Seawatch 17:55-18:55 2 June: fulmar 3, guillemot 23, gannet 21, Manxie 47 (all west), plus grey seal.  A few unidentified auks (prob GU) east.  Light very good.

Seawatch 05:35-06:35 3 June: fulmar 2, guillemot 21, gannet 14, turnstone 1 (all west)

Brief look this evening had 1 storm petrel and 1 ad gannet near the bridge
Port Eynon for around an hour from 5.30 ish this morning was pretty quiet.
Approx. 20 auk ( mainly guillemot), several fulmar and kittiwake, 2 Manx.
An unusual sight on the way in the car had a tawny owl feeding/ trying to fly off with a decapatated corvid in the road near stout hall. He stayed put even as I drove past slowly, so I got out and thinking if he stayed there he’d be meeting the crow in the next life, chucked the corvid into a field ( using a dog cac bag) hoping he’d feed up in there. Never seen one so approachable in daylight, must have been knackered

A two hour lunchtime watch from the cliff top by West Farm produced Pomarine Skua (flew in at 11:45 and settled on the sea directly offshore for 15 mins, before continuing down channel), Great Skua, Razorbill, six Storm Petrels, Manx Shearwaters, Fulmars and Gannets.

Late news from yesterday of two Arctic Skuas seen off here at 13:30.

15:30 – 16:00 – a brief look produced 2 Gannet d/c [1 ad and 1 2ndyr].

Highlight was a single fulmar heading d/c. Otherwise it was a gull-fest: LBB gull, Herring Gull and GBB gull, all heading d/c (10 minute count had respective counts of 31 LBBG, 20 HG, 1 GBBG)

A dark phase Arctic Skua was off Dalton’s Point for 40 mins on this morning’s tide along with a couple of Sandwich Tern and a new brood of Shelduck.

In overcast conditions in a stiff SW wind, the following were all flying down-channel:-

812 Manx Shearwater, 4 Gannet, 4 Fulmar, 2 Great Skua, 1 Grey Plover and a Sandwich Tern. The Manxies had slowed to a trickle by 1250 as the wind eased a little and bad weather and rain loomed.

I know not how rare it is to spot a Goosander and 10 chicks in summer, but I personally think it deserves a mention since it is a first for me at least, and they disappear from the Valleys in around April. Also 2 adult dippers with 2 chicks @ Sgwd Yr Eira.

For Andy Burns: ‘ I will see your corncrake and raise you one’

North Uist the week before last.

Cuckoo and a female grasshopper warbler (with brood patch), fledged goldfinch, greenfinch, chaffinch, song thrush and mistle thrush.  Ringing session resulted in 100 birds of 21 species.  More info here: http://gowerbirdringinggroup.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/oxwich-marsh-20-may-2015-fledglings-and.html

Cracking GBC field outing to Cwm Claisfer yesterday. Good views of both Pied and Spotted Flycatchers, Redstart and Tree Pipit. A couple of Cuckoos were heard but not seen.  Wood Warbler was seen by some of the group. There were plenty of Siskisn displaying over the conifers. The highlights were the Tawny Ow,l which gave great views. We finished off at Trefil where Wheatear, Whinchat and Common Sandpiper were seen.

Nice to have a cuckoo calling all day by the pool. It’s been several years since we’ve had that. The final two cygnets appear to have died but the great crested grebe chicks are still there.

A Red Kite as over the A470 at Rhydfelin 3:15 p.m. yesterday – per Graham Tierney.

While sitting on the rocks by the abandoned house (with binoculars in hand) I spotted a Cuckoo fly in from the sea into some of the trees, we rushed into the woodland to try and find it with no luck.

However Later on 7:30 pm ish (with no binoculars) in the same area of woodland I heard it calling, this time closer to the road (still near by the abandoned house).

Apologies again for another OOC post but as it is a bit quiet locally, some of you may be interested in some of the birds we saw during our trip to Shetland and Fair Isle over the past two weeks. The best of the shots are at
http://andyburnsphotography.zenfolio.com/shetland2015

Overall we saw 102 species from the time we left Dinas to the time we got back with 85 species on Shetland / Fair isle. The highlights were a Corncrake, a Long Eared and Short Eared Owl, a Short Toed Lark, a Moltoni’s Warbler (my second tick now!), Dottrel, a Grey Headed Wagtail, a pair of Ring Necked Ducks and a number of Common Redpoll – 7 new life ticks and 40 odd year ticks. Surprisingly there were no flycatchers (pied or spotted) compared to the same time last year when there were quite a few seen.

The weather has not been so good this year with almost exclusively westerly winds rather than the easterlies that are required to generate the bulk of the migrants that arrive on Fair Isle. We had 3 days on the Island on two of the days the FIBO staff (Fair Isle Bird Observatory) could not do the daily bird census that normally takes place due to rain and high wind.

Despite the poor weather, I can certainly recommend the trip to anyone interested in birding especially the time at FIBO. We’ve booked to go back for another 7 days next May.

Well I had warmer walks on the barrage in December!!! 3-400 Swift over the Bay and barrage flying low and often coming within arms length – fantastic. 10 Linnet on the Barrage, and many House Martin and a few Sand martin over the water. At least 15 active HM nests in the Plas Taliesin end of the Penarth marina complex.

Nothing too exciting as too many people. 3 imm Herons in W alke conservation area, 3 Buzzards talon locking over dragonfly pond, 2 Swift over W lake and a pair of Canada Geese with 6 goslings outside the cafe. The first Common Spotted Orchid spikes are just showing [phone pic].

Lovely late female wheatear on the golf course this evening.. An unexpected find

Apologies to the poster but I have remove the post re Schedule 1 breeding birds at Parc Slip. Plse see the notice at the top re this. Obviosuly the poster was not disturbing the birds but we would rather the location not be published either. Thanks.

Drake Garganey on the west side of the west lake at Cosmeston earlier this morning.