3 Black Redstarts (2ad.m,1fem/imm) in Penarth Marina (Plas St.Andresse) 12:45.

Water Rail 1 Kingfisher 1 Buzzard 3 Black-headed Gull 51 Mallard 35 Grey Heron 1 Stonechat 2

3 stonechat (pair & second female), 1 snipe, 2 buzzard, 1 great spotted woodpecker and a cetti’s warbler on Sully Moors this morning.

Green & great spotted woodpeckers and a grey heron at Cadoxton Ponds this morning, along with 4 cetti’s warbler.

A black redstart was found this afternoon by Jez Smith, on the roof of the Sir Martin Evans Building (School of Biosciences), between Park Place and Museum Avenue.

Male Goosander on the moat this morning

This was a morning visit aimed at checking the Chough that have been present here the last week. There were two confiding Chough happily feeding on the common, but the other three that had included a ringed bird, appear to have moved on to feed elsewhere. A Guillemot was resting offshore. By 1030 I located two Black-throated Divers – I had initially been watching 1  for up to an hour when another popped up at around 1130 and flew strongly towards Sker Point. By the time I reached Rest Bay car park, the Gulls had moved up from the beach to the adjacent playing fields – 7 Mediterranean Gulls (6 ad winter & one second winter-plumaged bird, 10 Common Gull, 30 Black-headed Gull and a flock of approx 500 Starling around the old rest home.

NB – Rest Bay car parking is currently £1 all day for winter

Thirty six (36) Snipe in the flooded fields alongside the Ely river this morning.

6 scaup on the reserve this afternoon. Also adult med gull and 1 kingfisher.

5 scaup on the wetland reserve mid afternoon. Yesterday 2 black redstart at Penarth Marina (male and a very approachable female).

A female goldeneye was my first of the winter. Other birds were Gadwall 2, turnstone 5, goosander 3, little grebe 9 and a red kite drifted over Pant Norton. There were a couple of fieldfare feeding on berries at the Watermill.

Two Kingfishers, Rock and Meadow pipits, M/F Stonechats, Little Grebe, 4 Buzzards.
Also found a ladies pair of glasses under the bridge.
Contact me if there are yours.

Long-Tailed Duck very confiding to a few feet between 13.30 and 15.00hrs today, it was east of the sails.

A short search of the seafront area failed to locate the Snow Bunting that has been present of late. We moved on to Lock’s Common and quickly found 5 Chough feeding, one of them had what looked like one green ring on right leg. We were joined by an adult Mediterranean Gull that was pick feeding off the grass. A shag flew up-channel. It looks like all yesterday’s auks were with Dave at Sker, as there weren’t any here today!

Another good morning for auks with constant activity of birds passing by or landing on the sea. Some were close in allowing relatively easy separation of razorbills from guillemots. It was hard to come up with meaningful counts as birds seemed to be moving up and down the channel. At least four razorbills went down channel and there were 20 or guillemots in the 20 minutes my dogs let me sit still. Also great crested grebe, gannet, Brent goose (dark-bellied) and common scoter.

Got out in the fresh air this morning and away from world politics. Kenfig was bright and blustery with 2 GC Grebe, 5 Cormorant, 2 Teal, 2 Wigeon, 25 Gadwall, 24 Tufted Duck, 1 Goldeneye, 60 Coot, Water Rail heard, 1 Redshank and a Dunlin. Early afternoon on the rising tide at Porthcawl, the wind had strengthened north westerly and offshore were 87 Guillemot, 7 Razorbill, 2 Kittiwake and an adult Mediterranean Gull. The Salt Lake car park held 89 Black-headed Gulls and a different adult Mediterranean Gull.

Caught up with the Long-Tailed Duck this afternoon (2:00p.m.) at a very cold and windy Cardiff Bay. It seemed to favour the area near the ferry jetty east of the ‘Sails’, diving with four dabbling mallards.

Left and drove to a sunny Roath Park to catch great views of the female Pintail on the east shore (about 3:15 p.m.). Other ducks of note 6 Shoveller, a distant Gadwall and 3 Teal. A juvenile Little Egret was sunning itself on a perch above the Cormorant roost.

Long-tailed Duck still present just east of the sails.

Some photos from this morning in rather nicer light than yesterday.

A female pintail was present at the “wild” end of the lake today (my 1st pintail at this site), along with a pair of wigeon, 7 shoveller, 5 teal and a GBB gull.

Obliging Snow Bunting on the promenade in Porthcawl mid-morning, below Seabank Hotel and Booths blue cafe kiosk. 2 Chough still present on the common. Flock of 120+ Golden Plover flew over common heading inland. Few Turnstone on the rocks.

The Lesser Scaup was reported at Cosmeston this morning, and it had also been logged at The Knap lake, Barry.