What a pleasant 20 minutes on Beach Road on the incoming tide this afternoon.

Purple sandpiper 16, grey plover 8, ringed plover 18 (probably more hidden amongst the pebbles) dunlin 8 and at least 19 turnstones.

Decided on a mother’s day walk at Porthcawl by way of a change. Lots of people but Sky Lark and a pair of Stonechat on the common, and an almost full AdS Med Gull was in the field at the back of Rest Bay carpark.

Late afternoon after the dog walkers had gone.

Goosander 2, goldeneye 19, redshank 8, curlew 22(flying over going to roost) little grebe 2, oystercatcher 5 and a single common sandpiper.

17 Goldeneye on the river seen from Portobello, 6 male & 11 female.  100+ Herring Gull, with only a few Black-headed Gulls seen. The only wader seen was a single Redshank.

2 Grey Heron and 1 Little Egret at the Watermill.

A very spring-like feel in the woods this morning. Birdsong was in full swing including several great spotted woodpecker drumming. Of note: three grey wagtail along the river; one dipper and two separate sightings of single redwing ground feeding near the bike path by the Railway Inn.

https://mrdjhicks.wordpress.com/2016/03/05/clyne-woods/

The 2 Marsh Tits were active in Cogan Wood and a male GS ‘Pecker showed [probably the one that was drumming yesterday]. The Lesser Scaup was on E lake but quite mobile and a brief Cetti’s song heard near the main boardwalk.

Four yellowhammers! Hooray!   Whilst putting out some seed

A Great Spotted Woodpecker was drumming in Cogan Wood this morning. A Sprawk flew over W paddock and the Lesser Scaup was on E lake. Other than that, pretty quiet. Lol Middleton had counted 50 odd Pochard which included, I think, 13 females.

Mediterranean Gull on grassed area south of Sully school early this morning, and Rooks busy nest-building near the church. Grey Plover, Dunlin and Ringed Plover on the beach shortly after high tide. On Sully Moors, Stock Dove, Stonechat, Chiffchaff, Sparrowhawk and 31 Pied Wagtail.

Did the complete 10 km circuit of Cardiff Bay this morning – now knackered! Not much bird-wise except aout 1500 Black-headed Gulls, but of interest there was a colour-ringed Redshank [with a second un-ringed bird] at the mouth of the R. Ely by Penarth Marina with the following credentials:

Upper left leg – orange above a metal ring

Lower left leg – yellow above white

Upper right leg – green above red

Red Kite high over the village this afternoon – first I’ve seen here.

I managed to grab a couple of snaps but, although they confirm ID, the quality at that distance is not good.

 

Red Kite 1 Goshawk 1 Buzzard 2 Willow Tit 1 Nuthatch 2 No Siskins seem or heard but, a small group of |Crossbills were heard flying over.

2-3 Tawny Owls engaged in territorial dispute in Clyne Woods at 6.30-6.45 p.m.

30 curlew, 20 Oycs, 1 redshank….

Fed up with the wind and rain? Come to KNNR tonight and pretend you’re on the E coast of China in the spring, watching migrants come through! My talk on birding in E China tonight at 7:45 p.m.

Hooray – I finally caught up with the 2 Marsh Tits in Cogan Wood, ironically when I was chatting to someone and not really looking. There were 30 Pochard on W lake of which just 2 were females. The Lsr Scaup was sheltering on E lake in the lee of the central path.

Good to see over 30 kittiwake back on what’s left of the nesting platforms on the old lifeboat station this morning

Five Grey Wagtail on the outflow at Llwyn On reservoir yesterday morning, and 17 Cormorant on the reservoir or in trees alongside. A couple of Grey Heron at the northern end.

A good look around the northern clearfell at Garwnant but no luck with the Great Grey Shrike seen there recently. Present were Crossbills, Kestrel, Siskin, Bullfinch pair, Green Woodpecker, Jay and, in the field north of the Visitor Centre exit road, a 60+ Chaffinch flock (possibly quite a few more, but hard to see the whole flock at the same time as they were mobile).

Lesser Scaup on the East lake at Cosmeston early this morning.

I’m compiling the spring edition of the GBC newsletter and need a couple of photos (preferably taken in East Glamorgan. If you’ve got something you’d like to submit, please get in touch.