I noted 41 species this morning during the BBS transect survey. A Little Egret, female Teal, male Pheasant and a Grey Heron were at the Watermill and just upriver on the Ewenny, a Lesser Whitethroat was rattling away deep within some bushes, a Dipper was singing and a Kingfisher was calling. There were also calling / singing Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Coal Tit and Jay. Later on upriver along the Ogmore, I was pleased to find a Sand Martin colony with at least 30 birds using a nice large riverbank. A Stock Dove was also present nearby.

A thick fog hampered any birding at Rest Bay first thing, just a Willow Warbler noted by the golf course. The incoming tide however, brought a nice selection of confiding waders quite close in at Pink Bay with 42 Oystercatcher, 3 Ringed Plover, 18 Turnstone (3 acq. sum plum), 4 Purple Sandpiper and a Sanderling (w plum). Two White Wagtail were at Sker, 3 Siskin flew over calling and 2 Red Kite flew from the farm area as the fog began to lift. I thought I heard Chough calling but was unable to locate them. The Sker farm fields held 2 Wheatear including a lovely male, approx 100 Golden Plover (many acq. sum plum) now joined by the Turnstone flock and 4 Rook. On the return walk there was a Shag fishing at Pink Bay.

 

I’ve posted a couple of photos of the Purple Sandpipers that’ve been wintering in Porthcawl. On the high tides they have been quite visible anywhere between Hutchwns Point (south end of Lock’s common) down as far as Porthcawl Point by the lighthouse wall. There have been as many as three. Locating the mobile Turnstone flock of about 25 is the key, however I have had them scampering around really close on the rocks a bit further north around Hutchwns Point.

The four of us set out this morning for a long walk from Rest Bay out towards Sker. It was a gorgeous day, a little cool, but nice and sunny. On the falling tide we saw 2 Shelduck, 25 Sanderling, 550 Golden Plover and a nice Wheatear out at Pink Bay. There were plenty of singing Skylarks and Meadow Pipits plus a singing Rock Pipit. A female Kestrel and female Sparrowhawk were hunting over the golf course, which also held 2 singing male Stonechats, singing Wren and 3 Pied Wagtail. The path between Rest and Pink Bays yielded a Green Tiger Beetle (Cicindela campestris) and a common Lizard and few Bumblebee sps. On the drive home we saw a Curlew at Manor court Farm and were surprised to see a Brown Hare in the middle of one of the fields.

A Great Northern Diver was feeding out in the Bay. On the falling tide 56 Brent Geese (bernicla) flew in to feed and there were 47 Oystercatcher. A Curlew flew over calling and a pair of Kestrel, pair of Raven and a Sparrowhawk were hunting over the caravan park.

An early morning visit to the Wilderness Pool proved wise as it was relatively quiet. We noted 2 Cormorant, a Canada Goose, a pair of Tufted Duck, 4 pairs of Shoveler, 5 Pochard (a male with 4 females), Great Spotted Woodpecker heard calling and a fine male Bullfinch feeding on willow buds. Pwll-y-waun was quiet with a few Coot and Moorhen and there were about 100 Black-headed Gull on the Manor farm fields. Late morning high-tide at Hutchwns point produced 2 Mediterranean Gull, 1 in winter plumage and the Belgian-ringed (E187 right leg) bird now approaching summer plumage with a nice blood red bill and black hood, also 2 Redshank, 2 Turnstone and 70 Black-headed Gull. Not much else due to the usual expected seasonal half-term human and canine activity.

Our first visit to the caravan this year, we were welcomed by a Red Kite and a pair each of hunting Kestrels and displaying Ravens. Offshore in Broughton Bay was a Great Northern Diver, Cormorant and 2 Shelduck. 6 Common Scoter were on the sea out towards Bluepool where 2 Fulmar were patrolling the cliffs. There were 32 Oystercatcher on the rocks at Twlc Point at high tide and about 25 Common Gull on the sea. Broughton farm fields held 3 Lapwing in among the roving Starling flock.

