Hi for anyone whose keen on this gem in the Valleys:

Breeding Migrant Summer Arrivals 2015 Tir Founder Fields (Cwmbach, Aberdare):

---

Chiffchaff 14th March (10). Willow Warbler 6th April (4). Blackcap 10th April (7). Sedge Warbler 16th Apr (3). Reed Warbler 17th Apr (2).  Swallow 19th Apr (5). Whitethroat 19th Apr (7). Sand Martin 23rd Apr (3). Garden Warbler 23rd Apr (4). House Martin 4th May (5).  No Grasshopper Warbler as yet but possible.

Brackets indicate average numbers of birds found per visit in this small area of around 40 hectares, not counting sitting females. I have yet to find another area where there is this concentration of warblers, open to suggestion of course. * Arrivals correct within 1-2 days.

Saw my first local swifts today at about 5.00pm. 4th May is usually when they’re back and as I hadn’t seen any – not a single one – I kept looking out this afternoon. And there were 2, soon joined by another 3, circling about down the road, near where there are some nests.

So – that heralds the beginning of several weeks of wet miserable weather…..!

Garden Warbler there today

Cetti’s Warbler singing  Grangemoor Park. Reed Warbler singing at three sites.

A brief visit this morning yielded an Egyptian Goose (tick). Must be the same bird as a week or so ago but now looked at with new appreciation, what a difference a week makes!

Also, Common Sandpiper on the shores of the West Lake and a Wheatear on the West Paddock.

The Egyptian goose is back at Cossie this morning. Strutting its stuff on the boardwalk outside the cafe. Must prefer it here to Ogmore!

Pale-bellied Brent 1, Grey Plover 1, Dunlin 1, Whimbrel 70, Curlew 5, Med Gull 1, Common Tern 1, Sandwich Tern 1, Swift 5, Greenland Wheatear 13, Reed Bunting 7+ territorial males.

The Egyptian quacker rather obligingly had wandered up under the bridge and on to Ploran mawr this morning giving me a welcome PWC tick! Other birds this morning were a Dunlin and Curlew at Portobello island and a couple of Sedge Warblers between Watermill and Merthyr Mawr. Emma couldn’t resist yet another Dipper shot!

This bird one of 2 pairs between Merthyr Mawr and Newbridge fields.

1 swift heading west in misty conditions 12.50 today

2 Poms and 1 Arctic Skua were loitering on the water at high tide this evening, the Arctic making a few chases. The Poms also lifted a couple of times, but other than looking macho, did not seem interested in giving pursuit. Also 4 Gannets looking a bit lost between the showers, otherwise 1 Grey Plover, 4 Bar-wits and 24 Whimbrel the only things of note.

10 hardy souls started out on the GBC field trip this morning to be greeted by 3 deg C and mizzling windy conditions in the Brecons. We dipped on Ring Ouzel but had Redstart and Tree Pipits in the Cwm, then cracking views of a male Pied Fly displaying to a fem in the youth hostel wood opposite the lay-by, plus Dipper and Grey Wag at the Garwnant bridge. Not altogether a lost cause and 31 species seen. Bloody cold for 2nd May tho’!

Paid my respects to the Egyptian Goose late afternoon yesterday. Must have just missed Mike, although in some ways it was reassuring that there wasn’t an assembled crowd for this county first. Anyway I was fairly pleased having made the effort and not to have dipped it.

There was a good crowd of gulls gathered around Portobello and a Leucitic Herring Gull appeared briefly. It appeared to be a 3rd cal yr bird and my assumption at the time was it might be the Cosmeston bird, but not sure if the age is a match. Elsewhere a Curlew and a Common Sandpiper were around the island and 2 Whimbrel milling about next to Ogmore Down GC

The Egyptian Goose was happily snoozing on Portobello island this afternoon betwen 3.30 and 3,45 at least. A Common Sandpiper was also present nearby.

Fairly quiet on the passerine front – too windy. A pair of Mistle Thrushes have a nest in the wood on the N side to E lake [busy chasing Magpies away this morning]. E lake had about 30 Swallow and 10 Sand Martin , but still no Swift there. LBB Gull with white Darvic red letters 9ZF present, and also this very clean headed 2nd year ?LBBG – I can’t make it into anything rarer. This is a cropped digi-phone-binned pic.

There is an important announcement re Egyptian Goose records in the recording area on the Rarities Committee blog here: http://grcforum.blogspot.co.uk Rather than copying the whole post here please follow the link above. In brief tho’ as from 1st May [i.e. tomorrow], Egyptian Geese of feral origin will be reinstated to the Glamorgan A list. Thus if any Egyptian Goose seen is clearly not of captive origin due to collection rings or the like, it will be accepted, with a description or good photos. This is not a retrospective decision. Check, and get pix of, the one currently at Portobello, assuming it doesn’t leave tonight – it is likely that this is the one that was at Cosmeston until very recently.

24 species seen this morning + cuckoo heard. Highlights being 1 redstart(f),2 green woodpeckers,1gs woodpecker and 1 spotted flycatcher

Egyptian goose near Portobello House and 3 whimbrel over were the highlights this morning.

A message from Mike Hogan of a Spotted Sandpiper at Upper Neuadd Reservoir VC42 found by him earlier today.

Common Sandpiper on Taff Embankment c.100m u/s from Clarence Road Bridge.

Lesser Whitethroat singing by the first field and several Blackcap showing well. O/W pretty quiet. 3 Shelduck in St Mary’s Well Bay. Pic below – Early Purple Orchid in the wood there – cropped phone pic.