A rainy two hours between 10am and noon saw us taking refuge in the old shelter at St maryswell bay – Graham Smith and I were rewarded with decent views of two Bonxies, a dark phase Pomerine skua, a Little Egret and a handful of Kittiwake.

 

Delayed WeBS from Sunday. 180 Pintail, 3 Wigeon, 35 Shoveler, 80 Shelduck, 30 Teal, 200 each of Redshank & Dunlin [low figs], 1 Jack and 1 Common Snipe, 15 GBB Gulls, just 3 Lapwing. Pretty horrible conditions! A pair of Stonechat were near the boatyard.

2 Little Egret, 3 Great Black-backed Gull, 2 Brent Geese, 1 Kingfisher and 23 Wigeon at Breaksea Point/Aberthaw Rivermouth late morning/early afternoon today. A Kestrel over the tip behind the beach, and a Grey Partridge flushed from scrub on the track between the beach and the tip just east of the rivermouth.

I joined several hardy souls at 1000h (MHi, AB, MJB, AGS et al). A strong westerly eventually pushed in a Leach’s Petrel picked out by Mark Hipkin, which all got on to eventually as it flew fairly close in past the shelter. Also seen 1000-1215, mainly down-channel were 1 Shag, 1 GC Grebe, several Fulmar and Gannet, 3 Common Scoter, several Kittiwake and Common Gull, a few Oystercatcher, 1 Golden Plover and 8 Turnstone. Two Mediterranean Gull flew right over the shelter mid morning (Adult and 2nd winter – same regular birds I think that I saw earlier at Salt Lake car park).

Seawatch 0815-1115. The undisputed highlight was my first Leach’s Storm Petrel, but there were plenty of other species of interest. Guillemot (1), Great Skua (1), Common Scoter (3), Kittiwake (25+), Gannet (3), Curlew (7), Oystercatcher (18) and a number of Common Gull. Most, apart from the oystercatchers, were heading down channel.

Good numbers of med gulls this morning.. 25+ (no ringed birds)

Several auk moving west — probably guillemots

2 shag fishing in the bay..

No sign of the little gull or GND…

An AdW Med Gull was in the middle of E lake this morning. Filmed hand held at 50x optical in the rain!

https://youtu.be/5Ki6CBY-PJU

11-Little Egrets flew in to the island roost at Hendre Lake at dusk yesterday,13th.

Not been birding myself today, but Lol Middleton had a 1st Kittiwake and a Gannet off Lavernock Pt this morning, and a 1st Med Gull at Cosmeston. Black Redstart still at Penarth Marina per Gareth Pryce.

I try & transfer news to here as there are quite a number of people who do not use Facebook, so a plea to post here too if you can.

Single male Black Redstart still in Penarth marina most mornings, but seems to disappear after 08:00. Chiffchaff  showing well in CBWR  by the boardwalk, occasionally calling. 2 Water Rails also showing well in Hamadryad pond.

moderate movement this morning from 7.20am despite not quite perfect weather. 14,000 ssw in two hours with 12,000 in the second hour.

Large movement hasn’t materialised yet. Small ssw movement this morning–c 1,000 birds in five flocks at low altitude.

Main bird of note was a fem Goldeneye on W lake, in the small bay with the posts. There were 20 Tufted Duck in total but only 2 Pochard. Plenty of Redwing and a few Fieldfare flying around.

A rare visit in to the field with my better half, we explored Porthcawl including the seafront and both inland pools. The highlight was a fine adult winter-plumaged Mediterranean Gull in the salt lake car park with 65 Black-headed, 1 Common Gull, 1 Meadow Pipit and 2 Pied Wagtails. There were 18 Sanderling scampering on the low-tideline at Coney beach. A short seawatch from the shelter in southerlies produced 5 Guillemot, 2 Kittiwake and 2 Curlew. There were about a dozen Oystercatcher scattered along the coast between the town and Lock’s Common. The Wilderness Pool held 5 Shoveler and a Tufted Duck along with the commoner waterfowl and the woodland was busy with feeding Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Treecreeper and Goldfinch. The smaller pool near Newton was quiet with about 45 Black-headed Gulls which were commuting to Manor farm and back.

Mike & Emma Cram

Very dull & dismal this a.m.. CBWR just produced 1 fem Goldeneye of interest, and a Cetti’s singing briefly. No sign of Lsr Scaup or RND, either here or by the road bridge in Hamadryad Park.

unbelievably quiet on a very misty stormy morning.. Couple of auks flying west.. Bh & herring gulls only.. Not one med gull seen.. No kittiwakes

.. No divers lurking in the mist.. Time for a

Costa I think.. And a big towel to dry the inside of my car!

Pochard are now up to 9. Many Redwing & Fieldfare flying around and 20 or so of the former in trees near the bird table. Great Tit, Blue Tit, Coal Tit, Nuthatch, Chaffinch and Goldcrest in Cogan Wood by the feeding log, but no sign of the Marsh Tit there, seen recently by Paul Denning.

  Spotted yesterday morning in a neighbour’s garden feeding on apples.

Female brambling and female blackcap in trees behind our back garden fence.