I ventured this morning to see what Imogen had sent me around Porthcawl. The inland water areas of Pwll-y-waun and Wilderness did not have anything different and Irongate Point seawatch produced just 1 Fulmar d/c, 2 Kittiwakes u/c with a couple of Turnstone and about 40 Starling around the shelter area. Salt lake car park held 65 Black-headed Gull and 14 Herring Gull roosting at high tide.

Not very pleasant conditions / rain and strong Westerlies. Down-channel by 1000h were 1 Fulmar, 2 Kittiwake, 18 Turnstone, 1 Curlew and an adult wp Mediterranean Gull. Also a Raven and 2 Rock Pipit. There were few Gulls braving the rocks up to the Hutchwns Point end of Lock’s Common but no sign of the Ring-billed Gull reported there yesterday.

Earlier a good check of Salt lake Car Park and adjacent beach area produced 216 Black-headed Gull, 1 Mediterranean Gull, 34 Herring Gull, 2 Common Gull and 2 GBB Gull. Pwll-y-Waun pool held the usual small numbers of Mallard, Coot and Mute Swan but I did not have time to check Wilderness Pool.

 

I’ve just been informed that the adult winter Mediterranean Gull I saw recently 16/01/16 in Porthcawl (white ring, right leg, black lettering E187) was ringed first in Antwerp, Belgium 22/05/10 as a 3rd calendar year bird. Last recorded 30/03/11 in Antwerp. That means it is now in its 9th calendar year.

BTO N.E.W.S. survey produced the following highlights early afternoon on falling tide:- 2 Grey Plover, 1 Purple Sandpiper, 7 Redshank, 23 Turnstone and 1 Mediterranean Gull (Ad winter unringed). Lock’s common was quiet in the high winds, just a couple of Rock Pipt, Stonechat and a Robin.

Hutchwns Point on the falling tide again produced 2 Grey Plover and another Adult Mediterranean Gull (white ring this time left leg / white with black lettering / probably a Belgian breeding bird). Lock’s Common held 6 Skylark, 5 Meadow Pipit and 2 Song Thrush. It was pretty quiet birdwise on the walk out to Sker but highlights were a Shag, 40+ Golden Plover and 13 Skylark. A visit to the Wilderness Pool in Porthcawl early pm was productive with nice views of a drake Goosander and a Kingfisher, together with a pair of Tufted Duck and several Shoveler. Just to the north a flock of 200 Lapwing were over Manor farm.

At Pwll-y-waun pool a pair of Shoveler were present and across the road at Manor farm, 4 Curlew 30 Black-headed Gull and a large mixed flock of 300 + Carrion Crow / Rook / Jackdaw. It was pretty quiet at Salt lake car park 30 Black-headed Gull and Porthcawl Point – just 1 Oystercatcher, but the rocks at Hutchwns Point just south of Lock’s Common at high tide was more productive yielding a Shag, 2 Oystercatcher, 4 Purple Sandpiper, 2 Grey Plover, 5 Turnstone, 26 Herring Gull and an adult winter Mediterranean Gull.

Wilderness Pool early morning: 5 Shoveler, 1 Tufted duck, 2 Chiffchaff, 13 Siskin, 5 Goldfinch and a Greenfinch and Raven over. Only 30 BH Gull at Pwll-y-waun. Porthcawl seafront at hight tide : 1 Shag and about 50 BH Gull, 5 Common Gull and 4 winter plumaged adult Mediterranean Gulls (one of which had a white ring on right leg with black lettering E187 – glad we had some bread! The birds are starting to acquire their black hoods). Rest Bay was quiet with a similar number of Gulls including 2 adult winter Mediterranean Gulls. Later a Grey Wagtail flew east calling. I returned home late morning to find a female Blackcap at our garden feeding station.

