Damp [initially] and v windy GBC trip to WWT Penclacwydd today. This odd little beastie had us scratching our heads looking thro’ the blurred glass of the Heron’s Wing hide. Managed this phone scoped pic from a viewing screen outside in a howling gale. It’s cropped, but clearly shows a Common Teal with a weird partial leucistic head. It also had pale dirty yellowish legs. From our poor views in the hide we were stringing Bufflehead/Hooded Merg! Other than that, there were 9 Greenshank, about 50 Blackwits, and other common waders, a Peregrine, 1 Sprawk, around 10 Brents seen out in the Burry, and all the common ducks – good weather for them!

Rhymney Est [Green Pt] – 1500 Redshank, 300 Dunlin, 100 Lapwing, 26 Shoveler, 3 Gadwall, 120 Pintail, 130 Shelduck, 2 Jack Snipe [first I’ve seen at Green Pt for quite some time], 1 Comm Snipe, 1 Peregrine over.

Heliport Bay – 16 Turnstone, 22 Oyc, 1 Curlew and 1 Little Egret. Just added this – forgot to mention at the Heliport I had a Clouded Yellow flying around. Seems v late …. ?

Sully Beach – around 6 Turnstone [prob more], 2 Curlew, 6 Oyc, 1 Gt Crested Grebe just offshore, 2 Rock Pipits, 1 fly-by Purple Sand [per Lol Middleton];

Cosmeston – 1 pr Wigeon, 1 drake Teal and 4 Pochard [3f 1m] on W lake. Group of 4 Little Grebes in the W lake ‘bay’ – fam group?? – didn’t see any evidence of breeding this year but you never know, and 1 Kingfisher.

Would all observers please note that there is no public access to Llanishen reservoir. There is a small authorised group who are allowed access to monitor wildfowl and carry our WeBS counts and Rob Thomas is one of that group. This access was specially negotiated with Celsa and the security people, and NRW. Any other access is not allowed and anyone doing so will be trespassing. The dog walkers get through a hole in the fence and are trespassing, and also risk disturbing the birds that do turn up there . The security people are authorised to request anyone other than those authorised, to leave immediately. Basically, it is impossible to view Llanishen Res without trespassing. Lisvane is still OK and as I understand it, you can view it from the car park. We would therefore ask that people do not attempt to get in to view Llanishen Res otherwise you will be jeopardising the limited access that has been negotiated. Obviously this is frustrating when a good bird turns up but this is the situation.

Good nos. of Redwing and Fieldfare [the latter my first of the year], flying around this morning – poss 110 & 50 respectively but too spread out to be accurate. Also Kingfisher flew across E lake from the sluice towards the boardwalk. Lol Middleton saw what was probably a Jack Snipe in flight near W lake.

A Little Egret in a tree by W lake ‘island’ and a Grey Heron, obviously intending to roost. Around 5000 Starlings gathered and swirled around for several minutes, but not a proper murmuration, and decided against dropping in and eventually headed off NE [to Cardiff Bay?]. Mad panic at one point as a male Sparrowhawk swooped into the flock [unsuccessfully].

Penarth Marina area – ad male Black Redstart seen briefly on roofs of houses that face on to Cardiff Bay at Plas St Andresse. Also 1 Tursntone, 1 Grey Wag and 1 Rock Pipit on the rocky shore there. 60 Coot in the R. Ely there.

Barrage south – 1 GBB Gull, 1 2nd cal yr Med Gull, 2 Common Gulls; mid barrage – 2 Rock Pipit, 2 Pied Wag;

Barrage north/docks – 1 Raven on a lamp post in the docks area

GBC indoor meeting – Cate Barrow – birding in Finland – 07:45 p.m.

a massive 130 Canadas on W lake this morning. 4 Green ‘Peckers seen around the W paddock area, and a Mistle Thrush, and a few Redwing at the back of W lake. A pair of winter plumage GCGs were doing the display dance by the main bridge. o/w pretty quiet.

late afternoon, around 100 Redwing flying around above west paddock, and c.500 Wood Pigeon going to roost in Cogan Wood. Also 1 Grey Heron at roost by W lake reeds.

per Graham Tierney: flocks of Redwing over today. Flocks counted so far :- 60+ , 8, 7, 5, 32.

From Green Point: 1000 Redshank, 1 fly-by Dunlin, 235 Shelduck, 80 Pintail, 18 Shoveler, 2 Snipe. Just 11 Teal on the river by Lamby Way. At the Heliport Bay, 6 Curlew & 15 Oyc, and another 200 Shelduck.

Just rec’d a call from Alan Cripps. He’s got a Grey Phal in the pool by the block house at Sluice Farm just over the border in Gwent. The block house is an obvious cubic structure on the seaward side of the sea wall to the W of the path that leads up to the sea wall by Sluice Farm.

At Cossie this morning a Snipe flushed from grass about 50m beyond the dragonfly pond – the first for me this autumn. Also 2 Chiffchaff, & Green ‘Pecker of note.

Lavernock 4:15 p.m. – the Firecrest found by Phil Bristow this morning showed very well in the Field Maple tree by the road, in the garden of Church House, until about 4:30 when it poured with rain. A stunning, very bright bird.

The Glamorgan Bird Club first indoor meeting of this autumn/winter period is tonight 7:45 p.m. at Kenfig Nature Reserve Centre. A stills and video presentation by Paul Bowden on the little known [at least bird wise for most of us] Nakhchivan Autonomous Region of Azerbaijan, and the Lesser Caucasus Mountains. Should be good.

Lavernock this morning:

Reserve: 50 Goldfinch feeding on dead Scabious heads, 1 Jay, 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Kestrel.

Lavernock Pt and fields: 3 Stonechat in the coastal paddock by the house, plus 2 Reed Bunting, 30 Linnet, 2 Jays over, 1 Sprawk, 1 Buzzard, several Chiffchaff by Church House. Also a fair few Swallows and House Martins overhead.

Penarth > Norwegian Church via the barrage. 1 juv Wheatear and 1 2nd S Med Gull, N end of barrage; 6 Meadow Pipit son weeds by the new path; 1 Kingfisher just beyond Dr Who; 2 Clouded Yellows on the planted wild flower beds; Lesser Scaup cd be made out over by St David’s Hotel. A few House Martins still about.

Jays in evidence with 6 along the fringe of Cogan Wood and 2 from the edge of W paddock. Also 2 Green ‘Peckers. Cetti’s Warbler singing near the cafe.

light vis mig of Swallows and Mipits over the reserve and the coast path to the west this morning. In the fields to the west [Rowland’s Well fields], around 50 mipits were feeding, tog with 10 or so Pied Wags and 20 Linnet. Coffee by the Captain’s Wife pub and there were 32 Oycs at roost on Sully Island at high tide. 2 Chiffchaff by the Lavernock sea watch point and a Heron was at the small pond on the reserve.

PS Lol Middleton was pretty sure he saw a juv Turtle Dove on the road, together with a Wood Pigeon and a Collared Dove, however he was driving and it flew off. Worth keeping a lookout for tho’ if you are there.

Too many people for there to be much bird-wise but a fem/imm Pochard on E lake was the first I’ve seen this autumn.