Lsr Scaup back on CBWR at the far end from the boardwalk.2 Black Redstarts including a possible fem type in Penarth Marina.

Wilderness Pool early morning: 5 Shoveler, 1 Tufted duck, 2 Chiffchaff, 13 Siskin, 5 Goldfinch and a Greenfinch and Raven over. Only 30 BH Gull at Pwll-y-waun. Porthcawl seafront at hight tide : 1 Shag and about 50 BH Gull, 5 Common Gull and 4 winter plumaged adult Mediterranean Gulls (one of which had a white ring on right leg with black lettering E187 – glad we had some bread! The birds are starting to acquire their black hoods). Rest Bay was quiet with a similar number of Gulls including 2 adult winter Mediterranean Gulls. Later a Grey Wagtail flew east calling. I returned home late morning to find a female Blackcap at our garden feeding station.

Mike & James Cram

Merlin(f) hunting Meadow pipits.

A good arrival today on Kenfig Pool and nice find by Paul Parsons and Dean McCeachen. Hopefully it will stay for Glamorgan Bird Club’s guided walk on Saturday morning (9am-12)

Nineteen goosander 10 males 9 females Woking their way round the pond sometimes coming close to the cafe area ,also there 56 mallard 4 tufted 5 mute swan 44 black headed gulls 2 mistle thrush dunocks robins and chaffinch

Thanks to Ceri for the heads up on Sully Island. 
Lol Middleton and I went down there late morning but 
most birds had moved to the shore line on Sully. 
Amongst them was a Black Redstart - first I have seen 
down there. It was on the rocks to the west of the 
Captain's Wife but flew off into the caravan park. We are 
used to seeing them at Penarth Marina on a few miles away 
but good to seem them at Sully now.
Some record shots at 
http://andyburnsphotography.zenfolio.com/passerines/h405a675d#h64647a6b
Also some good shots of Rock Pipit that was hanging 
around

http://andyburnsphotography.zenfolio.com/passerines/h405a675d#h6b50d4f7

The high tide at sunrise this morning left just a narrow strip of beach for most of the Sully Island shoreline and next to nothing on the Swanbridge side. In the island roost were 134 Oystercatcher, 11 Ringed Plover, 3 Grey Plover, 10 Dunlin, 15 Curlew (which flew off towards Sully playing fields), 8 Turnstone and 2 Grey Heron.

Great northern diver foraging close inshore
9+ Med gulls

Any thoughts on the ID of this gull, seen at Cosmeston this morning?  Unfortunately I was late for work and on my way back to the car so couldn’t stick around.  I didn’t get to see the legs.

Many thanks for any help.

At Cosmeston this morning, an adult winter Med Gull was on East Lake.  Some large flocks of other species around – several hundred Tufted Duck spread across both lakes, approx. 60 Magpies on the western side of West Lake, and approx. 1,000 Starlings leaving the reedbed at first light.  Approx. 30 Pochard on West Lake and 8 Gadwall.

Three Redwing and a female Bullfinch were in hedges along the northern paddocks, and a Nuthatch was amongst large numbers of tits in Cogan Wood (no sign of the Marsh Tit though).

 

23-Goldeneyes on the river,4-Goosanders,3m1f-also on the river.11h00-14h00

Goshawk near the Ford this afternoon

1x Female hen harrier quartering marsh- Trevor Cheeseman

1x Short eared owl quartering marsh- Trevor Cheeseman

2x Great white egret

A short seawatch off Porthcawl early produced little of note to boost my patchwork challenge totals, but there were 6 Mediterranean Gulls roosting at Rest Bay at high tide (4 adult winter and 2 second winter plumaged birds) in among the 50 Black-headed Gulls. A walk out to Pink Bay yielded 184 Golden Plover roosting in the fields just off the coast path. Later at Wilderness Pools there were 7 Shoveler (3m/4f), 16 Coot, 21 Moorhen, a Great Spotted Woodpecker, 2 Goldcrest and a Coal Tit. Nearby at Pwyll-y-waun pools were 156 Black-headed Gulls with several Mallard, Coot and Moorhen. (PWC 49 sp=52pts)

BTO NEWS survey in the heavy showers am today with Tim Adcock.  Total of 38 Fulmar was higher than expected. They were mostly resting on the cliffs between flights.  Other surprises were a flock of 12 Yellowhammer flying in and out of a hedge near the lighthouse including some cracking males plus shortly afterwards a group of 10 Grey Partridge at the edge of a field nearby.  We picked up the Partridge up as they flew in a group from one part of the field to another.

Quiet on the canal with Moorhen(2) and an immature Cormorant perched in a tree. One Dipper by the Tawe whilst a single Goosander(male) braved the fast flow. Towards Glais two Bullfinch(males),two Jay and a scattering of Mistle Thrush(3),Song Thrush(2) and Blackbird(9) and a couple of calling Great Tit.On the field next to the Mond works were two Green Woodpecker feasting on the anthills and a Great Spotted Woodpecker in the boundary trees. There was a large flock of Pied Wagtails here again with at least 70 birds but only two Starling.

Bittern took a short flight at 4.25pm from one part of the reedbed to another and then perched up in the reeds (from the hide without a door). DJJ/GJJ.

West lake – 13 Pochard, pair of Wigeon, 5 Gadwall (3m 2f), Little Grebe, Treecreeper [by the ‘dip’] in the path; 5 GC Grebe [4 E lake 1 W lake], 3 Redwing, 1 Mistle Thrush & 1 Fieldfare seen, plus the resident flock of Tufties.

Birds seen on four BTO NEWS sector surveys this morning for Swanbridge/Sully Island included 15 Oystercatcher, 1 Great Black-backed Gull, 3 Shelduck, 20 Greenfinch and a Raven. At Cosmeston earlier a Sparrowhawk at the south end of Cogan Wood.

Thursday afternoon at Garwnant I couldn’t find the Great Grey Shrike but did see around 20 Crossbill just after leaving the car park and turning north along the forest road. Also a flock of 100 or so Fieldfare in the field adjacent to the exit road from the Garwnant car park.