Tuesday 9 February:
Cadoxton Ponds, Barry – 3 Cetti’s Warbler, 1 Water Rail and 2 Bullfinch
Sully – on the beach nearly 200 Black-headed Gulls, 2 Common Gull and 20 Turnstone (about 1 hour before low tide). Also a Mute Swan flying up channel.
Barry Waterfront – Mediterranean Gull and, in scrub at eastern end, 2 Stonechat
Cosmeston – Kingfisher along Sully Brook and Great Spotted Woodpecker in trees along boundary with the golf club

On 3rd February we noticed a BHG with a colour ring. It turned out to be from Norway!
19.06 20151.06 2015
Langvannet, Lørenskog, Akershus & Oslo, Norway
59°55’54″N 010°57’52″E
Molværsmyr, Sindre
Østensjøvannet, Oslo, Akershus & Oslo, Norway
59°52’51″N 010°49’57″E
Lome, Carsten
21.06 2015
Langvannet, Lørenskog, Akershus & Oslo, Norway
59°55’54″N 010°57’52″E
Molværsmyr, Sindre
2/9/52
29.06 2015
Langvannet, Lørenskog, Akershus & Oslo, Norway
59°55’54″N 010°57’52″E
Molværsmyr, Sindre
10/9/52
03.02 2016
Caerphilly Moat, Wales, Great Britain
51°34’19″N 003°13’55″W
Pointon, Michael
229/1272/229

I ventured this morning to see what Imogen had sent me around Porthcawl. The inland water areas of Pwll-y-waun and Wilderness did not have anything different and Irongate Point seawatch produced just 1 Fulmar d/c, 2 Kittiwakes u/c with a couple of Turnstone and about 40 Starling around the shelter area. Salt lake car park held 65 Black-headed Gull and 14 Herring Gull roosting at high tide.

There were 15 Kittiwakes hanging around on the south side of the bridge shortly after first light. I suspect they headed inland as although they were mostly on the water, they were flighty and kept going up high and suddenly disappeared with no sign of them heading down the estuary. This is only the second 2-figure count I’ve had at the bridge, but is well short of the 82 I saw there on 19-Mar-1991. Also there was a Great Northern Diver just off Loughor Yacht Club, which is the first I have ever seen above the bridge – a day for checking inland waters perhaps?

Lesser Scaup still on East Lake. A Merlin near the dragon fly pond was a nice surprise.

Barry Old Harbour late afternoon near high tide: 2 Shelduck, 8 Oystercatcher and 25 Redshank (including 1 with the yellow over white rings being used by the BTO on wader research for the proposed tidal lagoons in the Severn Estuary) – more on the BTO/WWT ringing and colour-marking in the Severn Estuary at https://eastglambto.wordpress.com/

Bendrick Rock at high tide – 1 Rock Pipit, 2 Shelduck, 6 Turnstone, 9 Oystercatcher and a singing Blackbird

Gadwall now numbering 14 this morning

Yellowhammer, Snipe and a flock of 300+ Lapwings the highlights of 36 species seen this afternoon

A very pleasant 1/2 hour on Newton Point near high tide this afternoon. Sanderling 74, ringed plover 34, dunlin 8, turnstone 28, redshank 2, and 2 adult med gull.

Apparently Ceri Jones saw a Hawfinch this morning, in the trees on the right of the gravel path going towards the Med Village, after the end of the boardwalk there. Nice one Ceri ! Saw one there in Oct 2005 by W lake. I think this is the first record  since then.

31st January…I was told of a Starling murmuration of several thousand at Cosmeston and which has been seen there on several occasions.

Barry Docks – two Med gulls, three GBBs and two Stonechat

Barry Old Harbour – a Little Egret and 16 Redshank

The Knap – Glacous gull

Sully Beach – six Grey Plover and a Black Redstart

Cosmeston – Lesser Scaup, female Wigeon, 3 Teal, Marsh Tit and a Raven

(and a probable Brambling by the entrance to The Medieval Village)

 

Brief view of the Glauc flying along the beach towards Porthkerry this morning. A strong squall came in, which together with the very strong wind, was most unpleasant. Couldn’t relocate the bird at all afterwards, but I guess it’ll be back.

Not very pleasant conditions / rain and strong Westerlies. Down-channel by 1000h were 1 Fulmar, 2 Kittiwake, 18 Turnstone, 1 Curlew and an adult wp Mediterranean Gull. Also a Raven and 2 Rock Pipit. There were few Gulls braving the rocks up to the Hutchwns Point end of Lock’s Common but no sign of the Ring-billed Gull reported there yesterday.

Earlier a good check of Salt lake Car Park and adjacent beach area produced 216 Black-headed Gull, 1 Mediterranean Gull, 34 Herring Gull, 2 Common Gull and 2 GBB Gull. Pwll-y-Waun pool held the usual small numbers of Mallard, Coot and Mute Swan but I did not have time to check Wilderness Pool.

 

Just a reminder that there is an indoor meeting tomorrow (Feb 2nd) beginning at 7.45 p.m. in the Kenfig Reserve Centre. Dave Rich will be talking on Alaska.

Sunday 31st pm   Bittern seen from the hide with no door – plus 1 snipe, 1 water rail, Other hide, siskin and kingfisher.  Also 2 buzzards

The Glaucous Gull, still present on the beach at The Knap this morning.

Gower Bird Hospital “released & ringed” herring gull looking healthy this morning..

Good to see their gull release scheme is working… Waiting for the history of this bird..

Undertook the RSPB BGBW this morning. Unusually the birds played ball this year. Recorded 18 species, the max count being a flock of 44 Siskins. They tend to take over the feeders, not letting other species get a look in – until a Wood Pigeon crashes in. Siskins seem to come in, in numbers when it’s raining. I believe that their usual food, the Alder catkins swell up in wet weather, forcing them to search elsewhere.