Plovers passed through Ogmore Estuary, where 450 Golden Plovers (flying over) and a Green Sandpiper were also logged. Further Green Sandpipers were recorded at Dunraven, Llwyn-onn Reservoir and Rumney Great Wharf. Black Redstarts occurred at Penarth, Southerndown, Aberthaw and Cwm Nash. A Firecrest was seen at Lavernock. A remarkable gathering of up to 24 Hawfinches was frequenting the grounds of St Cadoc’s Church, Cadoxton.
Summary by Paul Roberts
The 2025 AGM is approaching!
The 2025 GBC AGM is being held on Tues 22nd April at 7:30 p.m., at Pencoed Rugby Club, 31 Felindre Road, Pencoed, CF35 5PB. Do come along and support your club. Here’s a link to a page on this website with all the info you need.
After the official business there will be refreshments [Mrs. Wilson’s exceedingly good cakes!], and a devilsh quiz devised by Alan Rosney.
Cosmeston/Cardiff Barrage
At Cosmeston recently I saw a Water Rail in Sully Brook, opposite the Medieval Village. I was ready on the second occasion and managed to grab a couple of shots. The Swan touching down by the main bridge was impressive.
A couple of adult Great Black-backed Gulls were in the outer harbour of the barrage recently.
Forest of Dean
We had a successful trip to the Forest of Dean on Sat 8th, with 20 participants. Unlike the last two years we succeeded with seeing Goshawk from New Fancy View – just the 1 bird but it was worth it. We also had a Red Kite there. We also scored with a few Hawfinch in Parkend, and a couple of Marsh Tits at Cannop Ponds. The inevitable Mandarins featured there too, plus some smart Siskins and a pair of Goosander. No pix of the Gos or Hawfinch from me, but a few of other species seen. are shown below. John Wilson.
We noted 45 species – click here for the list. In addition we had Long-tailed Tit, Jay, Cormorant and Teal.
Upcoming Zoom talk & field trip
There’s a field trip as per our programme, on Sat next weekend 8th March, to the Forest of Dean. This is our annual trip to try for Goshawk. Last year was disappointing but birders are generally optimistic folk – fingers crossed for this one. The back-up cast isn’t too bad with Hawfinch, Crossbill, Marsh Tit, Goosander, Mandarin and “whisper it”,
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker being found in the area.
Meet at the New Fancy View viewpoint car park, north of Parkend at 9 a.m.
It’s about an hour’s drive from our normal N. Cardiff meeting point in St Margaret’s Road, Whitchurch. It’d be good if some folk could car share as parking is a little limited in some of the locations. For car sharing, meet at St Margaret’s Rd for departure at 8. If there are requests I’ll be there. I can take 3. If others wish to then please be there too, or arrange between yourselves.
Please let me know by by email with [a] confirmation if you’re coming and [b] your intentions re travel. Bring a packed. lunch. John Wilson johndw1948 at gmail dot com
Also – don’t forget the Zoom talk this eve [Tues] at 7:30 on Saving the Stone-curlew by Keith Betton of Hants Ornithological Soc – please email John Wilson for the invite link [johndw1948 at gmail dot com]
February 2025
Highlights: First-winter drake American Wigeon at Kenfig, female Ring-necked Duck at Lisvane Reservoir, Velvet Scoter off Cardiff Foreshore and two Scaup at Cardiff Bay were all present throughout. Three individual Caspian Gulls and up to 20 or so Yellow-legged Gulls were noted in the vicinity of Cardiff Bay. Several Siberian Chiffchaffs remained at Burrows Well, Merthyr Mawr Warren. A Black-throated Diver was present at Llanishen Reservoir into the start of the month. Marsh Harriers were seen at Rumney Great Wharf and Kenfig. Ogmore Estuary held Water Pipit, three Dark-bellied Brent Geese, Merlin and Common Sandpiper. Two Short-eared Owls were observed at Old Castle Down. The first Sand Martin turned up at Flemingston Moor (24th). Black Redstarts were at Cardiff City Hall, below Penarth Head, and Southerndown. Two Firecrests were located at Boverton Brook. A Hawfinch was noted at Cosmeston.
