Two Common Sandpipers were on South Pool beach early on and 24 Whimbrel were on the east pool shore together with 4 Wheatear and a House Martin. There were 3 singing Garden Warblers and 2 Sedge Warblers singing intermittently, but occasionally giving good views, in bushes along the main path west from the reserve centre down to the south pool beach.

 

 

Dave Carrington and myself found this cracking Wood Warbler singing adjacent to south pool hide this morning. It was still there at noon. There were 6 Swift over this morning and approx. 200 Sand Martin and a few Swallow through. There were also 33 Whimbrel gracing east pool fields and a tame f/w u/r Barnacle Goose.

 

Emma and I found this LRP at about 10.00 after it was flushed by a dog walker from long grass on the Bridgend side of the estuary. It happily fed up and down the little stony shingle ridge just downstream from Portobello island, but was lost to view over the back of there at about 11.15 and we did not see it after that. Also present lots of Mute Swan,  2 Gadwall, 3 Redshank, about 25 Shelduck and a Water Pipit flushed from the same area as the LRP but flew off downstream calling.

A lap around the pool this morning in the company of PB yielded excellent views of a Great White Egret, happily feeding in the north pool inlet. The Slavonian Grebe is still present and was feeding in the southern part of the pool.

I was checking out the Gull roost at high tide this morning along West Park Drive just south of Lock’s Common. I started to count the adult Med Gulls which were in or moulting into winter plumage. My count reached 130 Turnstone and 14 adult Med Gulls when I noticed a juvenile which was ringed Left Leg Yellow “2P15” and small metal ring on Right Leg.

Sean Kingston at the Med Gull ringing project has told me that 2P15 was 1 of 120 Med chicks colour ringed by the Farlington Ringing Group at RSPB Langstone Harbour in Hampshire this summer. This is the first sighting of 2P15 and they have had 1 juvenile with the flock at Llanon south of Aberystwyth in Ceredigion. Apparently the juveniles seem to be heading west at the moment so everyone should keep their eyes peeled for them.

I later found another juvenile at Sandy Bay on the other side of Porthcawl taking my total to a best ever 16 (14 adult / 2 juv).

 

 

We went along to the moth trapping session this morning for a change of scenery. Apart from the moths, bird highlights were noteworthy with a Tree Pipit singing intermittently near the visitor centre and a Swift over. Siskin were also in display flight over the car park, a lovely morning enhanced by the appearance of a pair of Orange-tip butterflies.

A pleasant morning at Kenfig Pool, albeit chilly in the wind we saw approx. 40 species of birds. However we were pleased to see 7 Swift, 100 Sand Martin, 12 House Martin and 20+ Swallow over the pool. Two Lesser Whitethroat were singing, 1 near the reserve centre and 1 down by the south pool beach. Several Whitethroat were singing and displaying (pictured) and at least two Reed Warbler were singing deep in the south pool reed bed. It was too breezy for the few butterflies and moths zipping around that we saw and unable to identify. We also saw a few Buff-tailed Bumblebees.

Mike & Emma Cram

 

Finally got out into the fresh air today, feeling much better. Emma and I took a stroll at The Wilderness in Porthcawl. Fresh and cold and blue skies after a frost, the pool was mostly frozen but still good numbers of birds there, a Little Grebe (only the 2nd I’ve seen there), Grey Heron, 8 Shoveler, 2 Goosander, 45 Black-headed Gull, a Lesser Black-backed Gull and a few Coal Tit, Long-tailed Tit a Redwing, 4 Goldfinch and a Bullfinch. 5 Grey Geese flew over calling heading for Rest Bay, probably Greylags. Looked for the regular Curlew flock who were partially out of sight at Manor Court Farm, at least 20, probably more.

Its been very wet lately and numbers of Starling in the murmuration and roosting have been much lower, peaking at 12,000 last week. This evening proceedings got underway at about 4.45pm and by 5pm there were approx. 5,000 birds in one tight flock, first hit by a Peregrine and then at least one Sparrowhawk. The murmurations always get  better and better with more aerobatics after raptors turn up. All birds roosted by 5.15, again in garden Cypress trees between Broadlands and Oaklands Road.

