Pretty quiet walk around the Pool and up to the Prince of Wales mid afternoon, the highlight was two female Pintail with a Teal feeding on the east pool shore (record shot below).

We finally got some time to venture out to Irongate Point for a blustery hour this afternoon but logged just 5 Manx, 5 immature Gannet and a Fulmar down-channel (1505-1605). A Shag and an adult winter plumaged Mediterranean Gull flew to Porthcawl Point.

 

Mike & Emma

A female Redstart was in our small front garden and drive this morning in Bridgend and lingered in the Avenue feeding.

Strong Westerlies at Porthcawl this morning, but surprisingly quiet, only 3 Gannet, 40 Manx Shearwater, 2 Fulmar, 9 Common Scoter, 1 Kittiwake and 1 Curlew down-channel. A Porpoise was within a few hundred metres of shore on rising tide.

 

Mike

Apologies for lateness of this posting, seawatching 0700-1000 was most productive, the highlight being a Leach’s Petrel, which glided past down-channel at fairly close range between 0900-0905 (description will follow to GRC). All birds were moving down-channel in strong WSW winds on the rising tide:- 1,952 Manx Shearwater, 15 Gannet (14 juv), 2 Fulmar, 1 Kittiwake, 1 dp Arctic Skua and 6 Guillemot.

 

Mike.

A short seawatch between 1110-1150 this morning produced 50 Manx Shearwater down-channel off Irongate Point.

A seawatch off Burry Holms after the wind had backed to westerly proved a little productive. At least 15 Gannet lingered offshore (include a few immatures and a juvenile), we also noted 3 Manx Shearwater, a Shag, 5 Guillemot, 2 Kittiwake and 5 Guillemot. There are Fulmar are still nesting nearby as are a couple of dozen Cormorant and a Grey Heron fed below Spaniard’s Rocks. Earlier in the morning a Stock Dove visited Broughton Farm and flew off toward the Burrows and a Little Egret was feeding on the falling tide before being chased by a dog.

3

Late visit to this square for BTO BBS. 48 species were recorded today taking the total to 54 species for both early and late visits – the best recorded for this square according to BTO database. The highlight for me was 6 Stock Dove in two different localities with 2 displaying males, plus a healthy Sand Martin colony of 20+ nestholes. There were also plenty of feeding House Martin between Ewenny and Verville. Watermill (Ogmore est) was quiet with only 5 Canada Geese, a Mallard and a Moorhen though nearby along the Ewenny were singing Dipper, 3 Sedge Warbler, 2 Whitethroat and a Lesser Whitethroat holding territories. Also noted were singing Goldcrests, Coal Tits and Treecreeper and Kingfisher and Grey Wagtail observed on the Ogmore near Merthyr Mawr. Notable absentees for me were Bullfinch and Green Woodpecker.

I joined MH and GL at 0620 for a seawatch and noted the following 0620-0900:- 3 Gannet d/c, 3+ Fulmar d/c, 70 Manx Shearwater d/c, 6+ Storm Petrel lingering offshore, 1 Cormorant d/c, 1 Shag on sea, 25 Dunlin and 1 Harbour Porpoise. The Storm Petrels were seen the whole time flying up and down sometimes a few hundred yards offshore at high tide – at least 2 were still present when I left.

Myself and Steve Howcroft watched the bird roughly from at least 1200h and it was still there 1230 when I left. It was sitting on a sandbank just upstream in the Lliw river at approximately SS566974.

Seawatch started in blustery southerly winds 0540-0850 when winds had eased and veered SW’erly (all birds down-channel unless stated):- 4 Storm Petrel (up-channel), 1 Gannet, 6 Manx Shearwater, 2 Fulmar, 2 Cormorant, 1 Shelduck, 4 Common Scoter, 1 Ringed Plover, 27 Dunlin, 13 Sanderling, 1 Common Tern, 1 Swallow. One of the Stormies lingered to about 0800 giving nice views a few hundred yards offshore.

 

Another wet morning with poor visibility, but noted: 2 Cormorant d/c, 1 Shelduck u/c, 1 Oystercatcher d/c, 1 Whimbrel d/c (stopped briefly – see pic), 34 1st sum plum Black-headed Gull u/c, 3 Swift, 31 Swallow, displaying Rock Pipit and 2 Harbour Porpoise just offshore on the high tide.

A short seawatch in poor conditions at high tide this morning 0900-1015. There were 16 Common Tern feeding offshore, along with a Great Crested Grebe and 3 Porpoises which drifted by. A Redshank and an Oystercatcher flew u/c and 3 Dunlin, a Turnstone and a Ringed Plover flew d/c. There were 14 Linnets feeding on the lawns in the pouring rain.

