Sand martin over the marsh this morning.
Chiffchaff singing from Oxwich Burrows.
Greylags chasing around over the reebed. Siskin present among the larger flocks of goldfinch and greenfinch. 5 Buzzard soaring over the marsh.

Of 31 kittiwakes around the pier, 22 were sitting on the artificial ledges this morning.
Also 24 Med gulls at Bracelet, 2 female eider flew into the bay (these appear to roost offshore / maybe on the outer head), and shags at Bracelet, the Outer Head and Rams Tor.

A 1w little gull with 72 black-headed gulls roosting on the high tide off the Oxwich Bay Hotel this morning. Also a great crested grebe.
Waterfowl appear to have decreased in the marsh, with only 15 teal, 15 mallard and a female shoveler this am. A kingfisher was a bonus.
Still two eider off Mumbles (imm male and a female) and a peregrine was hunting over Mumbles Hill yesterday am.

A kittiwake on Oxwich Pond this morning (assumedly still recovering after the stormy weather), along with at least 10 shoveler (an increase since Jan). No decent count of other waterfowl as they were hiding in the margins.
Quick trip around Whiteford: peregrine hunting the creeks on Cwm Ivy Marsh, counts of 1380 golden plover, 1430 lapwing (both The Groose), 317 dunlin, and 25 eider (both Berges Island). Another 3 kitts and a razorbill all looking miserable off Burges Island.
Frog spawn in the fields opposite the first area of plantation was my first of the year.

28 kittiwakes sitting on the sea near the pier this afternoon.
Also an eider (male) in the bay, a fulmar off Rams Tor and a few shags around the Outer Head.
Dartfords vocal in the sunshine this afternoon

Firecrest at Overton Sewage Treatment Works. With approx. 10 goldcrest, blue tits etc. The area of woodland by the STW is fairly small, so should be OK to re-find if it sticks around.
Other stuff included Dartford warbler, 5 purple sandpiper at Sedger’s Bank, a light-bellied brent among a flock of six brents at Porteynon (Rob Taylor had had 2 l-b brents earlier) and 34 ringed plover. Lots of sparrowhawk activity, with hunting birds seen at Overton village, Porteynon (male) and Overton STW.
3 Fulmar off Longhole Cliff.
Also found a very recently dead mole. Assumedly had surfaced as the ground was saturated. Have found 2 at Overton in the last year and one near Brandy Cove.

A great northern diver in the bay eventually flew west.
43 ringed plover on the beach at low water.
6 buzzard and 7 raven over the cliff towards Slade.

The female mandarin was to the right of the hide first thing. Roosting with mallard. Then moved into the area where the teal roost a bit further away (also to the right of the hide on the near shore). Counts of 48 teal, 32 mallard, 22 gadwall, 6 little grebe. Est 6-7 shoveler, but no decent count of them.

A red-throated diver was foraging close in off the Oxwich Bay Hotel. Flocks of 120+ black-headed gull, 2 Med gull and small numbers of common gull also present.

A peregrine flew across the bay at Porteynon – and caused a bit of havoc in a gull flock at Slade.

3 Eider still off Mumbles Pier

Red-throated diver and (approximately) 225 common scoter off Oxwich Point this morning. Sea too choppy for accurate count – they were closer to the point yesterday. Also 20+ guillemot, 6 shag (with Paul Tyrell).
On the marsh waterfowl included 52 teal (my highest count of the year), 23 mallard, 14 gadwall, 6 shoveler, kingfisher. 25 snipe yesterday. Flyover redpoll and a flock of siskin present. 3 tawny owl males calling around the edges of the marsh yesterday morning pre-dawn.
Marsh tit (3) in Oxwich Woods.
On the beach 17 ringed plover and 43 oystercatcher (yesterday), with 3 great crested grebe close inshore.

A short seawatch (30 mins) this morning from the Tutt resulted in 1 red-throated diver, 1 unidentified diver species, 2 fulmar, 11 kittiwakes and small numbers of auks (GU/RZ).
2 female eiders off the pier again this morning. No sign of imm male.

08:20-09:20
Distant skua species Arctic/pom flew west just after 09:00. Looked heavy, but not seen well enough to id to species.
Otherwise: red-throated diver 4, common scoter 5, fulmar 3, steady movement of kittiwakes (30+) and guillemots, and a shag at Bracelet.
Could only find 1 Eider (sub-adult male) off Mumbles Pier first thing.

16 purple sandpiper on Sedgers Bank was my highest ever Gower count. Also 14 turnstone, redshank, little egret, and small flocks of oystercatcher and curlew. 6 shag close in.

Also 26 ravens over the cliffs above Holy’s Wash (between Slade and Oxwich Point). Birds displaying / tumbling and calling. Two chough also present.

Slavonian grebe close inshore at Burges Island. Also a rb merg (male) and 51 eider there.
46 black-tailed godwit, 162 sanderling and 49 ringed plover among the waders on Whiteford Sands
800+ lapwing with 44 golden plover at The Groose
4 eider off Mumbles Pier, and 11 Med gulls in Bracelet car park.

Porteynon: 6 purple sandpiper (including the one above), 31 ringed plover, dunlin, redshank, sanderling, little egret, 13 turnstone and a snipe (unusually) on Sedger’s Bank, and 2 Med gulls with 164 black-headed and 56 common gulls on the beach. 2 red-throated divers flew west out of the bay. 8 shag.
Oxwich: 46 teal, 17 gadwall, 6 shoveler, 4 wigeon on freshwater pools. 439 common gull at Nicholaston Pill. No sign of Mandarin.
Eider (2) off Mumbles Pier (sub ad male and a female).

Female mandarin apparently still present at Oxwich (per Nick Edwards of NRW).
Quick kick around Mumbles Hill this morning only resulted in 2 blackcap.
However, there appeared to be 2 divers well offshore from Knab Rock (too distant to speciate with bins and no time to get closer) – may be worth a look.
4 eider (3 fem 1 sub ad male) were present off the pier / Knab earlier this week, but were not present yesterday.

A great northern diver just west of the point (wouldn’t be visible from the bay), actively foraging close inshore. The bird called repeatedly for a short time at about 13:00 – which in the calm conditions could be heard for quite some distance – really nice. Also 35 curlew in permanent pasture above the point, a Dartford warbler, 3 porpoise, 3 shag, and a count of 427 common scoter (very distant and would have been best viewed from the cliffs near Pennard or the tor at Nicholaston). Didn’t have a good enough view of the inshore waters of the bay to look for RT Diver or grebes.

Sub adult male eider actively foraging off Knab Rock / Verdi’s
Med gull counts at Bracelet lower at present – 11 this am.
2 redshank, shag.

710 Common Scoter in Oxwich Bay. Distant, and best views from the eastern end (Shire Combe west of Southgate) today. Spent an hour scanning through them, but too far away to be confident no other scoter species present.
Pwll Du: 2 Med gulls, razorbill, 2 shag
Pobbles to the Oxwich Bay Hotel: 423 common gull, 29 black-headed gull, 14 Med gull. Group of 9 female teal on sea. 2 GC Grebe.
Oxwich Marsh: 27 gadwall, 13 greylag geese etc
Chough at High Tor, Deep Slade and Shire Combe (all Southgate area).

A firecrest this morning at SS5029 8730
Also peregrine, sparrowhawk, redpoll (west), several water rail and small scale movement of skylark noted.