There’s a local field trip next week, on Tues 12th, to Bryngarw Country Park – https://www.bryngarwcountrypark.co.uk/ – Brynmenyn, Bridgend, CF32 8UU
Meet in the car park at 10 a.m. Looks like parking is £3.50 for the day although I don’t expect to be there until closing time [4:30].
Main species I’d expect to see would be Dipper & Grey Wagtail, but most common woodland species are possible. Last time we were there we had a Mandarin Duck on the pond! It’ll probably be quite muddy in the upper woodland area and there is a steep slope down at one point. Please let me know if you intend to come. John Wilson – johndw1948 at gmail dot com.
Author: John Wilson
Birder and traveller
October 2024
Highlights: Yellow-browed Warblers featured prominently, with records received from Gwaelod-y-Garth, Kenfig Pool (at least four, including two trapped for ringing), Dunraven, Norton Farm (two), Barry, Treorchy, Cardiff Bay Barrage, Lavernock (at least two), Pontcanna and Sker House. Three Whooper Swans flew west past Cwm Nash. A Cattle Egret was at Kenfig. A first-winter Caspian Gull was identified in the roost at Cardiff Bay. Three Woodlarks flew over Swanbridge and three were in fields at Lavernock.
Other Sites: Great White Egrets were seen regularly at Kenfig, while singles were noted from Ogmore Estuary and by the river at Peterston-super-Ely. A Marsh Harrier was at Kenfig. A Hen Harrier flew through at Lavernock. A Black Tern remained at Lisvane Reservoir early in the month. Three Ring Ouzels stopped off at Dare Valley Country Park. The first Black Redstart of the autumn was at Cardiff Bay. A good run of coastal Dartford Warbler sightings saw birds at Royal Porthcawl Golf Club, Cwm Nash, Dunraven and Sker. Firecrests were seen at Dunraven (two), Bute Park (two), Kenfig and Norton Farm. A maximum of nine Choughs frequented Sker. Hawfinches were seen over Lavernock on several dates, totalling at least nine birds.
Summary by Paul Roberts
Indoor meeting, Tues 5th Nov
Sorry for the short notice. There’s an indoor meeting on Tues 5th Nov at Pencoed Rugby Club. Paul Bowden will be giving an illustrated talk entitled ‘Ecuador: Birding on the Equator”. Start time is, as usual, 7:30 p.m. Felindre Rd, Pencoed, Bridgend CF35 5PB.
Having been there I can vouch for the amazingly colourful bird life! JDW
Cosmeston
A few random images from Cosmeston visits recently. The display dancing GCGs were a bit of a surprise. The lone Siskin was by the Mile Road near the E paddock kissing gate on 14th. Oct. The Long-tailed Tit was in a party of around 15 this morning [25 Oct] which was accompanied by a Goldcrest. The images are individually captioned where necessary.
Lavernock & Cosmeston
A few bits & bobs from reccent days.
11th Oct at Lavernock – a brief visit for a change of scene. Very muddy. A female Blackcap was in trees behind the gun emplacements, and there were 2 Chiffchaffs, 2 Jay and a few Skylarks overhead.
13th Oct at Cosmeston – There were c.20 Swallows over W lake and 30 Tufted Duck there, and also 80 Black-headed Gulls also on W lake.
14th Oct at Cosmeston – a single Siskin by the Mile Road was the first I’d seen in the park for a while – probably since last winter.
18th Oct at Cosmeston – A feeding party of Long-tailed Tits just had a Goldcrest with them. Also noted were 1 Meadow Pipit, a Sparrowhawk that flew through W. paddock, 2 Skylark overhead, a pair of Great Crested Grebes were displaying and Cetti’s Warbler heard.
Yesterday 23rd Oct at Lavernock reserve – still failed on trying to find Yellow-browed Warbler that had been seen 2 days ago. A Long-tailed Tit feeding party just had a couple of accompanying Chiffchaffs. Three Bullfinches flew around calling and 2 Jay and 2 Mistle Thrushes were active. I heard both Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers. Yesterday there were 3 separate Cetti’s Warblers calling in the E lake reeds area.