At 7.50 this morning the sound was incredible as at least 10,000 Starling left the main roost in Oaklands Road to head east. Later a superb murmuration of at least 12,000 Starling this evening between 4.20 and 5 pm. They did not all roost in one place this evening, using cypress type trees in several gardens. There were still several hundred flying around preparing to roost at 5.10pm in near darkness.

Last night was an amazing spectacle over our neighbourhood in Bridgend. Approximately 10,000 quickly massed and performed superbly ranging over to the Broadlands and back by 4.30pm before roosting in Cypress Trees (just visible in the 2nd photo) between 4.35 and 4.45pm. They all seem to come in from the east, perhaps feeding out in the Vale by day? They quickly left the roost at dawn/8.00am and headed off east. This is a new phenomenon in the neighbourhood and began with just 500 at New Year’s Day. We had about 1,000 during the snows several years ago in a slightly different location with less trees but only for a week or two.

Tonight’s murmurations were a little later but eventually at least 6,500 birds roosted in Cypress/leylandii trees between Oaklands Road and Broadlands. Only a couple of weeks ago there were just 500! Quite a spectacle, I wonder how big the flock will get? …….

Tonight’s murmuration mainly over Oaklands Road was an impressive sight with more aerobatics. Most of the birds appeared to mass on wires south of Broadlands before heading over here. It was enlivened by a Sparrowhawk successfully attacking the flock and knocking a bird which it took after it plunged into a local garden. There were 2,000 Starling together at one stage and the majority of them dropped into conifers between Oaklands Road and Broadlands between 1625-1635h.

Just enjoyed watching 2,000 Starling going to roost in conifers between Oaklands Road and Broadlands, Bridgend. The flock had been slowly building up in number over the past couple of weeks and fragments have been performing aerobatics this evening. Most of them seem to come in from the south east gradually from about 4.15pm, settling in by about 4.45 usually. The sound right now is amazing and I’m only about several hundred yards away looking down on them.

I popped down to check for these at midday, ran into Rob Jones (@glambirder) and by about 1245h they flew in from the east with some Canada Geese. They were wary but eventually swam out and waddled onto the north shore and walked up the field. They look to be albifrons race. The south side of the hedge overlooking north shore was a good hide to pop a few record shots off. Still present at 1400h.

A short visit between 0900-1000. The two Slavonian Grebes are still present in south pool area. A Whooper Swan dropped to join 7 Wigeon and a variety of other duck, but was flushed by a fisherman at 1000 and flew off toward Margam Park. A Black-tailed Godwit continues to feed along the east pool shore. Apart from that several mobile Mistle Thrushes and a Chiffchaff were in south pool bushes.

 

Six Hawfinches were still present today mainly in the Orangery / Margam Park area, but close and viewable from the SE corner of Margam Abbey graveyard. They were mainly feeding quite low down in deciduous trees, calling intermittently and also mobile at times giving good flight views and record shot opportunities. Photos by Emma Cram.

 

I popped in to the graveyard between 1 and 2pm this afternoon on the off chance of Hawfinches still being there. I ran into PH who had been seeing up to 4 birds up in the pines before 1pm and also into the yew at the eastern end of the graveyard that borders Margam Park. After 1pm I could hear at least two calling birds occasionally but did manage two good flight views of at least one bird. I think a good tactic may be to also access via Margam Park as a lot of the calls I heard seemed to be coming from the park side of the wall. Also present is a nice mobile flock of 20+ Greenfinches, 2+ Siskin, 10+ Redwing and 10+ Mistle Thrush and also 2 Goldcrest and 2 Nuthatch.

Apologies for late posting here, both Emma and I heard a Yellow-browed Warbler calling several times in the bushes to the rear of Frankie and Benny’s in Landore, Swansea yesterday evening about 5pm. It was with a tit flock, but we didn’t manage to see it as the weather was foul! Plenty of habitat down there especially along the Tawe and to the south and east of the Liberty Stadium nearby.

A short seawatch between 0900-1015 saw Emma and myself strike lucky with 10 Leach’s Petrel down-channel, getting closer as the wind pushed them in towards Hutchwns Point. Also noted 1 Great Crested Grebe, 2 Guillemot, 1Common Gull and 4 Skylark. We believe NPR also managed to see 1 between Ogmore and Southerndown.