Summary by Paul Roberts
Kenfig NNR
Yesterday morning [Sat 15th Feb] was the monthly walk at Kenfig NNR. There were just 9 participants and it did start a little damp, but 39 species were seen, highlights being the long-staying American Wigeon and a Great White Egret. Here’s the full list: click here
Aberthaw
A rather chilly walk this morning, arranged with the Restore the Thaw project folk with myself, Alan Rosney and Barrie Gardiner from GBC acting as leaders. We explored around The Leys at Gileston then walked to E. Aberthaw and back. That path in front of the Power Station seems endless!! The chill wind meant small birds were keeping hidden but we saw 35 species with highlights being a pair of Peregrines chasing feral pigeons, a sizeable flock of Wigeon at the R. Thaw mouth, 2 Bar-tailed Godwits, Oystercatchers, Stonechats at The Leys, Goldfinches & Linnets. A couple of lucky folk saw a Black Redstart – kindly shown to them by GBC members Martin Bell and Ai-Lin Kee who happened to be there independently.
The full list is here.
Cosmeston
Nothing too exciting. An adult Yellow-legged Gull was on E lake, Cosmeston this morning – actually more like midday. The 1st YLG I’ve seen there in ages. Mid lake so pix are huge crops. In the two ‘groups” it’s the nearest bird. Note mid, warm gery of upper parts in comparison to the dark slate gry of Lesser Black-backs present and the silvery grey on the couple of Herring Gulls present.
Cosmeston/Barry
A few from the last few days or so. A. trip over to The Knap lake Barry recently, just for a stroll, produced a familiar Tufted x Pochard hybrid. At Cosmeston the Little Grebes are now in breeding plumage and have started whinnying [and the Great Cresteds have been displaying too]. Only my second Common Gull of this winter was on E lake the other day, on a calm day when the water produced a nice pattern around the bird. This morning on a walk through Cogan Wood I spotted a load of Redwing in an adjacent field, guessing about 100 in all – the most I’ve seen this winter. Birds were coming down for seed as usual, including a Marsh Tit.
Rumney Great Wharf – 02 Feb 2025
An large party of 24 of us had a trip to Rumney Great Wharf starting at 9 this morning. After a chilly 4 hrs we had totted up 52 species [there’s a link to the list below]. Leaving the Parc Tredelerch carpark we walked to Cors Crychydd Reen and then followed the reen up to the sea wall. The tide was v v high but when it started to fall we began to see things more easily. The main waders were Dunlin, Knot and Grey Plover, and fly-by flocks of Black-tailed Godwits. Start bird as we walked back, was a female Marsh Harrier. Click here for the list. There’s a fuller report on the trip repots page – https://glamorganbirds.org.uk/category/trip-reports/.
Rumney Great Wharf – 2 Feb 2025
On a chilly grey day, a large troupe of us [24] set off from Parc Tredelerch car park and after as short walk along the Wentloog Road, we walked up beside Cors Crychydd Reen. The latter had Moorhen, Coot and Mute Swan, and ‘heard only’ Water Rail and Little Grebe. The first bird seen in fact was a Goldcrest in bushes by the road, plus a few Long-tailed Tits. There were Pheasants on the now unworked landfill site, and we logged Song Thrush [singing] and a fly-over Raven, and a Kestrel on a pylon, plus a few other common species. Reaching the seawall we headed west to view the area by Rhymney river mouth. The tide was very high and birds very distant but we did pick out just about identifiable Pintail and a tight roosting flock of Redshank on Green Point, and there were many Shelduck and a few Shoveler. Retracing our steps we then headed east along the seawall, walking as far as roughly the border between Cardiff and Newport. Closer views of Pintail were had for the beginners, and as the tide started to fall, waders started to appear, plus hundreds of Black-headed Gulls. A few flocks of Black-tailed Godwits flying westwards were quite impressive, totalling around 200 birds. A few small flocks of Dunlin and Oystercatcher also flew by. Ceri Jones picked out a Common Gull in an inland field [the only one we saw], and still on the gull front, two full adult Great Black-backed Gulls sitting on a groyne, were impressive when seen through the scopes. By now, tidal mud was appearing, and huge numbers of waders were in evidence. Careful scoping soon had us scoping up hesitant Grey Plover, and busy Dunlins and Knot, the latter two in large numbers. In the same field as the Common Gull there were about 30 Curlew, and a Little Egret suddenly appeared a dropped into a tidal pool on the foreshore. Quite a lengthy period was spent scoping the waders so that beginners could get a feel for their differing appearance and feeding styles.
