Yesterday 12th Feb per Phil & Sandie Hardwick. 97 Lapwing & 5 Golden Plover in a field at the above at SS869858.

An AdW Med Gull was off Penarth seafront this afternoon, with the BH Gulls, occasionally using the roof of the pavilion to rest. I think this bird has been around for a while.

The GND of y’day was apparently still n E lake at 9 a.m. today but I and several others could not find it on either lake late morning. Ditto the Pintail. The imm Iceland Gull on E lake this morning was a nice find by Mike Pointon [see photo in his post below], before it flew off just before I got to where he was standing!. The Redpolls haven’t been seen for a couple of days.

per Wayne Strong – GN Diver and Pintail W lake this morning. Nice one Wayne.

Exc. GBC trip today with 21 participants. Total of 62 species seen with highlights of 2 v smart Med Gulls, 1 AdW at Portobello and 1 Ad with almost full hood at Ogmore-by Sea, 13 Goldeneye, no Purple Sands on the rocks sadly, Slav Grebe at Kenfig Pool and finally 2 Short-dared Owls seen flying in the dunes observed from a high point not far from the reserve centre. 1 was seen to circle up very high in the company of a Kestrel [apparently also seen to do this yesterday by Dave Carrington]. The full trip list is available as a pdf from the <Sightings><GBC Trip Lists> menu item on the main web site – here’s a link – http://www.glamorganbirds.org.uk/gbc-trip-lists.html

There were at least 3 Lesser Redpoll feeding on Alder cones on the RH side of W paddock this morning, about 200m up from the kissing gate, found yesterday by Annie Irving. Also 2 Green Woodpeckers flew up from the path between E paddock and the golf course.

Just a quick reminder that there’s a GBC indoor meeting tomorrow eve  7:45 p.m. KNNR [Tues 6th Feb]. Rio Grande Birding – Dave Rich has been to the United States on numerous occasions. This talk covers a visit to the deep south.

A nice sunny morning so I took a few photos during a circular walk taking in Cogan Wood. There was a Buzzard sitting in a tree by the dipping pond and another sitting on the ‘snipe paddock’ fence posts. 1 Treecreeper crept up below the first buzzard [see photos], 2 Goldcrests were by the central path, another Treecreeper was in Cogan Wood together with Coal, Blue Great and Long-tailed Tits and a Mistle Thrush. No show by the Marsh Tit. No change in the widfowl. Quite a few pix so small thumbnails [click on each one].

Just caught it flying off!

Spot the Treecreeper!

Best this morning was a group of 5 Bullfinch feeding together on tree buds near the dip behind W lake, and a Common Gull by the ‘swan feeding’ area on E lake. The 2nd yr Yellow-legged Gull had been there but had flown off over the golf course [per Graham Smith].

Pretty quiet at Cosmeston this morning, but three Bullfinch were in a tree by the far end of the car park, 6 Redwing flew over the Medieval Village, 15 Teal flew over W lake and disppeared behind Cogan Wood [poss into the small pool behind it], and a Jay was a new bird for 2018, number 115. Scoured all tree tops but Hawfinch still eludes me. GCGs were displaying.

Fem Peregrine on City Hall this morning, per David Rich.

Myself and three hardy souls decided to bite the bullet and give it a go having met up in Parc Tredelerch car park. We had a pretty wet walk up Cors Crychydd Reen and found it impossible to view the Rhymney Est mouth due to horizontal rain in our faces. We headed East along RGW still in the rain but it did begin to ease so we carried on all the way to the Sluice Farm blockhouse. Despite the conditions we saw 40 species: Mute Swan, Canada Goose, Shelduck, Wigeon, Teal, Mallard, Pintail, Tufted Duck [on Lamby Lake], Little Grebe [C C Reen], G C Grebe [Lamby Lake], Grey Heron [C C Reen], Cormorant, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, Moorhen, Oyc, Grey Plover, Lapwing, Dunlin, Curlew, Redshank, B-h Gull, Herring Gull, LBB Gull, GBB gull, Wood Pigeon, Magpie, Crow, Cetti’s Wblr [heard at Lamby Lake], Starling, Blackbird, Fieldfare, Song Thrush, Redwing, Mistle Thrush, Robin, Dunnock, Pied Wag, Chaffinch, Bullfinch [C C Reen]. Sadly no Water Pipits despite grilling all the foreshore pools. Thanks to Delme Rees, Mike Pearson and George Auchterlonie for braving the weather and mud!

Brief visit for short dog walk and coffee after my WeBS count. No ‘weird’ gulls this time but an absolutely stonking full ad Yellow-legged Gull on the water – no if or buts – pure shining white head, mid grey mantle and wing coverts, crisp yellow bill with red gonydeal spot, same size as adj Herring Gull. Also 1 ad Common Gull. No sign of my ‘odd’ one that is considered by some on FB to be a HG x LBBG hybrid.

Green Pt: 800 Redshank, 2000 Dunlin, 13 Ringed Plover, 100 Lapwing, 12 Teal, 11 Mallard, 3 Cormorant, 84 Shelduck, 5 Canada Geese, 2 Gadwall.

Heliport Bay: 72 Pintail, 22 Shoveler, 20 Shelduck, 1 Oycs, 10 Turnstone.

2nd yr Yellow-legged Gull and Common Gull at E Lake Cosmeston in the rain a.m.. c.20 Pochard and c.10 Gadwall W lake. Plus my 1st Nuthatch of 2018 by E lake path.

Quite a few people looking through the gull roost at dusk which contained  number of Yellow-legged Gulls. A possible for the Caspian was seen and caused some discussion. I’m sure Amy won’t mind but these are two phone scoped pix she managed to get [Amy Schwartz that is, who many will know from Twitter or SWB Facebook]. Looks much the same as the bird Gareth photo’d initially. Thoughts?

V quiet this morning with the only birds of note other than the usual wildfowl, were 2 Redwing! – oh and a Common Gull.

There were approx 250 Tufted Duck this morning – at least 200 on E lake and the others on W lake. Also 1 drake Shoveler, 9 Gadwall, and 17 Pochard on W lake. 1 Common Gull noted. I had a 3rd cal yr Yellow-legged Gull 2 days ago. Have photo but not taken off camera yet.

2 Gt Northern Divers were still present mid to late afternoon although kept disappearing behind the ‘island’. No sign of the reported Slav Grebe.

First visit after returning from a week in Norfolk. 19 Teal on W lake was a good count for the site. Otherwise nothing over and above the usual suspects although there were a couple of Common Gulls.

Also good news is that the leader of the now Conservative Vale Council, Councillor John Thomas has decided that the proposal for a wakeboarding facility at the lakes is not to be OK’d. Although there is still an planning application in place, as landowners the Vale Council will not allow any new facility of that type to be built. More detail can be seen on the Penarth Daily News blog – click here.