R.Ely floodplain – 11 Aug 2024
We met up at the layby just outside Peterston-super-Ely at 9 a.m. Davis Rich immediately gripped everyone off as he had seen a Kingfisher by the nearby footbridge! As we were about to set off, two Sparrowhawks did a nice fly-by, and a Kestrel and House Martin were noted. Access to the site was by walking down the road, across the small road bridge and then following the Lanlay Meadows National Trust signpost. Passing through some trees one emerges into a series of fields with the meandering R. Ely to the right. It was pretty obvious straight away that small birds were going to be hard to find – there was very little vocalisation. David Rich was on a roll as he spotted a Green Woodpecker sitting in the open in a distant dead tree. There were 3 corvids in the same tree and I noted the tapered bill of the upper one, which all agreed, was a Rook. Walking slowly along, a Chiffchaff was heard calling and small numbers of Goldfinch twittered in flight overhead. Other fly-overs comprised a couple of Lesser Black-backed and Herring Gulls, and then a calling Buzzard. The walk crosses several small bridges over ditches that lead into the river, and the whole site is pretty muddy in winter and requires wellies. A nice distraction as we approached one bridge, was an impressive Dark Bush-cricket that Alan had spotted in the grass, and I managed to get a nice photo of that [which is with the small selection I included with the FB and website posts]. Eventually John & Alan advised us that we were near the ‘hot’ spots for seeing the Green Sandpipers. John went off to do some jungle bashing though the dense growths of the pesky Himalayan Balsam, and we were to keep our eyes peeled along the preferred stretch of river.
After about 10 minutes a group of 6 suddenly exploded from the shelter of a corner of a meander and shot up into the air uttering their shrill piping calls. For the benefit of folk not familiar with this species we always say they look like large House Martins in flight due to the bright white underparts and bright white rump, contrasting with the rest of the jet black plumage. They circled high for a while then dropped down in the distance into another part of the river. As John returned from his jungle bash, two more flew up calling and flew high quite a distance away, but no doubt eventually returned to the river. By another meander in the river we watched a Grey Wagtail fly-catching, and in a riverside Willow on the walk back, a mystery greyish bird spotted by Eric, was eventually clinched as a Garden Warbler. Also on the walk back, last-minute attendee Charlotte spotted another Bush-cricket and managed to get a phone pic – a quick look at that confirmed its ID as a Roesel’s Bush-cricket – a great find and a new species for the site. That pic is in the comments on the FB post and in the website post.
David Rich is a keen botanist so to fill in the birdless gaps he found Round-leaved Mint and Marsh Woundwort, and contrasting with the ever present pink of the Himalayan Balsam, was a single plant of Orange Balsam [Impatiens capensis].
All in all an interesting outing, albeit not as birdy as we would have hoped, although we did log 28 species.
Llantrisant Common 28 Apr 24
Perhaps the fact that it was a new venue for some, including me, attracted an unprecedented 29 participants. Local resident and GBC member Trim Collier was to lead, but given the numbers, and the good fortune that another local resident, your committee’s Paul Denning, had decided to tag along, we split into two groups and headed off to do a roughly circular walk in opposite directions. I was in Paul’s ‘team’. We set off anticlockwise and were soon hearing Willow Warbler song and snatches of Common Whitethroat, and lots of Blackcaps. House Sparrows were in the brambles near the houses and Starlings flew back & forth from the houses presumably collecting food. We soon got on to a pair of Stonechats, the first of maybe 4 pairs. In a more open area some of our group were gesturing to come over – Andrew Withycombe had spotted a female Adder in a clump of vegetation. With careful approach all managed to get excellent views and photos. A couple walking their dog said they’d seen a bird of prey in a bush, and we were soon watching a smart pale Buzzard resting in said bush. Further on, plaintive overhead calls were heard and tentatively ID’d as Tree Pipit, and soon we had nice views of a bird feeding on the ground. As I scanned the horizon a small group of Swifts came into view and a few folk managed to pick them up as I called them. A few Swallows flew past. As we reached a very boggy area Paul suddenly called Green Hairstreak, and most got on to it before it flew a short distance, but it couldn’t be relocated. A number of male Orange-tips were in the same area and a single Peacock. Shortly after this we met Tim’s group coming in the opposite direction and we exchanged ‘gen’ as to what we had seen. We then decided to head straight across to the tarmac road and walked back to the start point along that.
All in all a very nice walk – quite chilly at first but pretty warm as we finished, after about 4 hours! A total of 35 species were logged.
September 2024
Kenfig NNR : A Wryneck was discovered (7th). Cattle Egrets called in on several dates, possibly totaling four birds. A Bittern was seen at the Pool. There was a good run of Osprey sightings, including two at the Pool (9th). A Hen Harrier moved through at Sker (18th). Hobbies occurred on several dates. Waders included Curlew Sandpiper (20th), Little Ringed Plover, Ruff and Greenshank. Single Black Terns were noted off Sker (7th) and at the Pool (28th). A maximum of 12 Sandwich Terns was off Sker, while a Common Tern was at the Pool. A Pied Flycatcher stopped off at Sker. A Firecrest was seen briefly on the reserve.
