A Little Gull was seen at Gileston yesterday. Might still be around.

5-Goosanders,3m 2f under and around the road bridge area.12h30-14h00

At lunchtime today, a short-eared owl mobbed by a carrion crow at Lamby Way landfill site. About 60 lapwings flew along the foreshore towards Cardiff. A hunting kestrel at Parc Tredelerch.

2 snow buntings were on the strand line at Whiteford sands this morning giving close views. Always great to see these on a walk around here. They gave a real taste of winter even though it didn’t feel like it weather wise.

These were obviously from more northerly climes, whilst my moth trap this morning produced 2 bordered straw prob. from  North Africa. Weird!

40 Canada geese over my garden at 4 o clock flying south

Jack and Common Snipe this morning, flushed by our pooch from the large puddles outside the ‘snipe paddock’ [far end]. W lake had 3 Little Grebe, pr Gadwall, pr Pochard, and Common Gull on the posts. E lake 4 GC Grebes. The resident flock of Tufted distributed evenly between the two lakes. Loads of people and extremely muddy off the paths.

2 short eared owls hunting clear fell area Mynydd Margam

Goldeneye 14, Goosander 3, 8 Redshank. 3 Shellduck and a Common Sandpiper on Ploran Mawr this afternoon.

Goosander and Dipper on the River Taff between Tongwynlais and Radyr Weir

A low tide count for the Non-estuarine Waterbird Survey (NEWS) resulted in:

Black-headed Gull (116); Carrion Crow (75); Great Black-backed Gull (5); Grey Plover (1); Herring Gull (382); Lesser Black-backed Gull (1); Meadow Pipit (1); Oystercatcher (15); Redshank (2); Ringed Plover (15); Sanderling (2) and Turnstone (2).

Wader numbers low, but surprised to see so many crows using the beach.  A 1CY Herring Gull continually rising and dropping a whelk on the rocks before being robbed by an Oystercatcher was noteworthy too.

There’s still a few vacant sectors along our coast if you’d like to take part in this survey.  See link above.

Magpie: 73 noted gathering late afternoon during post lunch stroll.

Four Lesser Redpoll by the Dragonfly pond were a nice surprise at Cosmeston late morning. Don’t see them here very often. On the West Lake were Gadwall, Wigeon, Pochard and the Bar-headed Goose. A Kingfisher was in the West Lake bay and Fieldfare, Redwing, Song Thrush and Mistle Thrush were at the south end of the West Paddock.

In Barry Dock there were 2 adult Mediterranean Gulls and a group of 9 Great Crested Grebes at the Waterfront. Little Egrets were at Swanbridge beach, Cadoxton Rivermouth/Bendrick Rock and Barry Old Harbour.

People seem to be receiving their 2014 Bird Reports in the post now so it is timely for me to highlight and apologise for a couple of errors. In the photos opposite p.8 the middle image of 2 Black-throated Divers was actually taken by Hayden Lack, and not Paul Denning. The original caption was correct in the mock-ups sent to the printer and I missed spotting the mistake in the proof so a public apology from me to Hayden. Also re Hooded Crow, p.44. This bird was only seen on 30th Apr and was actually found by Dean Bolt, and not Graham Roblin. Graham photographed the bird later on 30th but the date in his records that we received was erroneous [29th not 30th]. Again the non slipped through the net and should have been spotted. Both Hayden and Dean have been contacted personally. Also, photos opposite p.62, I think the Long-tailed Duck was in fact the one at The Knap – Barry, and not Porthkerry.

Lee Ashcroft popped in to show  me some mobile phone pics/vids  of the Hen Harrier he saw on the 20th, plus a Short-eared Owl seen at the same spot when he was driving home from work this afternoon. Peregrine also seen.

Graham saw an imm fem Goshawk being mobbed by corvids this morning.

 

Highlights of an early morning walk in the Garw Valley between Llangeinor and Pontycymer were a Dipper and redhead Goosander on the river, plus Red Kite, Buzzard, 4 Ravens and several Bullfinch and Siskin.

This afternoon at Cosmeston a Marsh Tit was feeding with several Great and Blue Tits on the west side of the path roughly halfway through Cogan Wood.

A pair of Wigeon were on W lake this morning. No sign of the Bar-Headed Goose which was still present at 3:30 p.m.m yesterday.

Another photo…

A Bar-headed Goose was at Cosmeston this morning with a group of Canada Geese. Also on the West Lake a female Wigeon and a pair of Gadwall, with a Kingfisher along Sully Brook.

This gull was at Cosmeston on Sunday. Any help with ID would be appreciated. I have some thoughts but not sure.

 

This afternoon a Peregrine over Porthkerry Park and a Kestrel and pair of Stonechat at wasteground immediately east of Barry Waterfront homes. A Mediterranean Gull was again on Barry Waterfront and 22 Redshank were in Barry Old Harbour approaching high tide (high count for this location).

Ringed Plover, Turnstone, Oystercatcher and Rock Pipit at Bendrick Rock at high tide.