A male Goosander was on Fendrod Lake early this morning.

An interesting common buzzard with some white tail feathers that got me hoping for a rough-legged today. It’s just a common buzzard though.

14 redwings over the motorway by briton ferry and 8 little egrets by the monkstone boat club

14 redwings over the motorway
8 little egrets at monkstone boat club roost briton ferry

Goldcrest, chough, little egret, pair of kestrel, linnet, stonechat,and loads of skylark…. Also distant views of large flock golden plover over Oxwich..

As we approached the site this morning we were greeted by a Red Kite over the farm fields, we also saw another later over Cil Ifor Top. Only about 200 Oystercatcher today with lots of Herring Gulls. Sadly no YBWs in the clump west of Twlc Point (in my dreams), so I moved west to Burry Holms. There were 10 Common Scoter and a Guillemot plus the odd Shag and Cormorant. My pulse was set racing when a pale Buzzard flew in off the sea in a rain shower later this afternoon, but it turned out to be just a pale Common Buzzard – drat!

Earlier it was very busy off Dalton’s Point, Penclawdd on the falling tide, among the best of several hundred waders were about 200 Black-tailed Godwit showing well as they took flight, a few Knot, Redshank and Curlew in with them plus 3 Little Egret, 4 Wigeon and several hundred Oystercatcher.

Yellow  browed warbler was still present this am the bird was the otherside of woods from the circle on map on earlier post, there’s 2 small sycamore tree’s with a large hawthorn next to it about 100 yds up the path on the right hand side from the road. The bird was in the hawthorn and was fluttering in and out into the sycamore and bramble bushes in the ferns on the bank.

A yellow-browed warbler and 2 firecrests trapped and ringed on the marsh this morning.

Good movements of thrushes (redwing, song thrush, mistle thrush [inc flock of 12]), skylark and wood pigeon overhead.

More info, including photos, here:

http://gowerbirdringinggroup.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/oxwich-marsh-16-25-october-2014-crests.html

Will be updated with more photos later

This am:  Male Hen Harrier still around – hunting over bog south of trig point. 2 Red Kites nr Senghenydd.

STARLING SPECTACULAR!

Yesterday evening, the sky was blackened by a large murmuration of starlings, more than last year, perhaps as many as 5,000-6,000 birds, came down at 6.25pm, most of them on the island of reeds in the reserve, the remainder somewhere under Grangetown fly-over and  a few around the Port of Cardiff in the distance. Don’t miss it. Entry free. Performance begins 5.30pm.

Dean’s Yellow-browed Warbler was present again this afternoon. The circled area in the image below shows its favoured beat, for anyone wishing to look tomorrow.

I am saddened to announce that Derek passed away earlier today after a lengthy spell in Glangwili Hospital in Carmarthen. Since his move to Wales it wasn’t long before we became acquainted with Derek and his wife Beryl. There is much can and will be said about man who achieved an impossible amount in his life, but a moment of light entertainment I will treasure, was the day Derek became incomprehensibility bewildered. Derek had not long caught up with a Laughing Gull found earlier by Julian Friese in the Tywi Valley and had just finished taking a detailed set of notes as Sandra and myself turned up, Derek still having the bird set up nicely in his scope. Fantastic, that was until I pointed out it was a Franklin’s Gull! Imagine the scene as more birders arrived and were treated to an unexpected Franklin’s and not a Laughing Gull. I could tell Derek was upset, but he was adamant there was a Laughing Gull, which he said must have flown off and been replaced by a Franklin’s. But he knew that no one was ever going to believe that. I can remember vividly his immense relief when I called him an hour later to say we’d just relocated the Laughing Gull a little way downstream! A remarkable day and a remarkable man.

A Yellow Browed Warbler was calling and showing well on and off this afternoon. Late news from yesterday from Owen Leyshon – A Lapland Bunting flew over the Kenfig Rivermouth calling, heading towards Port Talbot.

Swallow 8 heading SW Greenfinch flock of 40 Linnet 20 Grey Wagtail 2 Grey Heron 1 in field near church

Still lots of skylarks flying around in small flocks this afternoon

late afternoon, around 100 Redwing flying around above west paddock, and c.500 Wood Pigeon going to roost in Cogan Wood. Also 1 Grey Heron at roost by W lake reeds.

Small movement of c.4,800 Wood Pigeons this morning heading west seen from my house 08.30-10.00

Hendre Lake: a late chiffchaff near the car park.

Lisvane: a bit of a clear out of wildfowl evident -numbers a little down from last week.

Llanishen: at least 1 shoveller in heavy rain.

Roath Park Lake: 2 shoveller, 1 teal.

Two Swallows this pm. Redwings regularly overhead pre-dawn.