Other Sites: A Hoopoe was photographed in a garden by a non-birder at Coity, Bridgend (15th). A Black-necked Grebe remained at Llanishen/Lisvane Reservoir, where a Scaup and a Black Tern were also logged. Observations at Ogmore Estuary included up to four Pale-bellied Brent Geese, Cattle Egret (26th), Great White Egret (7th), Osprey (7th), Curlew Sandpiper (21st) and Knot. Dunraven produced a coasting Great White Egret (20th), juvenile Hen Harrier (22nd), Pale-bellied Brent Goose and a count of 54,000 House Martins in a single morning’s passage (21st). Both Little Stint and Curlew Sandpiper were at Rumney Great Wharf. A Black Tern was off Lavernock (15th). Cardiff Bay held a Pied Flycatcher. Three Ring Ouzels were located in the uplands near Cefn Rhigos.
Summary by Paul Roberts
GBC weekend at Portland Bird Obs
This weekend saw a successful and enjoyable GBC stay at Portland Bird Observatory with 13 folk staying in the ‘Obs’ and 3 others joining us independently. 89 species were logged, highlights undoubtedly being the 2 Red-breasted Flycatchers, a Yellow-browed Warbler & a Firecrest, albeit ‘in the hand’, Hobby, migrating Balearic Shearwaters plus innumerable Gannets of all ages, & Kittiwake & auks. Corn Buntings at Maiden Castle and a good selection of waders at Ferrybridge plus a roost of 80+ Mediterranean Gulls. Lodmoor RSPB reserve in Weymouth gave us glimpses of Bearded Tit. Click here for the full list and info. Thanks for Prof Peter Morgan of Cardiff for the seawatching pic.
Cosmeston
Midday-ish today. New arrivals were 10 Teal on west lake, together with around 30 Tufted Duck, 2 drake Pochard and a lone eclipse Wigeon. The Heron was in the favoured tree near the main bridge. Annoyingly there were 3 men fishing with hand lines, including the 2 pictured on the kayak launching platform on E lake. The other guy spent some time along the far shore of W lake in the conservation area, and then moved round to the shoreline of E lake. There’s no fishing allowed but there’s no signage to say so!
New award scheme – the Robert Bradshaw Award
As Club members will know we sadly lost Rob Bradshaw, one of our trustees, this spring. To recognise his dedication and contribution to birding in Glamorgan and to the Club, GBC Trustees have created an award in his honour. Rob played a big part in the Club’s initiative to encourage more young folk to take up birding. It was therefore thought that a fitting tribute to Rob would be for the Robert Bradshaw Award to recognise contributions made to bird watching or bird conservation in our area, by an individual under the age of 24.
The Robert Bradshaw Award will be in the form of a £250 voucher or bursary. Either might be used by a young birder to enhance their birding experience or support their conservation work. This could be by purchasing birding resources or to help with the costs of attending a birding trip or event within Wales.
Although any GBC member may nominate a young birder for the Award, the nominee need not necessarily be a member of our Club. To be eligible the nominee must either reside in East Glamorgan or have carried out their conservation work within this area.
Up to one Award only will be made each year; the opening date for the submission of nominations is October 1st 2024 and the deadline for this inaugural year’s nominations is 15th January 2025.
Members of the GBC Donations & Sponsorship sub-group will adjudicate according to Award criteria, submitting their recommendation to the full GBC Committee for approval. Announcement of the 2024/25 Award recipient will be made at the Club AGM, in April 2025.
Award guidelines and Nomination form are available from treasurer@glamorganbirds.org.uk
Jean Haslam, GBC Chair
Indoor meeting, Tues 1st Oct
Heads up – there’s the first talk of the autumn/winter programme on Tues 1st Oct. This is a live ‘in person’ talk at Pencoed Rugby Club, where we have already had a couple of AGMs and a talk. This one is by Peter Lansdown who will be taking us on a trip to Morocco in the winter. The talk starts at 7:30 p.m. The Club is on Velindre Road, Pencoed, CF35 5PB.
GBC BIG BIRD COUNT 27th – 30th SEPTEMBER 2024
A quick reminder that our club Big Bird Count is approaching fast. Choose a place local to you – a walk or short drive away and list all (common and rare) bird species you see on any one of the four days. When you’re done – send the list to timadcock950@gmail.com and don’t forget to tell us where you did your count. It can take 10 minutes or 10 hours – up to you. If you want to do more than one patch, that’s great. Not forgetting the photographers – please send your photos in as well.
Can we have all the lists in by October 7th please?
We’ll publish the results – a complete club list, interesting species seen and other highlights, along with the best photos, best bird and best list as judged by the committee, in the January newsletter.
Good luck, enjoy the event. Many thanks.
Tim Adcock
Cosmeston
Cosmeston this morning. A single Whinchat was in the plantation above Sully Brook, together with 2 Stonechat. No pix of these – too distant and flighty. A couple of smart Starlings were feeding on blackberries near the Medieval dovecote. Elsewhere the vocal Buzzard was circling and a Flat Holm ringed juv LBBG [F:F76 blue] was by E lake. At the dipping pond there are still some very small punk – plumaged Moorhen chicks. It seems that a single pair there have had 3 or poss 4 broods this year.
