As per John’s post, no Grey Phal but the Common Sandpiper was strutting its stuff for some photos.

http://andyburnsphotography.zenfolio.com/waders/h60863db5#h60863db5

The stonechats was a new year tick for me and the Med gull was flying around the Morrisons area. Couple of shots of the Med gull at

http://andyburnsphotography.zenfolio.com/medgull/h6d58b641#h6d58b641

There was no sign of a Grey Phal on any of the docks at Barry this morning, either the eastern dock by the docks access road, or the main dock in front of the apartments by Morrisons. There was a Common Sand feeding along rim of the eastern arm of said main dock, accessed thro’ a hole in the chainlink fence, and a pair of Stonechat there. 3-4 GC Grebes in the main dock itself.

Really good views of Crossbills 12 four males. Unfortunately the photos did not turn out so good. Also Raven 2 Buzzard  2 Goldcrest 1 Green Woodpecker 2 Jay 1

5 Siskin quickly passed through the trees in the ‘pond’ this morning.

One red throated diver down channel this morning while doing a cetacean survey

A Little Stint was with the Dunlin flock (c.2500) first thing just by the mounds (SS504939), the very big tide pushing birds right up, on what was a lovely calm and bright day for a change. Other counts for this section of the estuary included 463 D-b Brents (virtually no juvs this year), 2 Slavonian Grebes, 9 R-b Mergansers and 1 Great White Egret. Also 1000’s of Oycs and 100’of Pintail, Knot, Curlew, Lapwing, Shelduck, etc. which I never counted, all producing a fine spectacle. Yesterday morning at the Crofty triangular marsh (SS524951) there was a Water Pipit and a Green Sandpiper.

Whilst doing a low tide Rhymney Est count for BTO, I was rewarded for squelching about in the totally waterlogged Green Point by the river mouth, by the unexpected sight of a stunning Short-eared Owl hunting up & down the S side of the landfill overlooking the river, at about 3 p.m. Low tide counts there are a nightmare – the tide goes out miles!

Called in at Penarth Marina on way home and found the 1st yr male Black Redstart on roofs of Plas Taliesin by the small square overlooking Penarth Marina –  at approx 4:30 p.m.

Lesser Scaup in quite close near the Cafe boardwalk this morning.

At least c.55 Teal flew in this morning, the most I’ve seen here.

Good numbers of ducks on the pool yesterday.  Very close pair of goldeneye, plus gr grebe, pochard, mallard, coot, wigeon, gadwall, tufties, plus cormorant, mute swan and Canada geese. Couldn’t find the scaup with bins.

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.