The Anatidae are doing well – Canada Goose with 5 goslings and Mute Swan with 7 small cygnets. No sign of any GCG chicks yet. Cetti’s Warbler singing by the boardwalk and m & f Reed Warbler activity suggesting breeding. I had a couple of Dingy Skipper yesterday in the west paddock.

2 imm Herons W lake, Buzzard over Cogan Wood and Sprawk carrying prey there, Dingy Skipper.

15:30 – 16:00 – a brief look produced 2 Gannet d/c [1 ad and 1 2ndyr].

A Red Kite as over the A470 at Rhydfelin 3:15 p.m. yesterday – per Graham Tierney.

Well I had warmer walks on the barrage in December!!! 3-400 Swift over the Bay and barrage flying low and often coming within arms length – fantastic. 10 Linnet on the Barrage, and many House Martin and a few Sand martin over the water. At least 15 active HM nests in the Plas Taliesin end of the Penarth marina complex.

Nothing too exciting as too many people. 3 imm Herons in W alke conservation area, 3 Buzzards talon locking over dragonfly pond, 2 Swift over W lake and a pair of Canada Geese with 6 goslings outside the cafe. The first Common Spotted Orchid spikes are just showing [phone pic].

Apologies to the poster but I have remove the post re Schedule 1 breeding birds at Parc Slip. Plse see the notice at the top re this. Obviosuly the poster was not disturbing the birds but we would rather the location not be published either. Thanks.

small arrival of Sand Martins this morning in the howling gale – about 30 over E lake. No sign of the Egyptian Goose. A Swift was over Penarth town centre this afternoon.

Just a short-ish session this morning [albeit late morning], only produced 1 Fulmar d/c.

Bit late to post – been riveted  to the snooker! Nice walk round Bryngarw CP this morning – Dipper & Grey Wag on the river,  poss 3 pairs of Mistle Thrush, loads of Blackcap, Garden Warbler heard but not seen, then on to Parc Slip, and finally called in at Cardiff Bay where there were c.50 Swift and all three hirundines and small numbers.

10 hardy souls started out on the GBC field trip this morning to be greeted by 3 deg C and mizzling windy conditions in the Brecons. We dipped on Ring Ouzel but had Redstart and Tree Pipits in the Cwm, then cracking views of a male Pied Fly displaying to a fem in the youth hostel wood opposite the lay-by, plus Dipper and Grey Wag at the Garwnant bridge. Not altogether a lost cause and 31 species seen. Bloody cold for 2nd May tho’!

Fairly quiet on the passerine front – too windy. A pair of Mistle Thrushes have a nest in the wood on the N side to E lake [busy chasing Magpies away this morning]. E lake had about 30 Swallow and 10 Sand Martin , but still no Swift there. LBB Gull with white Darvic red letters 9ZF present, and also this very clean headed 2nd year ?LBBG – I can’t make it into anything rarer. This is a cropped digi-phone-binned pic.

There is an important announcement re Egyptian Goose records in the recording area on the Rarities Committee blog here: http://grcforum.blogspot.co.uk Rather than copying the whole post here please follow the link above. In brief tho’ as from 1st May [i.e. tomorrow], Egyptian Geese of feral origin will be reinstated to the Glamorgan A list. Thus if any Egyptian Goose seen is clearly not of captive origin due to collection rings or the like, it will be accepted, with a description or good photos. This is not a retrospective decision. Check, and get pix of, the one currently at Portobello, assuming it doesn’t leave tonight – it is likely that this is the one that was at Cosmeston until very recently.

Lesser Whitethroat singing by the first field and several Blackcap showing well. O/W pretty quiet. 3 Shelduck in St Mary’s Well Bay. Pic below – Early Purple Orchid in the wood there – cropped phone pic.

This Golden Pheasant was seen in a private garden in Abercynon this morning. This is a crop from the original I was sent. Thanks to Club member Ceri Binding for forwarding the photo, and to his colleague Keith Norris for sending it. Must be an escape – the Norfolk ‘Wolferton Triangle’ birds aren’t that mobile!!

Egyptian Goose still present this morning by the cafe boardwalk. Many Blackcaps singing, pair of Mistle Thrush collecting food by E lake, Sparrowhawk briefly over. Leps starred Speckled Woods and 4 Orange Tips. O/w pretty quiet.

A pair of Wheatear were on the plateau behind the dragonfly pond, 2 Shelduck on E lake, 1 drake Shoveler W lake, a Sedge Warbler by the cafe, and 2 Cetti’s singing, 1 by the cafe and the other at the far end of the board walk.

Collect grandkids from school day today, so a quick walk at Rhoose Pt gave me my second Lesser Whitethroat of the day, again seen very well – in bushes in the large field near Rhoose rly station.

Lesser Whitethroat showed v well down to about 3m this morning, singing its head off. There may have been 2. Also Little Egret on far bank of W lake and Lol Middleton had a pair of Shoveler b4 I got there. Also 1, poss 2 Sprawks and a Buzzard. Car park was heaving – half full of trucks & trailers due to the filming of Dr Who with a load of Vikings in the Med. Village.

V v high tide at Rhymney Est this morning – Green Pt more or less submerged. Hence only 7 Redshank, 2 Oycs  and no other waders, and 8 Shelduck, 1 Little Egret and 1 Heron. Common Whitethroat singing near the boat yard.

At Lamby Lake [Parc Tredelerch] 2 Cetti’s singing, one in superb full view, 2 Common Whitethroat and reed Warblers heard but not seen.