The rain and easterlies overnight dropped quite a few warblers in this morning, but mainly 3+ Reed Warblers and 3+ Lesser Whitethroat of note at Delvid/Broughton. House Martins continued to pass through (3 Red Admiral were also noted). The western and southern end of Llangennith Moors held at least 14 Sedge, 6 Reed and 2 Cetti’s Warblers plus many paired up Whitethroats and 4+ Pheasant were present along with drake Mallard and an immature Grey Heron. The only activity on the sea was yesterday morning when a Gannet flew distantly west and 3 Sandwich Tern lingered in Broughton Bay. Red Kite and Peregrine were also noted in the wider neighbourhood. The rookery near Delvid is very busy, 50+ nests and at least 40 birds were feeding in fields near Broughton Burrows this morning. Yesterday evening a Cuckoo was calling over between Lagradanta/Delvid.

Fairly quiet this morning but still logged 47 Whimbrel, 2 Golden Plover (1 almost in full summer plumage), 1 Bar-tailed godwit (in with the Whimbrel) and at least 12 Wheatear. A Swift was over the golf course mid-morning. Other than that, plenty of Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Blackcap and Stonechat on the way through the reserve and golf course, with small numbers of Swallow starting to trickle through.

Another chilly morning – no movement on the sea, but 1 Common Sandpiper and 2 Whimbrel on Lock’s Common, where there were also displaying Rock and Meadow Pipit along with 3 Whitethroat and a few pairs each of Linnet, Stonechat and Skylark. A summer plumaged Black-headed Gull was on Rest Bay. The Wilderness Pool was relatively quiet but sevwral Blackcaps were singing and a family part of Magpies (3 large juvs) were observed.

Another cold morning, but perhaps not as chilly as I feared. Sea was calm and wind was out of the North to NW at high tide. Unsurprisingly nothing at all moving on the sea. One of the highlights for me was 22 Wheatear (16 males) in Sker Farm fields. Pink Bay / Ffynon-Wen was productive for waders with 14 Oystercatcher, 2 Ringed Plover, 2 Dunlin (sp), 26 Sanderling (wp), 2 Purple Sandpiper and 14 Turnstone, whilst 42 Whimbrel were wary and mobile and moved north towards Sker and Kenfig Sands. Later a White Wagtail flew north through Pink Bay and 4 Dunlin and a Swallow moved north over the old Rest Bay care home.

Lock’s Common was quiet this morning at high tide in a strong cold northerly wind. A single Whitethroat was a new arrival and a few Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Rock Pipit and Song Thrush were present. About 12 Sanderling in varying stages of winter and summer plumage flew up channel, presumably towards Rest Bay and Sker. I retreated to The Wilderness Pool where several wild Mallard ducklings have recently hatched and a Cormorant was fishing. There were a few singing Blackap, Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler, whilst a calling Nuthatch was new for the year. No sign of any hirundines yet. Brrr.

A cold northerly wind today but gloriously sunny as we performed a 3 mile circuit. Plenty going on, 4 male Wheatear, 6+ Whitethroat and a Lesser Whitethroat at the Burrows between Broughton and Llangennith Burrows where we heard singing Sedge and Cetti’s Warblers. Nothing much on the beach at falling tide, but Burry Holms held 2 Whimbrel as well as resident Rock Pipit and a mainly immature gang of 300+ Herring Gull which were spooked by a scavenging Red Kite, another for my burgeoning BH raptor list! Two pairs of Fulmar performed admirably above Spaniard’s Rocks and we ran into the Red Kite again back at Broughton Bay. Later on as we left the caravan park a few Sand Martin and Swallow trickled through.

A very enjoyable walk doing both transects from Merthyr Mawr Village, adjacent farms up to Broadlands and back down New Inn Road to the ‘dipping bridge’ at Newbridge Farm fields. I logged 39 species which appears to have exceeded all previous survey counts by some margin. The highlights were 2 Whitethroats plus Sparrowhawk, Buzzard, Raven, 2 pairs of Dipper, a few pairs of Pied and Grey Wagtails and plenty of commoner woodland species and farmland finches. As I left the square to return home through Newbridge fields, as well as 2 pairs of Dipper actively returning to nest sites, I was delighted to find a Common Sandpiper feeding quietly along the bank of the Ogmore in amongst all the rubbish there- a new species for me on my adjacent home square SS8979.