A Hobby few over Caerphilly Castle last evening chasing the Sand Martin a flock of 40. Also Kingfisher and two Ravens and two Swifts. The ‘Wild Meadow’ is doing much better this year and it looks like they have prepared other flower beds.

Nice morning at PCD. Birds Redstart Green and Great Spotted WP Raven Blackcap Cap Willow Warbler Chiffchaff. Dragonflies; Broad Bodied Chaser 8 five females together on bramble, Large Red, Blue-tailed and Azure Damselflies. Leps; Green veined White Orange Tip and Common Blue and up to 10 Orange Underwing moths

Three large flocks of Herring Gulls amounting 550 birds, Goosander 1 Gadwall 2 Wigeon 6 Redshank 10 Stonechat 2 Chiffchaff 2 Linnet 28 at at the Watermill Teal 22

Signs of spring. Singing Blackcap 1 Chiffchaff 4 Song Thrush 2 also Goldcrest Buzzard 8 displaying. More hedge has been laid looks really amazing new drains too-someone has been hard at work.

A female Goldeneye was a nice surprise a pair of Great Created Grebes displaying Teal 4 Pochard 1 lots of Tufted Duck.

Nice trip to the bay today star of the Show was a Common Sandpiper also Turnstone 6 Redshank 4 Goosander 7 a hybrid Scaup/Tufted Duck Common Gull 6 and a Gull looking like an immature Caspian Gull but could not say for certain.

Sunday 16th Jan

Five Crossbills feeding in the Alders also a mixed flock of Siskin 40 Cole Tit10 Goldfinch 10 Blue Tit 8 and a Nuthatch. Raven 4 Goosander 1 with 24 Mallard.

Sunday 12th December Goosander 22 including fifteen males on the west lake.

A walk through the forest this morning much evidence of logging presumably Larch. Chaffinch a flock of 12 Jay 4 Nuthatch 3 Great Spotted Woodpecker 3 Tree Creeper 1 Mistle Thrush 1 Redwing 3 Cole Tit 1 Blue Tit 6 Great Tit 2 and lots of Robins.

A quick walk around the moat this morning there were 9 Goosander 5 of which were males a drake Teal 5 Cormorants 50 Coot 6 Moorhen 1 Shelduck and lots of Black-headed Gulls.

Five Goosander 1 male 2 immature male and two redheads. Coot 50 Black-headed Gull 80

Can anyone please identify this duck.

Migrant Hawker male Cosmeston 12th October.

There were at least ten Chiffchaffs, Goldcrest 1 Green Woodpecker 1 Swallow 3 on the lakes Tufted Duck 30 . At the Dragonfly Ponds a bird seen briefly diving in to the reeds we thought was a Reed Warbler Other: Common Darter 8 Southern Hawker 3 Migrant Hawker 10 Red Admiral 2 Large White 1

An amazing 208 Coot Mute Swan 73 Tufted Duck 13 Teal 4 Moorhen 10. Two colour ringed L/B/B/ Gull and one Black-headed Gull. Also a pair of Coot with four recently hatched chicks.

A buddleia bush near the dragonfly pools was loaded with butterflies two of which were High Brown Fritillaries we saw another later. The other butterflies were Red Admiral 8 Peacock 10 Painted lady 1 Gate Keeper 1. There was a general coming and going and therefore the number of individuals could have been higher. Could not get a pic of the Frit.

on the bird front Red Kite Buzzard 2 Raven 1 Green WP 1 Great Spotted WP 1 Chiffchaff 2

Dragonflies: Southern Hawker 3 Common Darter 8 Emerald Damselfly 6 and a Blue-tailed Damselfly

A recently fledge Wheatear lots of Sand Martins

Dipper 1 Grey Wagtail 8 birds of which two were juveniles Stock Dove 5 flew in front of the new hide Reed Warbler 2 Whitethroat 1 Chiffchaff 1 Long-tailed Tit 8. Also Ringlet 4 and Meadow Brown 6 and a visit to the pool produced 6 Azure Blue damselflies. It was good to see Cliff Woodhead at the reserve.

Goosander 2 drakes near the jetty Great Crested Grebe 24 Mute Swan 35 a Mute Swan and GCG nesting close proximity. Lots of ‘hirundines’ over the bay difficult to estimate numbers, mostly Swifts. Others: Kingfisher 1 Reed Warbler 7 Cetti’s 4 Whitethroat 2 Blackcap 1 Chiffchaff 1 Reed Bunting 2.