Mike & James Cram

A short seawatch off Porthcawl early produced little of note to boost my patchwork challenge totals, but there were 6 Mediterranean Gulls roosting at Rest Bay at high tide (4 adult winter and 2 second winter plumaged birds) in among the 50 Black-headed Gulls. A walk out to Pink Bay yielded 184 Golden Plover roosting in the fields just off the coast path. Later at Wilderness Pools there were 7 Shoveler (3m/4f), 16 Coot, 21 Moorhen, a Great Spotted Woodpecker, 2 Goldcrest and a Coal Tit. Nearby at Pwyll-y-waun pools were 156 Black-headed Gulls with several Mallard, Coot and Moorhen. (PWC 49 sp=52pts)

A short seawatch this morning was enlivened by a Great Skua feasting on an unfortunate auk species between 0900 and 0930 after which it flew off down-channel. Also noted were 7 Red-throated Diver u/c, 3 Guillemot d/c, a Shag on the rocky shoreline and 4 Oystercatcher and 10 Turnstone up on the very wet lawns by the shelter. Later a quick check of Pwll-y-waun pool on the outskirts of Porthcawl yielded 3 Mute Swan, 2 pairs of Shoveler and a few Coot.

I joined several hardy souls at 1000h (MHi, AB, MJB, AGS et al). A strong westerly eventually pushed in a Leach’s Petrel picked out by Mark Hipkin, which all got on to eventually as it flew fairly close in past the shelter. Also seen 1000-1215, mainly down-channel were 1 Shag, 1 GC Grebe, several Fulmar and Gannet, 3 Common Scoter, several Kittiwake and Common Gull, a few Oystercatcher, 1 Golden Plover and 8 Turnstone. Two Mediterranean Gull flew right over the shelter mid morning (Adult and 2nd winter – same regular birds I think that I saw earlier at Salt Lake car park).

A rare visit in to the field with my better half, we explored Porthcawl including the seafront and both inland pools. The highlight was a fine adult winter-plumaged Mediterranean Gull in the salt lake car park with 65 Black-headed, 1 Common Gull, 1 Meadow Pipit and 2 Pied Wagtails. There were 18 Sanderling scampering on the low-tideline at Coney beach. A short seawatch from the shelter in southerlies produced 5 Guillemot, 2 Kittiwake and 2 Curlew. There were about a dozen Oystercatcher scattered along the coast between the town and Lock’s Common. The Wilderness Pool held 5 Shoveler and a Tufted Duck along with the commoner waterfowl and the woodland was busy with feeding Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Treecreeper and Goldfinch. The smaller pool near Newton was quiet with about 45 Black-headed Gulls which were commuting to Manor farm and back.

Mike & Emma Cram

A Redwing flew over our garden early morning whilst we were opening our moth trap – it headed south-east, calling – our first of the season. Also passing through were several Siskin and Mipits plus 6 Goldfinch.

Visible migration today at Broughton between 0830 and 1100, dripping with birds. First bird of the day was a very purposeful Great White Egret heading straight through and down towards Hillend / Llangennith burrows – first Gower one I’ve ever seen outside the marshes of the Burry Inlet. A Grey Heron, Little Egret, 500 Oystercatcher and 23 Ringed Plover were on the beach, but the busiest areas were the fields of Broughton Farm and extensive gardens and scrub around Delvid Farm / Burrows:- Common Sandpiper south overhead calling, 70 Meadow Pipit, 1 Grey Wagtail, single calling Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 8 Skylark, 2 Blackcap, 6+ Chiffchaff, 3 Goldcrest, 6+ Song Thrush, 17 Coal Tit (4 different groups moving through), 1 Nuthatch, 1 Redpoll, 3 Siskin, 1 Greenfich, 9 Goldfinch and a Reed Bunting. Also there were a few dozen Silver-Y moths and several migrant Hawker dragonflies around the vicinity. Strangely quiet by 1100h, with a nice moderate SE wind in lovely sunny clear conditions moving stuff on. We finished the day there at 1500h with a pair of hunting Peregrine Falcons.