A few folk were beginning to feel a bit cold as we had been standing still for some time, and as it was now 12:45 we started off back. A large flock of Herring Gulls suddenly flushed from a field and quick shout went up as a raptor with a pale head was spotted, and this soon morphed into a very smart female Marsh Harrier – bonus bird! A couple of Buzzards circled together as we walked back, and the pylon Kestrel was hovering … and had a go at one of the Buzzards. Back by the reen there were 2 Stonechat fly catching from a fence. Once back at Parc Tredelerch I at least was pretty pooped but some folk still had enough left in the tank to have a look at the lake. I haven’t included any birds from there although I know there are Tufted Duck and a pair of Great Crested Grebes.
All-in-all a successful foray east of Cardiff, and pleasing to be able to show some unfamiliar birds to a couple of visitors from Birmingham who attended with one of our members.
Click here to see the full list [this will be updated as & when necessary].
John Wilson
Grey Herons in decline – look out for Heronries
Grey Herons are in decline. It’s important we know where they breed.
We know of only 5 heronries in our region. Are there others out there we don’t know about?
This spring, when you’re out birding, please keep an eye out for heronries and message us if you find one. Thanks 🙏
Contact points: GBC Trustee and BTO Heronries Census Organiser for Mid & South Glam, Strinda Davies [strinda.davies@glamorganbirds.org.uk] or local BTO rep Daniel Jenkins-Jones [eastglamwebs@gmail.com].
Two upcoming events.
First, we have an in person indoor meeting on Tuesday next week, 4th Feb, 7:30 at Pencoed Rugby Club [upstairs room]. Local birder Amy Schwartz will be giving a presentation on “Eastern Australia”, which will no doubt feature some antipodean avifauna. The venue is just N. of J.35 of the M4 in Velindre Road, CF35 5PB
Second: We have arranged a bird watching walk on February 16th (10 a.m. – 1 p.m.) in conjunction with the Restore the Thaw project team. They have set up an eventbrite invitation for attendees. If you are interested, please follow the link below. Numbers will be restricted, so get in early if you are keen to come along. As per usual, wet weather gear and sturdy walking boots will be required. We may be able to loan binoculars if needed.
Cardiff Bay – 29 Jan
I dropped down to the Bay on Weds to try & see the pair of Scaup only to find they had absconded! Wandering round to the Prospect Place area it was nice to see 7 Goosander [6 fems and 1 male]. A few of then hopped up onto the floating pontoon there to rest & preen – and have a go at some of the gulls already in residence! The male was particularly smart. it was rather alarming to see a Herring Gull flying around with a blue streamer of rubbish – it flew quite freely but there’s always the danger of getting it tangled when it lands.
Upcoming field trip
Apologies for short notice – it’s been a busy few days.
There’s a scheduled field trip to Rumney Great Wharf next Sunday 2nd Feb. This is to coincide with high tide for wildfowl & waders. High tide is at 09:38. Meet 9 a.m. in the car park at Parc Tredelerch, just off the roundabout on Lamby Way where the recycling centre access is. The sea wall can be very muddy so wellies or waterproof footwear are necessary. Access from the car park is a walk along Wentloog Avenue and then along the track alongside Cors Crychydd Reen up to the sea wall. Plse let me know if you intend to come. John Wilson johndw1948 at gmail dot com
Cosmeston
Nice sunny walk at Cosmeston this morning. E. lake was dead calm, hence I got a nice Great Crested Grebe reflection. A Marsh Tit plus Coal, Great, Blue and Long-tailed Tits , and a Nuthatch, were coming to seed on a gate by the S. end of Cogan Wood. I managed to get one shot of the Marsh Tit without any seed in the image. There was a Common Gull on the W. lake posts and I was told of 2 poss 3 on the kayak launching ‘dock’ on E. lake. Other than that, the usual Tufties and Pochard were on W. lake and more Tufties on E. lake.
Walk for Women – Cosmeston 26 Jan – cancelled
We’re sorry but the scheduled Walk for Women tomorrow at Cosmeston has been cancelled due to the forecast. We don’t seem to be having much luck with the weather thus far! Apologies that when this was posted on Fri I typed ‘tomorrow’ by mistake, and used the wrong date in the header . It’s all correct now.
Glamorgan Bird Club 
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