Another fruitless search for the Red-necked Grebe, but good to be out in the glorious weather all the same and to meet a few other birders doing the same. The only additions to my counts made a couple of days ago were a Merlin and 2 Goldeneye at Wernffrwd, with another off Dalton’s Point along with 2 Greenshank, 302 Black-tailed Godwit and a remarkable 54 Gadwall (the most I can recall seeing on the estuary, though higher counts are regular on the ponds at WWT). It’s looking more like my PWC list will end on 145, with Hobby back on the 15th September being my last addition. Or maybe there is still time for a Barn Owl, Fieldfare, Jack Snipe, Bittern, Black Redstart, Brambling or Firecrest?

Well done for Ceri seeing the Bittern at Cossie this morning. Here is a fleeting glance of it (poor record shot) for the short time it was visible.
http://andyburnsphotography.zenfolio.com/p108650779/h2b846e70#h2b846e70

Let’s hope it comes out a bit more.

Bittern at West Lake reedbed at Cosmeston this morning near left hand end of posts. Viewed from the bridge.

Walked both sides between Radyr and Cardiff Centre. Basically – usual suspects, but on a  gloriously bright day, enjoyable.

Highlights were 5 Goosander (1 male south of Blackweir, 2M, 2F North of Western Avenue, and 1 redhead in the Melingriffith outlet). Also at least 125 redwing around Pontcanna riding stables,  2 dippers (1 S of Blackweir, 1 N of Llandaff Weir), grey wagtails, herons. I was told about a kingfisher which I had just missed, just S of Western Ave bridge.

Seemed to be fewer LTT than usual at this time of year on this stretch, but I’ll need to analyse records – I counted every bird of every species today!

Of note, 6 Turnstone, 3 Redshank, 1 Little Grebe and Grey Wagtail within a 200 yd stretch along John Batchelor Way this morning.  This afternoon, 1 F Black Redstart hunting flies on St Augustines Church and around Belle Vue Park.

In addition to the growing numbers of Pochard and Tufted Duck noted below, today: 2m & 2f Teal, m & f Gadwall and 3m & 3f Widgeon. Marsh Tit at the feeding bench at the beginning of Cogan Wood ie East Lake end.

Early afternoon today at least 3 Crossbills (1 male, 2 female) viewed from the track which runs uphill from the Llantrisant Forest car park, which is at ST024847. This track has the clearfell to the right and beech trees to the left.  The Crossbills were high up in trees at the edge of the clearfell and within 200m of the car park (sometimes much closer).

13 brambling flying in a flock around the tree tops of cwm kenfig beech woods also 8 vocal crossbill flying around the conifers over looking the beech wood. A few redwing and fieldfare at waen y gilfach also small numbers of mipits and stonechats, a couple of buzzard and a single kestrel on the power cables between the pylons.

stonechat

32 species including good views of Kingfisher, Water Rail, Snipe and Reed Bunting from the hides.

230 Tufted Duck [nearly all W lake], 27 Pochard [all W lake], 2 Little Grebe, 1 Heron, and just single Redwing and Fieldfare by dragonfly pond, plus millions of people!

Lisvane Res: Highlight was a close encounter with a weasel (ok not actually a bird), and 1 chiffchaff. Out on the water were 14 pochard, 82 tufties, 9 little grebes, 3 GC grebes, 34 Canadas, 1 common gull, etc.

Roath Park Lake: 3 shovellers.

A search for the Red-necked Grebe at Wernffrwd on this morning’s HT proved fruitless, but the birding was pretty good nonetheless, birds noted (along with Owain) including 2 Slavonian and a few GC Grebes, 398 D-b Brent, 311 Shelduck, 732 Pintail, 1 Goldeneye, 7 R-b Merganser, 2 GW Egret, Red Kite, Peregrine, 1500+ Dunlin, 700 Knot & 4 Rock Pipit. At Penclawdd counts included 86 Shelduck, 230 Pintail, 280 Dunlin, 1302 Knot, 154 Black-wit, 1 Bar-wit. At dusk 11 Yellowhammer in Cwmdulais was the highest count there for some time, plus 3 Red Kites and a Tawny Owl put in brief appearances.

Sightings from the 24th included a Pomarine Skua in Rhossili Bay along with 2 R-t Diver, 227 C Scoter, 1 Fulmar, 1 Gannet, 13 Kittiwake, a few Guillemots and a Harbour Porpoise. Oxwich Bay the same day had 178+ C Scoter & 31 Kittiwake.

The Water Pipit still present on the lower estuary today.

In Penarth Marina, 5 Black Redstart still present (2 ad.m and 3 fem/imm) including 1 fem who seems to favour the area around the junction of Marconi Avenue/Llwyn Passat/Penarth Portway; on Xmas Day it was in Chandlers Way. This morning the Lsr Scaup was in CBWR.

Hope everyone has had a good Christmas. At Lisvane today was a common snipe foraging along the southern shore (my first record of snipe this side of the fence!). Also a good count of 26 pochards, 48 tufties, 37 coots, 4 mallards, 11 cormorants, 5 GC grebes (1 somehow in full summer plumage!), 8 little grebes, etc. Nearby, 1 chiffchaff looking chilly in the rain.

Happy boxing day all. I have already had some spreadsheets of 2014 records sent in. If you use the formatted spreadsheet that I send out or from the web site, please could you not leave blank rows in your list of records. I have to go through and delete them all otherwise they prevent proper sorting of the data, and also please could you make sure the species name, and your name, is entered in every row pertaining to it, again otherwise I have to go through the whole list and copy the info down the column of cells below, where it is missing, again otherwise the records can’t be sorted properly.

PS … and also the site name shd be entered every time where there’s a number of consecutive rows for a number of records.

Great Grey Shrike this morning on the north side of the road from Llwyn On reservoir to Cwm Cadlan. Parking on the roadside for a few cars at the forestry gates at approximately SN992115 and the shrike was viewed from this location. Last time I drove this road was back in April and there’s clearly been substantial clearfelling since then both north and south of the road.

Merry Boxing Day everyone. Jack Snipe flushed by the dog this morning.

Both adult male Black Redstarts showing very well in the marina area. Also adult Mediterranean Gull on the wetland reserve with a Polish colour-ring – awaiting ringing details.

3 red-throated diver and 1 diver spp off the point/in the outer bay at low water.  Also 60+ guillemot rafting on the sea.

There is a big flock of scoter in the bay again this winter.  Not possible to get an accurate count off the point, but several hundred at least.  Would be best viewed from one of the tors between Nicholaston Burrows and Shire Combe.