Two Spotted Flycatchers this morning, it’s turning into a good autumn for them, that’s at least 5 now compared to none last year. One was in the trees by the Harbour Authority compound and there was another – much more obliging individual – in the trees in Britannia Park (the grass and trees by the Waterguard pub). There were also 5 Coal Tits and 8 Chiffchaffs in the trees.

Earlier there had been quite a few alba wagtails over the Barrage with 28 on the grass by the play area at one point – all those appeared to be Pieds. Vis mig included 25 alba wagtails, 120 Meadow Pipit, 16 Siskin, 2 Redpoll, 3 Chaffinch, 3 Coal Tit.

Barrage bird on the left Britannia Park on the right – fortunately plenty of plumage differences to tell them apart.

The Britannia Park bird was particularly obliging.

Link to Youtube video: https://youtu.be/59-gDpivsQk

Cetti’s Warbler calling from near the railway tracks @ Tirfounder Fields this morning 23:09:15. Could be a young male establishing new territory, expanding from the Cardiff Bay group, or a migrant “taking a break”. Last spotted here before 2011. Update: heard calling by another local bird watcher Sat 26th AM & myself 8:30AM Mon 28th, & 8AM Tue 29th, 2nd Oct 8:30AM near original sighting.

Lsr Whitethroat by the boardwalk, 2 Wheatears on the grass nearby, 2 ad.Med Gulls on Channel  View slipway.

A mixed flock containing 2 chiff chaff 1 blackcap 8 long t tits 2 great tits 4 blue tits also there 6 jays 1 buzzard robin wood pigeon and swallows over the railway track towards the beach there were 6 stonechats 1 reed bunting 3 kestrel and a few meadow pipits

Passage of siskins noted for the first few hours of the morning.  Tree pipit in flight over marsh and whinchat with stonechats in bracken and willowherb.

Ringing session returned 69 birds.  More info here: http://gowerbirdringinggroup.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/oxwich-marsh-19-september-2015.html

Quite a bit of raptor activity this afternoon during a stroll along Marsh Road, birds seen circling over the marsh included 6+ Buzzards, 2 Marsh Harriers, 1 Red Kite, 1 Sparrowhawk and 1 Kestrel. Also noted were a nice pair of sun-dogs, an inverted sun-bow [Circumzenith Arc sounds a bit fancier and apparently is the correct name], a vet and a geography teacher.

One Whinchat at 17:00 this evening flycatching from the tops of the buddleja and even the tops of the poplars at one point.

Earlier at least 3 Wheatear still on the barrage and a small number of birds moving east but really difficult to pick up in the haze, best being a couple of Redpoll and a Tree Pipit.

The Wheatears were fairly obliging this morning.

20 participants. Lovely walk down to Sker point. Blackcaps and Whitethroats were showing well. A Great Spotted Woodpecker f/o. At Sker there were 5 or 6 Knot, 1 Grey Plover, 1 Whimbrel, 3 Curlew, 12 Golden Plover, 12 Sanderling, plus plenty of Oystercatchers and Turnstones. Offshore a drake Common Scoter was seen. On Sker House Barn the Little Owl showed briefly. The species tally was 52 with three butterfly sp. and an Emperor dragonfly.

Blaenhondon 4 red kites 2 sparrow Hawks 1 kestrel 3 Ravens 10 carrion crows and 28 mallards

Crumlyn burrows good count of oyster catchers an estimate about 800 with more joining them from Swansea bay as I was leaving tide was a bit distant about 40 sanderling 20 curlew 30 ringed plover 4 dunlin large numbers of gulls of the usuall species

3 Wheatear on the barrage this morning and a GBB Gull on the water just off the rocks. Yesterday 3 Stonechat were on the reserve.On Wednesday thousands of Swallows streamed across the bay heading east.

News from James Vafidis of a female eider at Blackpill.

News from me of a crossbill over Lisvane.

No sign of the black terns at Lisvane yesterday lunchtime.

Red-throated diver and grey plover at high tide this morning. Three whinchats were at Pink Bay pond and about 20 wheatear were about on the farm and point.

The 2 black terns remained on Lisvane Res until dusk. Also 1 wheatear, 1 white wagtail and 2 noctule-sized bats around the reservoirs.

Roath Park Lake now has 5 shovellers, and 14 teal. The recent wigeon seems to have moved on.

43 redshank in the tidal dock , 95 black h gulls in the paper factory field a further 250+ in the river and Crumlyn burrows side also 28 curlew 5 heron 4  little egrets  4 wheatears at baglan bay a few linnets and swallows over a common sandpiper and 11 mallards and stonechat

Goshawk just flew over  heading NW ‘accompanied’ briefly by 2 Common buzzard-Goshawk a garden tick!

juv\ 1st winter grey phalarope on Broad pool caused an emergency stop in the car. could see a small bird on the pool and bingo! driven past the pool on enough occasions after a storm hoping for something to plop down there.

There was cracking numbers of spotted flycatcher around Port Eynon, with 3 toward the point,

3 blackcap and a Dartford warbler.

overton valley had 8 spotted flycatcher, 6 blackcap , 5 chiffchaff, approx 30 pied\white wagtail of which 4 seemed def. white.

At both sites a good presence of more “common” species like robin,dunnock,blackbird,blue and great tri

Quick visit this afternoon 1 juv spotted flycatcher 2 chiff chaff 2 long t tits 3 blue tits 4 goldfinch 3 chaffinch 2 mute swan 1 coot 4 magpies and a green woodpecker

Seawatch this morning: Storm Petrel, Red-throated Diver, Manx Sheawater [3], Common Scoter [9], Fulmar, Kittiwake.

Best day of the autumn so far… At Sker the wader roost held 1 Ruff, 2 Grey Plovers, 2 Bar-tailed Godwits, 3 Sanderlings, 23 Curlews and 293 Oystercatchers, while 9 Kittiwakes were offshore and a Peregrine was constantly patrolling the beach.

Kenfig Pool had two Black Terns until 10.15 at least, 11 Knot flew over going west, while a female Pintail, 2 Wigeon, 4 Teal, 6 Gadwall, 1 Dunlin, 1 ad winter Mediterranean Gull, 1 Wheatear, 2 Garden Warblers and a Lesser Whitethroat, 3 Kingfishers, 50 Swallows & 3 Great Spotted Woodpeckers were also present.