The adult Bonaparte’s Gull was showing well with the Black-headed Gull flock at 08.45 this morning. It was sat on the water throughout my visit and was seen from the Penarth Marina side of the bay looking back towards the St David’s Hotel and showed only the smallest signs of attaining a hood. This was the only place this morning where it was possible to view the birds due to the strong light from the ice rink side. The Little Gull, 200 Sand Martins and 12 Turnstone were also present.

Black-throated Diver still present and showing very well on East Lake, as well as Kingfisher. Marsh Tit in Cogan Wood and gorgeous male Lesser Redpoll near Dragonfly Pond. No sign of Bonaparte’s Gull at Heliport.

A classic and very showy “tristis” Siberian Chiffchaff was around the East Pool Marsh and later the northern boardwalk this morning. Also three Common Chiffchaffs, two of which were briefly in song. A mini influx of 2 Great Crested Grebes, 3 Goldeneye and 3 Tufted Ducks, unbelievably made it my best count of diving birds on the pool since the 5th January…

A Kittiwake and a first winter Little Gull still on the beach among the hordes of dog walkers at lunchtime.

Quite a busy high tide with the adult Little Gull and first summer Kittiwake still present off the point, while a Razorbill and a drake Common Scoter were close inshore and at least 12 Great Crested Grebes on the sea was a very high count for the site. The wader roost contained 4 Purple Sandpipers and 53 Turnstones of note and a female/imm Merlin was chasing Linnets near the coastguard hut.

A Guillemot flew in and plopped down on the pool right in front of the South Hide and a Siberian Chiffchaff was seen briefly around the South Pool Beach. Rather surprisingly there was little else of note given the weather yesterday.

A pair of Peregrines were displaying this afternoon.

The Black-throated Diver showed well in difficult conditions on the waterfront side of the dock in front of the flats towards the Premier Inn.

High tide this morning produced 3 Grey Plovers, 3 Purple Sandpipers, 113 Oystercatchers, 17 Turnstones, 41 Curlews, 28 Sanderling and masses of Black-headed Gulls on the extensive floods.

A cracking couple of hours this afternoon produced a hunting Short-eared Owl, a female/immature Merlin, two ringtail Hen Harriers, a Red Kite and a very brief glimpse of two Great White Egrets going into roost – unfortunately they landed around the back of the usual tree as did most of the Little Egrets today.

At least ten Hawfinches present at around 09.00. Birds were ground feeding and flying up into the canopy approximately 50 – 75 metres in along the bottom track. They were also visible from the top road from opposite the large walled house with the security cameras.

A rather quiet first visit of the year before the rain returned. Numbers of wildfowl were way down from my last visit, but  some were probably hidden in the reeds. The only sightings of note was a drake Goldeneye and a Bittern flying in from the south high over pool before it dropped somewhere in the region of The Target Pond. I suspect that this was a new arrival or a bird coming from the river mouth to the pool as it was already high when I picked it up some 150 m south of the pool and it didn’t come down in the reeds around the pool.

An amazing count of 206 Mallard on the pool this afternoon which is a record for me – I would be interested to know of any historical higher counts. Also present was a female Northern Pintail of note. A Bittern showed extremely well in the first cut from the South Pool Hide – out in the open for a good five minutes at about 15.30, the Siberian Chiffchaff was with a mobile Long-tailed Tit flock to the right of the hide and a Common Chiffchaff was in a gorse bush in the East Pool Fields. Otherwise a Redshank was on the East Pool Shore and seven Common Snipe were in the East Pool Marsh.

A Bittern showed well form south pool hide today and the Siberian Chiffchaff was seen briefly from there. Otter again present and finally some ducks – 6 Wigeon, 2 Tufted Duck, 4 Shoveler, 5 Teal and 70+ Mallard. Later at Hafod Farm a Brambling weas with at least 150 Chaffinches.

Two Great White Egrets this evening roosting at Llanrhidian with 37 Little Egrets. Also two Hen Harriers present. Among the usual masses of birds at Whiteford were two female Merlin, Red Kite sat on the beach eating a dead fish, Peregrine, 70 + Eider, 3 Red-breasted Mergansers and two female Common Scoter, but no Slavonian Grebes.