Author: Rob Thomas

Kenfig West

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Sidings: a flock of 20 mistle thrush, 3 chiffchaffs in a tit flock. Morfa tip: 1 white wagtail and 2 pied wagtails.

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Another day, another wagtail 😉

Rivermarsh: 2 gadwall, 1 wigeon, 28 teal, 59 mallard, 10 mute swans, 2 little grebes, 2 snipe, 5 lapwings, 3 kestrels, 3 herons etc. Foreshore (high tide): 29 sanderling, 13 dunlin, 6 ringed plover, 3 GBB gulls.

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Colour-ringed sanderling; G3WGBR, ringed at Sadgerði Harbour, Iceland (64.02.09 N 22.42.36 W) on 28/5/2013. Thanks to Jeroen Reneerkens for the speedy information!

Today’s visit completes 1 year of (more or less) weekly visits to sample invertebrates at the river marsh. A change in projects means that I’ll be visiting less frequently now, but it has been great to get to know this area well -highlights over the year have included bearded tit, garganey, purple heron, woodchat shrike, little stint, greenshank, red-throated diver, merlin, little egret, gadwall, pintail, mediterranean gull and (dead) barn owl!

Lisvane Reservoir

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A massive goshawk caused panic among the gulls and wildfowl. No sign of the interesting yellow/citrine wagtail this morning, to 12:00. Note that it was only seen (v briefly) on the 13th, and was not seen on the 14th (I posted the photos here on the 14th after discussion of the photo I put on Facebook). Here is the raw image of the sharpest of the 3 photos that I got, in case anyone wants to try some digital wizardry!

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North Cardiff

On By Rob ThomasIn Sightings2 Comments

Lisvane: 1 greylag and 1 hybrid among 96 Canadas, 10 gc grebes included 2 stripy-headed young, 12 little grebes, 66 tufties, no pochard at the moment, 18 mallards, 16 coots, 2 cormorants, 1 kingfisher.

Llanishen: 2 teal, 2 mutes, 3 mallard, green woodpecker and male sparrow hawk.

Roath: 1 kingfisher, 2 teal, 2 wigeon, 131 Canadas, juv LBB gull yellow K+V, gs woodpecker etc.

For those who may be interested, my monthly wildlife column in the local “Lisvane Link” community magazine is now available online, at http://lisvanewildlife.wordpress.com 🙂

My only two usable photos of yesterday’s yellow wagtail at Lisvane, which Dave Boyle points out is quite grey and stripy… unfortunately the views were brief and distant, and no calls were heard.

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Kenfig West

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River marsh this evening: 1 pintail, 1 wigeon, 18 teal, just 8 mallard, 1 greenshank (later flew to Morfa tip long pool), 3 little grebe, 8 lapwing, 1 kingfisher, 2 juv wheatears around the dunes.

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Foreshore (low tide): 56 sanderling, 1 curlew, 21 oystercatchers, 2 Mediterranean gulls (ad and subad; the adult was green ringed on left leg, white letters = 9M or W6, but other letter(s) underwater!), 4 GBB gulls.

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Around Glamorgan

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Lisvane (today): 1F teal and an influx of 17 little grebes, 2 pochard, 88 tufties, 32 coots, 24 mallards, 8 gc grebes, 1 heron, 6 sand martins in a mixed flock of c80 hirundines, raven and siskin over.

Llanishen (today): 2 mute swans, 2 herons, 2 mute swans, 8 mallards, jay and chiffchaff.

Roath Park Lake (today): 1F wigeon, 2F teal, 2 little grebes, 1 kingfisher, and the Chairman of the RSPB jogging past. No sign of Friday’s shoveller.

CBWR (4th Sept.): ad winter mediterranean gull on the boardwalk railings.

