Poss male Golden Oriole seen today nr the butterfly hide – per Facebook. Folk going to check tomorrow.

Don’t forget the GBC SGM this evening where we wind up the current charity and launch the new CIO [charitable incorporated organisation]. The formalities won’t take too long as there are no elections or anything of that sort. Just Chairperson’s report and short address and Treasurer’s report. There will be cakes! and a couple of raffle prizes. KNNR centre at 7:45

3 Swifts were over St. Agustine’s Church Penarth this eve while I was waiting for the Bonaparte’s Gull at Prospect Place. Waited until 8 p.m. when I left Phil Bristow and Graham Smith still looking. Got home to a tweet that it had arrived to roost at 8.08 p.m.!! Oh well, c’est la vie …. grrrrr!

Several swifts have been reported this morning.

A first winter Bonaparte’s Gull was seen and videoed in Cardiff Bay this evening. Seen from the ice rink boardwalk.

Just before the rain came in, managed to connect with at least 4 Whimbrel on the beach rocks at high tide, plus 6 Oycs. Jeff Curtis had a brief fem Wigeon on E lake at Cosmeston but it had gone by the time I got there.

Nice surprise this morning when looking for Common and Lesser Whitethroat down by Sully Brook – looked up to see what I thought were 2 high gulls, then the flight of one drew my attention – bins up and wow! male Hen Harrier circling high overhead! A first for me for the site. Panic stations with the camera and shot off a load of manual focus shots [it was v high] but got a couple of passable ones that show it wasn’t Monty’s. Pix later. Dipped on the Whitethroats but what the hell! Original taken with Canon EOS80D with 100-400mm MKII plus x1.4 converter MKIII at 400mm and man focus! It was v high!

Delayed Willow Tit survey visit a.m. No Willow Tits but Dipper & 3 Kingfishers on the river, Treecreeper and singing Blackcap of note.

Walked across the barrage and back this morning. On the way out the Common Tern was feeding mid-bay with 100’s if not 1000’s of Black-headed Gulls at around 12:00. Returning, eventually found the Tern again, plus and AdS Med Gull and also a 1st yr ‘W’ winged Little Gull. Pretty hard work picking them out with just bins but good practice!

Last few days – A Cetti’s Warbler has been singing for 3 consecutive days in the E lake reeds area. Yesterday there were 50+ Sand Martin over the lakes plus a couple of House Martin. Today just a single Swallow and Sand Martin. The Kingfisher was sitting outside the nest bank on E lake, same place as on 12th Apr. The Coot’s nest at the dragonfly pond was devoid of life as was the pond itself. Can’t help thinking the nest was predated. Very quiet on the small bird front due to the strong cold wind.

Interesting sight on W lake where an occupied Mute Swan nest is within a couple of feet of an occupied Gt Crested Grebe nest [far side of W lake].

There were 2 Swallows over E lake this morning plus 1 or 2 House Martin and 40 or so Sand Martin. 2 Mute Swan nests W lake a family of Coot chicks, Coot pair with nest at Drafonfly Pond, Kingfisher perched alongside E lake margin by the Mile Road and at least 8 Blackcap singing.

A buzzard was in the same tree as the other day [ovberlooking the dipping pond]. I saw one of the Kingfishers exit from the E lake bank by the mile road where they nested last year, and it then alighted in an adjacent overhanging bush for about 5 mins. Possibly nesting already? A Treecreeper was in trees by the boardwalk path/Mile Road junction [3rd time I’ve seen one there]. On W lake I watched a vicious battle initially between 2 ‘pairs’ of Coot, then 2 others joined in. They were going hammer and tongs and it looked as tho’ one of each fighting pair was trying to drown the other. This went on for about 10 minutes! A pair of Greenfinch together behind W lake on the elevated path was an unusual sight these days.

Finally a 2nd cal yr Yellow-legged Gull was on E lake.

The Glamorgan Bird Club had a successful trip to Ham Wall RSPB & Shapwick Heath yesterday, Sun 24th with 22 participants making the journey. Highlights were plenty of booming Bitterns although only 2 lucky folk managed to see one VERY briefly, Marsh Harriers in the air most of the time [with some display], Great White Egrets, an elusive Glossy Ibis, and a pair of Garganey. 61 species were seen in total.

A Willow Warbler was at Cosmeston this morning near the bird table [per Jeff Curtis and Graham Smith].

Amazing record on Twitter of 40+ Water Pipit at high tide this morning, with many in summer plumage, plus Wheatear and 2ndS Med Gull.

Late WeBS. Water Pipit at Green Pt Rhymney Est but on Lamby tip side of river mouth. V high tide no waders!

Correction – Redshank [600] were upstream on the grassy river bank by Lamby Way. Also 43 Teal, 4 Shelduck and 2 Oycs.

2 male Wheatears were on the outer barrage rocks near the sails, plus 8 or more Pied Wags [couldn’t find any White Wags]. Over at the ice rink boardwalk the adult winter and the 1st winter Little Gulls were feeding mid bay, although by 4:30 they weren’t doing much flying – could be picked up on the water with concentrated scope work! On the grassy area with some ‘decorative’ rocks outside Cardiff Pointe flats, was the 3rd male Wheatear showing very well. The top two pix were on the barrage and the bottom two were at Cardiff Pointe.

1 Greylag Goose on E lake. Saw 2 Treecreepers this morning – 1 by the S. entrance to Cogan Wood and the other by the SW corner of E lake. 4 Reed Buntings chasing through the E lake reeds and 2 more by the bird table. Buzzard circling over the car park. 2 drake Shoveler on W lake plus 1 ad Little Grebe and 1 Gadwall visible.

It was a Hen harrier day yesterday. In addition to the male at Heol-y-Cyw, a ringtail was seen and videoed over the fields at Gileston – vid is on South Wales Birding Facebook page.

Highlights this morning. Three Sand Martin and a single House Martin over W lake, drake Scaup under the tree by the end of the reed bed on W lake [presumably back from Cardiff Bay] and a pair of Shoveler under there too. Chiffchaff fly-catching by the main bridge.