Early p.m. managed to find 2 ad male Black Redstarts by Plas Pamir, one on a roof top and the other flew right past me having appeared from nowhere, flew round a corner and disappeared. Couldn’t re-find them despite a couple of circuits – suspect they were keeping low due to the stiff cold breeze. 3 Were reported later in the afternoon.

A male Snow Bunting was present this afternoon, favouring the broken ground on the brow of the cliff top at SS87707379. The bird was associating with a large group of Rock Pipits, but was rather flighty.

Lesser Scaup 1 drake with 148 Tufted Ducks Kingfisher 1 Kestrel Water Rail heard Turnstone 4 Linnet 40 Rock Pipit 1 Gulls Greater B/B 4 Lesser B/B Herring and Black-headed.

A nice bit of variety this morning on the Dogmore, with 2 Water Pipits (Portobello), 7 Goldeneye, 9 Goosander, 4 Gadwall, 9 Little Grebes, Bar-tailed Godwit, 3 Turnstones (on Portobello; often up the river from November to January), 3 Little Egrets, adult Mediterranean Gull and 2 Kingfishers.

35 species plus 2 heard on the monthly Saturday morning bird walk- including Greenfinch, Bullfinch, Great-spotted Woodpecker, female tufty, and a female pintale. Many thanks to our leader, Strinda Davies.

07h00-07h30 26-Little Egrets flew from the island roost at first light.Also an estimated 800-1000 Redwings in a loose flock flew over in a westerly direction.

A nice single flock of c.70 Fieldfare plus around 45 Redwing .A few siskin and reedbunting flying around too this morning.

4 Black Redstarts seen today at Penarth Marina 3 Male and 1 possible Female ?

By the beach area, several Rock Pipit,  Redwing in the hedgerows, and a fem Black Redstart briefly on the lifeguard’s building and then on the cliff on the east side of the beach. Buzzard & Raven over.

An incredible 4 Black Redstarts seen together in Plas St.Andresse this lunchtime (2 ad m. and 2 1st.w.m.).With Gavin Moore.

A bird showing the characteristics of Siberian (tristis) chiffchaff was caught and ringed this morning, along with a more familiar looking collybita.  Photos and further information here: http://gowerbirdringinggroup.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/oxwich-marsh-15-november-2014.html

Also two blackcaps and a few goldcrests.  Lots of redwing moving around early morning.

A Woodlark flew over calling at 0845 heading towards Porthcawl. Also 50 Fieldfare and a few Reed Buntings over.

Just a quick reminder of the GOS field trip on Sunday (16th). The plan is to meet at Rhossili carpark at around 08:00, where we’ll have a relaxed sea watch until about 09:00. This will also allow for anybody not able to get there for 08.00. We will then walk to Mewslade Valley checking the fields and patches of coastal scrub as we go.
Full details along with a map showing the meeting point can be found by following the link to GOS events form the Glamorgan Birds home page.

There were 3 Red Kites over Llanharen this afternoon

I saw a Robin like bird from a distance from my kitchen window but I reached for the binoculars where I was able to see orange tail feathers which made me think it was a female Redstart. The angle of the sun did not make identification easy though and the sunlight may have given the impression that the plumage was lighter than it actually was.  Seeing as Black Redstarts are often spotted locally (around Penarth Barrage), it could have been a female Black Redstart.  Sorry for not being 100% on this but I’ll keep my eyes peeled over the coming days.  Any thoughts welcome.

2 Swallows west over the car park at the Barrage. Also a 2nd winter Med Gull on the pontoon at Channel View slip – which has no feet, just two stumps.

Kingfishers showing very well around the boardwalk in the wetland reserve this morning, at least 3 birds – and a Water Rail creeping around right next to the boardwalk but just in the bushes.

2 Black Redstarts (ad,m.and 1st.sum.m) seen together on the roof tops of Plas Pamir ( by the obelisk). Another BR (1st.sum.male?) seen on the east side of Roath Lock entrance among the piles of rocks and boulders about 60m south of the Seafarers Center along the new pathway.

It took me ten months to get a mention in the summary and it was for a bird I didn’t see!  

in work today

i was asked to help catch a ‘robyn’ from one of the old offices

when i saw t he bird i was very amazed and also my 1st time to see a Black Redstart!! not only that i t was a Female Black Redstart! i couldnt believe it!

it was very stressed, bashing about in the window and frantically flying everywhere i managed to catch it, it was quite underweight and panting!

took it to the canteen and asked the chef to get a box and some bumch of idiots wanted to have a look at the bird and it flew out of my hands and flew inside the false roof where the aircon is 😥

i just hope there is a gap in the actual roof for her to fly out of there was nothing anyone can done im devastated

Damp [initially] and v windy GBC trip to WWT Penclacwydd today. This odd little beastie had us scratching our heads looking thro’ the blurred glass of the Heron’s Wing hide. Managed this phone scoped pic from a viewing screen outside in a howling gale. It’s cropped, but clearly shows a Common Teal with a weird partial leucistic head. It also had pale dirty yellowish legs. From our poor views in the hide we were stringing Bufflehead/Hooded Merg! Other than that, there were 9 Greenshank, about 50 Blackwits, and other common waders, a Peregrine, 1 Sprawk, around 10 Brents seen out in the Burry, and all the common ducks – good weather for them!