By the new path past the environment centre this morning: 1 Common Redstart [fem and poss also a male but just a glimpse if it was], 2 Wheatear, and 5-6 phylloscs incl 1 singing Willow Warbler. Near the environment centre, 1 White Wagtail, and on the barrage rocks 4 Linnets. 1 male Grey Wag in the Dr. Who dock. No sign of any Little Gulls in the 100’s of Black-heads.

The 3 Little Gulls found by Matt Meehan yesterday were still present this morning up to 11:45. 2 AdW birds and an imm. Also 1 2ndS Med Gull. Best viewed from around Pendeen House which is more or less on the corner about 200m towards the R. Taff entrance, from Prospect Place.

No sign of the Redstart that my friend Wayne Strong saw yesterday in W. Paddock. There are 3 Gadwall still hanging around in the small bay of W lake [2 drakes and a duck]. Several Blackcaps around the wooded area opposite the wooden bridge by mile road. A 3rd yr Yellow-legged Gull is still around on E lake with the Lesser Black-backs. It has a clean white head, still brown colouration on the flight feathers, but the ‘saddle’, mantle, or upper back is that warm grey colour typical of YLGulls. Quite a few Swallows seen this morning too.

First singing Blackcap in garden yesterday. Also singing Chiffchaff. Reed bunting still visiting but less regular now. Goldfinch, chaffinch, great, blue, coal and long tailed tits, great spotted woodpecker (also drumming), nuthatch, house sparrow, dunnock, robin, wren, blackbird, song thrush, magpie, jackdaw, carrion crow, wood pigeon, collared dove. Still awaiting first hirundines over.

A common sandpiper and a male and female goosander

from Friday at fenrod lake 4 swallows and 10 sand martins

tonight in llandarcy a pair of lapwings back on territory and a snipe was flushed

Nice to find a Caspian gull in daylight. This 2nd Cal Year was present for 30minutes from 9.30am before flying up the River Taff. Excellent series of photos by Peter Howlett.

Fairly quiet this morning but several Willow Warblers were singing by the E lake path adjacent the golf course. Also M & F Reed Bunts together in E lake reeds and a pair of GC Grebes ‘dancing’ on E lake.

Wayne Strong and Graham Smith had an interesting aberrant plumaged Willow Warbler which got their pulses racing! Follow this link: https://twitter.com/wmspenarth/status/982939689484156928

Drake Scaup back again from St.David’s Hotel boardwalk.

Good gathering of hirundines this eve, with c.20 Swallow, 30 Sand Martin and my first House Martin. 2 drake Teal dropped in on W lake. Kingfisher seen briefly and an ad Heron was on the far side of W lake.

Apparent pair of Slavonian grebes displaying on the Inlet. Nice to watch.

Also reasonable numbers of rb merganser (8+) but no count possible.

Sand Martin 10 House Martin 2 Swallow 3 White Wagtail 2 Willow Warbler 2 Blackcap 1 Greenfinch 3

and Chiffchaff 4 Morgan Jones Park.

Cosmeston late a.m. Best was a surprise first for me at Cossie – a Marsh Harrier circling over W paddock, harassed and eventually chased off by LBBGulls. For once I hadn’t taken the ‘proper’ camera so struggled to get the bridge camera to focus but managed 1 record shot. At least 6 Blackcap noted singing plus Chiffies and a coupe of Willow Warbler. Also had my first Swallows – 3 flew through over W paddock with a lone Sand Martin.

Nuthatch collecting mud. Mother and baby doing well.

Three Willow Warblers singing.

Cossie this morning. Not much to report. A fem type Scaup was sleeping on W lake and there was a drake Shoveler there too. A Peregrine shot through over Cogan Wood. Other than that Chiffie, Willow Warbler and Blackcap singing. Grabbed a couple of shots of a Chiffie, incl in full song, and a Buzzard overlooking W lake. Noted a Coot on a nest on E lake.

Two Willow Warblers and one Cetti’s singing (Grangemoor Park), two Blackcaps, five Chiffs.

Four Chiffs, 2 Blackcaps, one Willow Warbler (Sanatorium Park) all singing this morning.

1 April: willow warbler, 3 brambling (2m, f), jack snipe. Large numbers of siskin and goldfinch. Latest ringing news HERE.

Singing blackcap moving through Fairwater Cons Club in Cardiff this morning. Singing chiffchaff on Ely trail by Penarth Road, and a Kingfisher.

Single Willow Warbler and Blackcap in song this morning.

Started out at Carmel NNR  – treecreeper, bullfinch, willow warbler, nuthatch, red kite, dunnock, jay. On to Dryslwyn – 20+ whooper swans, goosander pair.