The Redpoll was back today (camera ready this time).

WeBS count on Caerphilly Moat this morning. Good numbers of Sand Martins present. Black headed Gulls back on site.

The HT roost at Pwll-y-froga (SS5294) is worth checking at the moment as it seems to be the new Med Gull hot-spot with 61 there this morning. This is the highest number I have ever seen on the south side of the Burry (NB. 7 more were seen at Wernffrwd at the same time RHAT & PS). The Pwll-y-froga roost also had 103 Common Gulls (these usually build up to around 500 by the beginning of August at this site), 1221 Black-heads, 167 Herrings and a few Lesser and Great Black-backs. A few waders are also starting to trickle through, with 2 Common Sands, 7 Whimbrel, 7 Dunlin, 1 Greenshank, c500 Curlew and c700 Oystercatcher. Rob & Peter also saw a Common Tern at Wernffrwd.

Sand martins are feeding young in 6 nest holes this morning. In early June adults were feeding young in one nest hole which is  being used again for a second brood.

Breeding plumaged Lesser Redpoll on the garden feeders this morning. Grabbed the camera for a quick shot and the battery was dead – doh

A juvenile Little Ringed Plover was on the lower estuary this morning.

The monthly bird walk at Kenfig takes place this Saturday 18th July, meeting at the Reserve Centre at 9.00am.  All welcome.

8 goosanders (a good record here) arrived at dusk from the south, stayed a few minutes, and flew off south again! Lots of other wildfowl; 109 tufties, 5 pochards, 126 coots, 83 Canadas plus the two hybrid geese. 15 mallards of assorted ages, 3 moorhens, 3 GG grebes (including a pair now nesting on the new platform), 1 little grebe, 2 mute swans and 1 common sandpiper.  Approx 100 swifts and 200 swallows coming very low as the rain came in. A fox was touring the reservoir banks as darkness fell.

On Roath Park Lake, a female tufted duck was escorting a single tiny duckling. Also, a colour-ringed black headed gull, white 24H9 (right leg).

gwe still in kenfig on west side of pool great views of it in flight twice where poeple were fling over the pool in them kite things was still there 10:30pm

Found in Glamorgan today.

Great Black-backed Gull amongst the gull host this morning. Green Woodpecker feeding in the car park and Great Spotted Woodpeckers there and at the south end of Cogan Wood.  Two Jays in the West paddock giving very good views. Reed Warblers still singing in the East and West lake reedbeds and in the reeds along Sully Brook. Mallard with 3 quite well-grown ducklings on the West Lake.

A slightly autumnal moment this morning when I came across a mixed feeding flock of c.30 birds in the trees by the golf course, consisting of Long-t Tit, Chiffchaff, Goldcrest, Blue Tit and Great Tit, which included juvs of all but the Gt Tits. LTTs were the most numerous and all seemed to be juvs. 1 ad Heron W lake. The other day there were 3 Tufted Ducks on E lake. Cetti’s sang today by the boardwalk and there were 2-3 Reed Warblers singing there too. Also Ad LBB Gull with bluE darvic L leg, white symbols 3UF, an old friend I think.

A nice short weekend. I was delighted to see my first Little Egret for the site as one dropped in to feed in the rock pools on the falling tide this morning. Also at a locality nearby I was also choughed to see a pair of fledged Kestrels as well as my first Sparrowhawk at the locality this year. Whitethroat and Sedge Warbler are still singing and Stonechats are on their second brood. Plenty of butterflies on the wing at last with Small Skipper, Large Skipper, Small Heath, Peacock, Ringlet, Small Tortoiseshell all seen.

Information on the colour ring series used to ring choughs on Gower in 2015 can be found in the short summary article here: http://gowerbirdringinggroup.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/well-choughed.html

And the latest news on passerine ringing at Oxwich Marsh, including the 51st new species captured on the site, is here: http://gowerbirdringinggroup.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/oxwich-marsh-030715-new-species-for.html

Ring  Ouzel (ad.m) near second stream crossing up from the stile, Whinchat (2) in same place, Red Kite (3), Lsr Redpoll, Linnet, Redstart (2 imm), Stonechat, Grey Wagtail, TreePipit, Skylark, Swift.

Bird showed well, in front of the southern hide this afternoon. At about 5.30pm it flew to reeds on the north bank and out of sight.

Back from my own summer wanderings to find some evidence at the reservoirs of migration / post-breeding dispersal just beginning: yesterday (1st) 1 greater black-backed gull, 8 BH gulls (7 ads with 1 juv), juv kingfisher and today 2 common sandpipers. Also good numbers of wildfowl building up, with 88 Canadas (plus the two Canada-greylag hybrids which often turn up here in late summer), 124 coots, 48 tufties, 4 pochards, 18 mallards (plus a farm duck), 2 mute swans, juv and adult moorhen, 2 gc grebes (nest building again!) and a little grebe. The water level has dropped over a foot in the last few weeks, leaving several coot nests stranded high and dry on the banks! Also of interest, the Llanishen silver jackdaw made a brief visit to the corvid roost.

Trip out with a chum and an acquaintance from South Africa. Cossie – Mistle Thrush pair with young, Green and Gt Spotted Peckers, 2 Cetti’s W heard, Reed Bunt and Reed Warbler etc etc; Heritage Coast – 2 Chough, 2 Skylark, a Partridge sp in the grassy field W of Nash Pt – flew away from me and couldn’t clinch head pattern, 2 Fulmar close in and prob about 6 still on ledges in the distance at Cwm Nash, lots of Linnet, m Bullfinch, Whitethroat and Goldfinch in the Nash Pt valley. Nice day to albeit very wet!

An adult common sandpiper 17 redshanks ,1 heron,shelduck pair with 9 young,the first of the returning black h gulls with 3 in the tidal dock a reed warbler with food in the reed bed dock

Blackcap 5 Willow warbler 1 Chiffchaff 3 Linnet 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker 1 Raven 1 Bullfinch 1 Butterflies: Ringlet Speckled Wood Meadow Brown and not a single dragonfly.