Two swifts over the stables this evening and 8 house martins. At least 7 swallows back at the riding school.

sorry for the none sighting

tmtovey – it turns out that BRX isn’t a Cosmeston bird!

it was ringed on 12/02/2012 at Redesmere, Siddington, Cheshire – 210km from where you saw it!

Rich

31 Chiffs, 2 willwa, 9 spotted flys, 115 house martin and 8 sand martin made up the migrants moving through this morning

Black-neck grebe still present at 17:30 – seen with Andrew Lucas

A weekend ringing on Flat Holm resulted in 180 birds of 18 species being ringed – with good numbers of blackcap, goldcrest, willow warblers, chiffchaffs and house martins ringed. Two sedge and reed warbler were also caught, as was a treecreeper; this being only the fourth time the species has been caught on the island, the last being in 1998!

Conditions were particularly good on Saturday with 118 birds ringed; this left little time for birding on a day when the island was hopping with birds! 38 species seen (including those ringed)in total with good numbers of whinchat, wheatear, swallows, house martins and meadow pipits moving on the island.

5 spotted flycatchers, 10 chiffs, 66 sand martin and a blackcap were the highlights this morning – plus the ‘resident’ swallows of course

4 Spotted flycatcher and a wheatear were the highlights among 27 species.

Via James Vafidis

Eider at Blackpill this morning

This weekend saw the annual gull ringing trip. Haven’t toted up the totals from the ringing teams yet but its roughly 140 lesser and a dozen or so herring gulls. Billy Whiz also caught three meadow pipits and a rock pippit

Other species recorded – woodpigeon, shellduck, oystercatcher, blackcap, robin, dunnock, swallow, raven, magpie, greenfinch, blackbird, wren, meadow and rock pipit and pied wagtail.

Saw my first swift of 2014 over Cardiff Riding School this evening. About a dozen swallows are back a the site.

Earlier today on the Taff between western avenue and canton bridge – four goosander in two pairs, and two common sandpipers.

15 or so hawfinch put on a good show yesterday at Forest Ganol for myself, Rob Thomas, James Vafidis and a bunch of stats course students.

Headed out for a Winter Thrush Survey of Cardiff Riding School yesterday to clear the boxing day cobwebs:

Blackbirds 24 – included 6 ringed as part of the Cardiff Blackbird Project (http://www.cardiffblackbirds.blogspot.co.uk/)

Mistle Thrush 2, Song Thrush 2 and 51 Starling.

Biggest surprise was the 423 redwing, highest count I’ve had for the site, which were recorded in three groups. The first near the allotments next to the river comprised 25 fly which flew north east. Walking from the Blackweir end of the paddocks back towards western avenue a second flock of 212 was moving between two trees in the paddock closest to the weir which flew east into Bute Park, and shortly after a separate group of 186 were feeding in “Pope’s Field” (large square paddock next to Pontcanna Fields).

No fieldfares yet.

No sign of the lesser Scaup at Cossie this morning but there appeared to be a good candidate for a ring-necked duck:

Tufted duck sized, looked a bit stockier, grey flanks, black back, no tuft (just a bump) and a bill with a distinct white band at the base and another behind a large black tip. It was with a large group of tufted ducks by the board walk in front of the cafe, east lake. Didn’t seem overly tame. I have very bad field sketch but didn’t think to get a photo.

Might be worth checking out by the cossie regulars.

Here is the appalling field sketch done in a bit of a hurry as was on my way to a meeting

Only other thing of note there was a single shoveler (east lake)

Male Bearded Tit seen in the reedbed in front of St David’s Hotel while watching the roosting starlings with James Vafidis, Martin Thomas and Wayne Morris. Two Cetti’s Warblers and three water rail calling.

Wood pigeon passage evident over River Taff this morning as I walked to the Cardiff Riding School for a winter thrush survey.  Compared to Steve Young’s count (see below) it was a modest passage of 5300 woodpigeons in 15 minutes. About 50 non migrating woodpigeons were on the winter thrushes survey along with 16 blackbirds, 1 mistle thrush and 8 redwing.

Not many thrushes at the riding school for my winter thrush survey today:

The walk home along the river turned up:

Recorded on a walk around the Cardiff Riding School paddocks on the way home from work:

Spotted Fly was new to the site for me and the Jackdaw roost was great to see as always.

Sadly it appears the swallows have left the stables for the year.

The latest issue of Birds in Wales (the journal of the Welsh Ornithological Society) is out now and contains two papers relating to birds in Glamorgan

Life of the edge – the changing fortunes of Dartford Warblers in Glamorgan (Paul Roberts)

Population size, ecology and movements of gulls breeding on Flat Holm Island (Viola Ross-Smith et al.)

Each volume of Birds in Wales cost £7 pounds each but as a member you receive two volumes a year plus the Welsh Bird Report for £15 – bargain! http://www.birdsinwales.org.uk/membership/membership.htm

24 species during a quick lunchtime walk – highlight was a lesser whitethroat which is a new species for the site for me. For those that are interested the full list can be viewed on BirdTrack http://blx1.bto.org/birdtrack/main/data-home.jsp