A flock of 56 Whimbrel and 2 Bar Tailed Godwit on the Royal Porthcawl Golf Course was quickly fragmented by the first golfers. A Whinchat and Sedge Warbler were on the walls. A further 8 Whimbrel and 2 Gadwall were at Sker Pool and 20 Wheatear in the area.  A Cuckoo and 5 singing Lesser Whitethroats were at Merthyr Mawr.

Flock of 26 Whimbrel N over the barrage at 07:20, also 2 ‘flava’ Wagtails E and 2 Wheatear on the grass. Several hundred Sand Martin and 30+ Swift feeding over the Bay with a few Swallow and House Martin mixed in at 08:00. On the barrage rocks 3 Common Sand with another 3 on the banks of the Ely along John Batchelor Way.

Brynmill Park: 3 broods of young Mallards, 1 Moorhen with young, c. 12 Tufted Ducks.

2 Shelducks were close in on Blackpill Beach.

Grasshopper Warbler reeling there this afternoon.

A nice selection of waders this morning with 6 Whimbrel, 2 Sanderling which were moulting into summer plumage, 20+ Turnstone, 10+ Dunlin, mostly in summer plumage, 5 Ringed Plover, c.20 Oystercatcher [and Annie Irving had a Barwit], and 2 Wheatear flew along the beach.

4 Whimbrels and a Bar-tailed Godwit were on the beach at West Cross this evening, flying along to Blackpill as the tide rose.

5 Whimbrel on Sully Beach this morning at high tide, plus 10+ Dunlin in full summer plumage and 10 + Turnstone. 22 Oycs on Sully Island and a Rock Pipit on the foreshore just W of the Captains Wife.

I have received a report of a male and 2 fem Crossbills seen on a bush in a hedge near the stepping stones over the R. Ogmore on 24th from GBC member Mary Davis.

My first ever little ringed plover for the site was on Sker Point this morning. Also 22 whimbrel, 2 bar-tailed godwit, grey plover, 4 dunlin, 8 ringed plover, 30 sanderling, 2 greylags and 8 wheatear.

3 Wheatears were along Swansea seafront opposite Singleton Park on Wednesday evening – first I’ve seen there this year:

A scan of the estuary between Gowerton and Llanrhidian on the evening high tide produced counts of Black-headed Gull 248, Common Sandpiper 1, Curlew 11, Dunlin 17, Marsh Harrier 1, Sanderling 5, Wheatear 20 & Whimbrel 201.

At least 3 swifts in the usual spot just past UHOVI building

A bit late but I’ve been busy. There were 8 Whimbrel on the rocky beach at Sully this morning, level with the cricket pitch field. Alerted to their presence by Ceri Jones’ tweet. Srtill there at 11 when I left.

A Swift over Schooner Way late morning.

Four Common Sandpiper on the Barrage rocks earlier this morning along with 2 Wheatear and 6 White Wagtails.

Cetti’s Warbler and Reed Warbler singing, Grangemoor Park.
Cetti’s Warbler and Reed Warbler singing half a mile away to the west along the Ely Trail.

A Cuckoo was on Garth mountain this morning at 09:30. It then flew North towards Pentyrch and i didn’t see or hear it again for the remainder of my walk.

Good numbers of wheatears – my first for 2017 – this afternoon. Plenty of Willow Warblers and Whitethroat in the dunes (and lovely orchids). Usual suspects like Linnets, Oystercatchers, Turnstones.  On the way back, we saw three curlew type birds circling between the field at approx SS 794 794 and the coast (the tide was in). The jizz suggested Whimbrel and eventually I got close enough to the birds, which had now landed in the field, to distinguish the crown stripe and supercilium. I see three were reported here on 21st as well. There was at least one, possibly two, other curlew-whimbrel birds along the coast but we didn’t come to a conclusive conclusion on those.

Usual warblers in song but, surprise of the day was a Painted Lady butterfly along with Small White 2 Orange Tip 10 and Brimstone 2, have seen more butterflies this spring than ever before.

Reed Warbler singing at usual reed bed site.