I had a very strange bird on my garden feeders this afternoon. (typically, it flew off as I went to get my camera). It came in with a group of Siskins and Greenfinches. It was larger than the Siskins and slightly smaller than the Greenfinches. The head was black, albeit very scruffy. My only thought was an escapee – Black-headed Greenfinch perhaps? Does any one know if they are kept as cage birds?

Brief windswept dog/family walk this morning of which highlights noted were 4 Shoveler on W lake with 20+ Pochard, the drake Lesser Scaup on E lake sheltering with the Tufties and a party of 6 Long-tailed Tits near the bird table.

Long staying med gull E825 still in Bracelet Bay car park this morning..

Initially ringed in Antwerp 6/2006 as 3K80

And first seen in Mumbles by the late Barry Weston in October 2008

It was re-ringed as E825 in May 2012 and has continued to over winter in Mumbles ever since..

Based on the history it will be returning to Belgium within the next 2 weeks..

Many thanks to Strinda Davies for leading this morning’s Glamorgan Bird Club monthly walk at Kenfig. An enjoyable couple of hours birding despite weather conditions which started wet and breezy and then deteriorated. In total we saw or heard some 35 species and the highlights were a distant drake Scaup (good find by Tate Lloyd), several Goldeneye, 2 Great Black-backed Gulls and a Sparrowhawk.

Full species list: Tufted Duck, Pochard, Scaup, Mallard, Gadwall, Goldeneye, Wigeon, Canada Goose, Mute Swan, Great Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Great Crested Grebe, Coot, Cormorant, Water Rail, Goldcrest, Robin, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Starling, Wren, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Bullfinch, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Collared Dove, Woodpigeon, Magpie, Carrion Crow, House Sparrow, Cetti’s Warbler, Sparrowhawk

Best of this morning – flock of c.80 Redwing over W. Paddock and 1 Common Snipe from the snipe paddock. No sign of Lesser Scaup.

Couple of nice surprises in town today.  A small group of 6 Siskin feeding in Sully Terrace whilst we were walking up to the town centre for a coffee, then on the way back about 6 Redwing in Victoria Square, plus a Nuthatch calling. First time I’ve seen Siskin in the town.

Two red-headed Goosanders on the moat this morning

31-Little Egrets flew from the island roost at first light.

Firecrest has been reported here this morning along the east boundary path with roving tit flock {TF}.

Firecrest in the trees near the entrance ramp off N Road at about 10:30, last seen near the canal.

Managed a record shot before it flew off.

Early this morning 2 Snipe were an unusual sight on a frosty boardwalk at Cosmeston. Late this afternoon 4 Chiffchaff were feeding together by the Cadoxton River about 100m east of Sully Moors Road. Near Cadoxton Ponds at dusk there was a rooftop gathering of at least 70 Pied Wagtail. Kestrels were at Bendrick Rock and Sully Moors.

Five Goosander on Pontycymer Pond, and Dipper and Grey Wagtail on the Garw river were the highlights of a walk on Monday afternoon in the Garw valley.

Best of a quick walk this morning a water rail from the hide with a door, and siskins, 6 bullfinch, and at least 3 snipe from the other hide, including one in flight.

50+ common gull, 50+BH gulls, 2 gbb’s, 3 lbb’s, 20 herring gulls, 250 oycs, 5 dunlin, 1 curlew, 1 med gull, 1 gcg flying over towards Crymlyn… lots of corvids (crows + jackdaws), 1 pied wagtail

7 Grey Plovers on the beach just before high water. 3 pics at

http://andyburnsphotography.zenfolio.com/waders/h67e782fd#h67e782fd

Also circa a dozen turnstone,  a few oycs and a couple of curlew. Otherwise very quiet.

An early morning visit to the Wilderness Pool proved wise as it was relatively quiet. We noted 2 Cormorant, a Canada Goose, a pair of Tufted Duck, 4 pairs of Shoveler, 5 Pochard (a male with 4 females), Great Spotted Woodpecker heard calling and a fine male Bullfinch feeding on willow buds. Pwll-y-waun was quiet with a few Coot and Moorhen and there were about 100 Black-headed Gull on the Manor farm fields. Late morning high-tide at Hutchwns point produced 2 Mediterranean Gull, 1 in winter plumage and the Belgian-ringed (E187 right leg) bird now approaching summer plumage with a nice blood red bill and black hood, also 2 Redshank, 2 Turnstone and 70 Black-headed Gull. Not much else due to the usual expected seasonal half-term human and canine activity.

2 Black Redstart (1male+1fem/1st yr male??) in Penarth Marina. 1 Chiffchaff on the barrage coast path.20+ Redwing in the paddock by Blackweir.

On a glorious morning along the cliff top there were: two peregrine falcons, one ‘stooping’ into a pigeon flock and two kestrels further along. About 30+ oystercatchers were roosting on the causeway as a cormorant followed the tide in. In an adjacent field two meadow pipits turned up and a very obliging black redstart (male).

  

Glamorgan Bird club will be holding a nest box making session on Saturday morning. If you can help out, please meet at 9.30 a.m. at Kenfig Reserve Centre.

The monthly club walk around Kenfig will still be going ahead.