Rhaslas (5th Sept.): 11 tufties, 16 pied wags and 5 wheatears feeding along the shoreline, but no waders. A small turtle basking on a piece of wood in the small pond at the car park has been identified (by Dave Boyle) as a Map Turtle, Graptemys geographica. Image

Lisvane Reservoir

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Following the sale last Friday of both Lisvane and Llanishen Reservoirs to Celsa Steel (see http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-23950858), I made my first visit back to Lisvane Reservoir land since Western Power (bless them) decided to ban me last October(!)  The security guard (who presumably now works for Celsa) let me in OK and nothing further was mentioned. Despite some great mud in front of the car park, nothing too surprising bird-wise, but plenty of regulars; 12 gc grebes, 5 little grebes, 110 tufties, 1 pochard, 27 coots, 24 mallards, 4 Canadas, no mute swans today, 3 grey wags and 2 goldcrests.

Just up the road this evening on Mill Close, a very tame young fox -here being stalked by my daughter Bryony!

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Rhaslas

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With John Williams; Garganey still present (looks like the bird found by Mike Hogan on 25/8)

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Also, 1F wigeon, 2 snipe, 1 little grebe, 16 tufties, 92 Canadas, c20 mallards, 1 grey heron,  1 wheatear and a moulting yellow-legged type gull. No sign of the recent curlew sandpipers.

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Lisvane & Llanishen Reservoirs

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Highlight was this rather poorly marked garganey on Lisvane (thanks to Shane Faulkner and Mark Hipkin for the ID advice). Apologies for the dodgy photos -it was a long way off! Just about visible are: pale loral spot, pale chin/throat, dark cheek bar, dark lower mandible on longish dark grey bill.

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Also at Lisvane: 10 sand martins (passage), 1 little egret, 1 grey heron, 2 little grebes, 8 GC grebes (including a pair still on eggs on the floating platform), 8 pochard, 11 mallard, 2 mute swans, 100+ tufties and lots of coots. On Llanishen: 1 mallard and 1 grey heron.

Kenfig West, Friday 2nd Aug

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Late news due to problems posting on the website. Further to Mark Hipkin’s posting for Aug 3rd:

I also had no waders on the rivermarsh on the 2nd, which I blamed on the cattle who were just coming out of the mud as I arrived. Present at the north end of the mud were 3 little egrets and 4 grey herons. An adult peregrine put up 67 mallard but no teal. On the foreshore were 56 sanderling, 1 summer plumaged dunlin, 1 oystercatcher and among the gulls was a colour ringed juv [yellow A+H] which is one of Peter Rock’s birds ringed in Bristol.

Yellow A+H, and colleagues

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Rhaslas Pond

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Great to meet up with Mike Hogan for a lap of Rhaslas in the drizzle. Best bird was a single turnstone, which flew off high to the south before either of us could get a photo. Other waders present were 1 oystercatcher (photo), 1 lapwing and 1 curlew. 53 Canadas and 4 mallards flew in while we were there late-morning

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Lisvane Reservoir & Roath Park Lake

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Dusk visit, to Lisvane only: 1 common sandpiper, 152 tufties, 7 pochards, 61 coots, 25 mallards, 12 GC grebes, 19 Canadas, 2 mute swans, 1 juv heron and 10 BH gulls among the larger gulls in the roost.

Earlier, at Roath Park Lake: 1 kingfisher (N end), ad. heron and various colour-ringed LBB gulls, white F+P, white D+B, black 7N2, red 5YF, blue U+M, and dark blue CHX. Two of these were new for me at the lake.

Kenfig West

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Late news from yesterday, July 26th (I’ve only just registered for the excellent new website!)

Kenfig Rivermarsh: 1 greenshank, 3 dunlin (2 summer-plumaged), 17 lapwings, 1 male gadwall among 24 mallards and 11 teal, 1 kingfisher, 4 grey herons, 2 little grebes, etc.

Foreshore: 21 sanderlings, 15 oystercatchers, 18 GBB gulls, c120 BH gulls, 1 gannet offshore.

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Dead slow-worm found near the coast-path boardwalk.

Earlier on the 26th with Rich Facey, 2 peregrines at the Millennium Stadium and subad. LBB gull white [D+C] on the Taff Embankment nearby. Like Dan, I was surprised to see a brimstone (Lisvane) but I see there is a late-summer increase in activity of brimstones as they build up fat reserves prior to hibernation http://www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/species.php?species=rhamni