I’ve just received some news that Lesser Pecker[s] have been visiting a feeder at the Forest Farm reserve in N Cardiff. Apparently there’s a new feeder been put up near the farm buildings [by a large double garage?] and they have been visiting there – seen today apparently. Thanks to Chris Trew of Pen-y-Fai for the call.

160 Tufted Duck E lake [didn’t count the west lake], and 1 Heron and the Ad Yellow-legged Gull. 2 Common Gull on W lake posts. 1 Green ‘Pecker. NO Redwing or Fieldfare that I could see, but I was too busy chatting to someone.

Heads up for GBC indoor meeting tonight. 7:45 p.m. at KNNR reserve centre. Hone your ID skills on Herons, Rails & Crakes. We will have DVD/Video/Audio media to illustrate their features. This is the meeting postponed due to bad weather in the 2013-14 season.

Highlights of GBC trip today. Blackpill – tide out so nothing too exciting but a Goldcrest in a tree near the nature centre; Mumbles – ad Med Gull & Turnstone and v nice coffee!; Oxwich in addition to Barry’s observations, quite a few Sanderling on the beach, 1 Shag on Oxwich Pt rocks, the GND was at RH side of the bay then flew across to the left, and we reckoned around 200 Comm Scoter when they all flew across the bay at one point; from the hide at Oxwich, Shoveler Gadwall Teal, 2 Little Grebe, 1 Heron, and in the air 1 Red Kite, 2 Buzzard, 1 Sprawk, and 1 Pere briefly; Overton – in the stubble field 1 Red-legged Partridge, 6 Song Thrush, 50 poss more Chaffinch and 1 Brambling, and quite a few Linnet and a Reed Bunt. A male Kes nearby and one of our group flushed a Snipe from the coast path there and Alan Rosnet had a couple of Kittiwake fly past. All in all a nice day out.

Common Gull on R. Taff at Hamadryad Park. Also amazingly a pair of summer plumage GC Grebes nest building in the lagoon.

At the Bay Wetland Reserve, drake Lesser Scaup present [all ducks at far end viewed from boardwalk] – couldn’t see the hybrid but no ‘scope. 2 Linnet and 2 fem Reed Bunts feeding on the grass. Forgot to say, nice to meet Mike O’Leary from Abertysswg – hope you got better views of the Lsr Scaup from the boardwalk Mike.

In the west paddocks a mixed flock of Redwing and Fieldfare totalling around 100, Redwing outnumbering the FF, plus about 6 Mistle Thrush with them. A single Snipe visible in the Snipe ‘paddock’ behind the dragonfly pond. No sign of Marsh Tit by the dragon tree in Cogan Wood, but Nuthatch there. On W lake 3 Wigeon, 8 Gadwall and in total on both lakes around 150-200 Tufted, ~30 Pochard, and 4 G C Grebe. Ad Yellow-legged Gull and the usual v pale imm Herring Gull middle of E lake.

An ad male and a female Black Redstart on the roofs at Plas Taliesin this morning. A 2nd yr Med Gull with some black spots in the primaries was around the entrance to the outer harbour of the Barrage, by Penarth Head. There were 2 ad GBB Gulls on the harbour wall there. North end of the barrage had 5 Rock Pipit, 1 Meadow Pipit and about 6 Pied Wags.  Didn’t go far enough round to look for the GND.

The Glaucous was still at Sker this morning on the rocks at the point [per DCB], but there has been no sign of the bird at Cosmeston all morning, until 12:30 at least. Just the aberrant Herring Gull there of interest.

There is a local midweek field trip to Cosmeston & Cardiff Bay next Weds, 21st Jan. I will be on holiday so if you are interested please contact Alan Rosney who has kindly agreed to lead it. Tel 01443 841555, 07906558489, or alanrosney at gmail.com.

Went back later and got some shots – bird still totally knackered – hope it survives.

At the end of a v cold, sometimes wet, and windy dog walk, this was a nice surprise when I got back to the swan area by E lake. [digiphoned pic]. 2nd cal yr Glaucous Gull

Quick shufty this morning revealed 21 Little Grebe in the river there. Meant to go to Hamadryad Park but impossible to park round by the old Hamadryad hospital/Clarence Embanment – whole road chock-a-block with commuters’ cars, as was Windsor Esplanade. No cash with me for St David’s Hotel car park. {commuters’ apostrophe corrected after chastisement from Dave Bush 🙂 }

before the rain. 1 AdW Med Gull [ta to Lol Middleton for the call], 1 Ad Yellow-legged Gull, and 1 Common Gull amongst the Herrings, Lesser B-b’s, and Black-headeds.

Decided to have a go for the Hawfinches despite the wind. Nothing doing by the white cottage but walking along the bridal path in the wood a flock flew up from low down [no doubt sheltering] and headed down valley. They eventually came back and flitted around in the tree tops up towards the top road. I reckon the flock was about 20 strong. Managed a couple of heavily cropped record shots in appalling conditions [trees shaking around and buffeting me]:

from Facebook – 1 Brambling in Chaffinch flock this arvo.

Just another quick reminder – the first indoor meeting of 2015 is TODAY [Tues] 7:45 P.M. KNNR. Member’s Own – a sort of ‘bring and show’, where members can do short 20 min talks on a  topic of their choosing. I’m doing a 20 min Powerpoint on highlights of 3 visits to Extremadura. Do come along.

At 3:30 p.m. the GN Diver was right over by the barrage, seen from Ice Rink car park looking towards the southern half of the barrage.

In CBWR Lesser Scaup seen at around 4 p.m. and what must have been the hybrid just glimpsed skulking off into the reed ‘island’ – thought I had briefly seen a Gtr Scaup at the time, but it must have been the hybrid bird. Also 1 drake Pochard with the 50 or so Tufties. A good number of starlings flew in to roost but not enough to constitute a proper murmuration.

70+ Tufties and 27 Pochard W lake. Also 8 Gadwall and 4 Teal. No sign of Pintail. 1 Green’Pecker. 6 Bullfinch [4m 2f] 3 nr dragonfly pond and 3 in conservation scrub area, 40+ Redwing and 10+ Fieldfare [again nr dragonfly pond], 2 Common Gulls W lake, 4 Cormorant, 1 GC Grebe and 1 Little Grebe, 1 very showy Water Rail by the cafe end of the boardwalk [prob the one that Andy Burns got some shots of t’other day].

G N Diver has been reported again in Cardiff Bay this morning, and the Lesser Scaup.

At least 17 Hawfinch at Fforestganol this morning; 2 Bittern Kenfig Pool south, and 2 Sibe Chiffchaff north pool; Bittern at Forest Farm; Spotted Redshank, 2 Greenshank and 8 Jack Snipe at Penclawdd; L-t Duck off Crymlyn Burrows; Jack Snipe at Morfa Tip.

12 Brent Geese were at the mouth of the R. Thaw at least 6 of which appeared to be pale-bellied birds – tide was out so birds distant and only had binos. 5 Little Grebe on the lagoon, a couple of Shelduck on the beach, couldn’t find any Snipe on the lagoon islands. Single Curlew and a few Oycs were the only waders.