Lee Ashcroft just phoned me to say he saw a ringtail Hen Harrier this afternoon.

Good numbers of oystercatchers as normal, probably 1 to 200.  Common  gulls, GBB gulls, BH gulls, 4 med gulls including a German ringed bird..

One red breasted merg, 6 gc grebes

3 flyover curlew

No small waders at all

 

Apologies not a sighting, but no-one reads the Forum!

East Glam Bird Report 2014 update. I have just heard from the printer and the glue binding is in progress. Expected back at the printers poss tomorrow so there’s an outside chance we might get it posted b4 Christmas although obviously no telling when it might arrive. I do apologise for the delay.

Stop press!! Nick from CopyPrint has just delivered the boxes of 2014 reports to my house in person! That’s the afternoon sorted then #envelopes #stuffing 🙂

Had a Red Admiral flying around the garden (in Nantgarw) today.

Delayed Rhymney WeBS count. At Green Point, 500 Redshank, 250 Lapwing, 1000 Dunlin, 2 Common Snipe & 1 Jack Snipe, 51 Pintail, 1 Wigeon, 6 Gadwall, 50 Shelduck, 8 Shoveler, 60 Teal and 1 Canada Geese – a better haul than of late. Had palpitations when I came upon a bird in the Dunlin flock with a bright clean lemon yellow wash on its belly – I did utter an audible “what the **** is that!”. It was a Dunlin in fact – the stain was so clean I though it might have been from a marking scheme but can’t find any such on the WWW.
At the Heliport bay and foreshore – 40 Shoveler, 68 Pintail, 36 Shelduck, 28 Oyc, 30 Turnstone. No gulls of any note.

Early morning walk in the Garw Valley resulted in 30 species including Red Kite, 1 Green and 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 5 Treecreepers (including a group of 3), Jay and Bullfinch. On the River Garw a Dipper and Grey Wagtail.

Sorry for the non-sighting post. I’m putting together the January newsletter. If you’ve got any photos that might fit the bill (no pun intended), please send them to me.

 

34-Little Egrets left the island roost at first light.This is the highest total i have recorded.

Apart from the usual 100 or so Canadas and 70 odd Tufties, there was a pair of Gadwall on W lake plus 2 Little Grebe and a Common Gull on the posts. I had a report from a walking acquaintance of a brief view of a Bittern in the W lake reeds. 30-40 Redwing and 10 Blackbirds were around the W paddock area and 40 B-h Gulls were feeding on the very muddy ground there. 10 Long-t Tits by Med Village and 4 Goldfinch. The whole place is a quagmire off the main paths.

from 8.45 to 10.10, a good movement of divers heading west. 2 GN diver, 7 RT diver and 7 diver sp. 2 skua sp. at distance loitering/ westerly.

approx. 35 plus auk of which several guillemot and razorbills close in.

18 common scoter off the point

At Cosmeston a Chiffchaff feeding at the edge of the narrow field adjacent to the golf course (on east side of car park). Also 55 Siskin feeding in an alder by the boardwalk in the pond-dipping area near the cafe.

Little Egret and Great Black-backed Gull in Barry Old Harbour, the Lesser Scaup lookalike (hybrid) with 29 Tufted on the Knap lake, and 14 Pheasant on a track off the Dyffryn – St Lythans road.

An update – apparently our printer encountered a technical problem with the machine which was part way through doing our print run this morning. A technician was called. Now probably looking to mid next week before it’s ready. As to when it is posted we will be deciding on action at a committee meeting on Tues.

Neil Donaghy had a Sandwich Tern this morning over the pool, and a Sibe Chiffchaff with 2 Common Chiffchaff by the south pool hide. Nice ones Neil!

Delayed low tide WeBS count. At Green Point there were a couple of Gadwall in with the Teal and Mallard. Redshank – 310, Dunlin – 70, Curlew – 10, and nice flock of 180+ Lapwing on the foreshore. Other birds very distant. At the Heliport could see c.36 Shoveler and about 20 Pintail on the distant tideline, 15 Curlew and 27 Oycs on the mud.

Nice to see two Brambling drop into the sallow at the start of the boardwalk this morning, although they were there for less than a minute before continuing on their way.

Firecrest was also showing off and on all morning – nice to see it in sunshine.

Up to 10 med gulls in the carpark with probably another 20 down on the rocks..

Long staying Belgium bird E825 been visiting Swansea since 2006

And a very nice “almost summer plumage ” bird in the flock

31-Little Egrets flew from the island roost at first light.This figure equals my highest count during last winter.

Water Rail on the big pond; first for this site

Late afternoon, among 50 or so Black-headed Gulls feeding on the outfall from the sluices, was this 1stW Med Gull:

The highlight of a seawatch (08:00-10.15) this morning was excellent scope views of a Balearic Shearwater heading down channel, picked up initially by Alun Hughes (Thanks Alun! Nice to meet you earlier). Otherwise, surprisingly quiet given the recent conditions, with nothing else of note.