Cosmeston
Having missed a lot of migrant activity over the weekend as I was away, I was pleased to catch up with Whinchat [3 of them] at Cosmeston this afternoon, plus a first winter male Redstart, a plumage I’ve not seen before. Superficially it looks like a Stonechat, but the greyish head & mantle, dark smudgy cheeks and rufous ‘springy’ tail are good pointers [although the tail is not well shown in the two px I managed to shoot before it dropped out of view]. The birds were in the sapling plantation above Sully Brook. There were also c.20 Linnet in a tree by the brook.
Cosmeston
Not much of interest for me of late although others [who get up earlier than I do!], have had Spotted Flycatcher and Redstart. Yesterday there were no less than 6 ‘Spot Flys’ at the far end of East Paddock! I did catch up with a rather elusive Whinchat by the tree plantation above Sully Brook, on 31st Aug. The only interest this morning was the Grey Heron sitting quite peacefully in a tree near the main bridge, until another arrived and set it off squawking and eventually chasing the intruder off. Other interest yesterday were 5 Tufted Ducks, all in eclipse plumage.
August 2024
Highlights: A Wryneck was seen fleetingly at Kenfig (30th). An early Grey Phalarope turned up on the Marine Lake, Barry (26th). Two Black-necked Grebes arrived at Llanishen Reservoir (31st). A Garganey lingered at Roath Park Lake.
Other Sites: A flock of seven Pale-bellied Brent Gesse stopped off at Black Rocks, Newton Beach (29th). Single European Storm Petrels were seen off Lavernock and Porthcawl. Several Great White Egrets were logged at Kenfig. Ospreys were noted over Pentwyn, Kenfig and Llanishen Reservoir. A Hobby was at Flemingston. Several Greenshanks and Green Sandpipers passed through at Kenfig. A juvenile Yellow-legged Gull was located at Ogmore-by-Sea, with up to 13 Choughs seen at the rivermouth car park there. A Firecrest was trapped for ringing at Kenfig.
Summary by Paul Roberts
Upcoming field trip Sat 7th Sep – Pembrey Hbr and Kidwelly
As John Wilson is unavailable for this one, Alan is taking the reins. Note that this is a Saturday trip, not the usual Sunday.. High tide is around 10 a.m., so we’d need to be there ahead of this. Meet at Pembrey Harbour at 9.30ish. (Google maps estimates a travel time of 1 hr 30mins from Cardiff). The plan is to then de-camp to Kidwelly later in the day. Please let Alan know by email if you intend coming – alanrosney@gmail.com.
The postcode for Pembrey Harbour is SA16 0HD, which is the same as that for the nearby Shoreline Caravan Park that you drive past down to the dirt car park. There’s a pdf map below. To get to Burry Port first I think it’s best to come off the M4 at J.47 Penllegaer, then take the A483 down to the 1st roundabout then go right onto the A484 and follow that all the way along, over the Loughor Bridge. This avoids Gorseinon, which is all 20 mph. After the bridge, stay on the A484 until the Parc y Scarlets roundabout. Go over that then immediately at the next big roundabout take the B4304, which loops round to the south of Llanelli past Machynys and eventually takes you to the roundabout by Sandy Water Park, where you take the A484 again that goes through Pwll and on to Burry Port. You eventually have to come off the A484 onto the B4311 that goes into Burry Port. Follow that until the left turn into Derwydd Road which is just after a bridge on a bend.
The Knap – Barry
Great excitement yesterday when a juvenile Grey Phalarope was found a the Knap Lake in Barry. We took our morning dog walk there this morning rather than the usual Cosmeston – not surpringly! It was pretty obvious that it was still present when we arrived, due to the row of folk with cameras along the east side of the lake. As is often the case with phalaropes, this tiny wader was incredibly bold and was swimming along the near edge of the lake right next to photographers sitting on the adjacent path. Its tiny size is accentuated in one of my photos below where it is being followed by a Mute Swan. Loads of portrait images have been posted on social media. There’s a few of mine below including two where it moved away from the lake edge to wash and prean.
Cosmeston
There’s been a very vocal Buzzard at Cosmeston recently, often up circling with a few others. It was there again this morning calling and drifting towards me and not too high so I prepared for some flight shots. Managed a few which needed some post processing as they were a bit silhouetty. Dead chuffed to get a couple where it was in mid “mew”. Pretty sure it’s a juvenile due to the heavy breast streaking and the pale tips to the upper wing coverts viewable in one of the ‘wing down’ images.
Glamorgan Bird Club 
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