Managed to get over to the Point for an hour this morning – no sign of the Firecrest from yesterday but lots of finches, mainly Linnets and Goldfinch, with a few Redpoll and Siskin heard overhead but not seen. Several Skylark and Meadow pipit, 4 Reed Bunting and three Stonechat.

Three unusual records were a Little Egret overhead, a Kingfisher flying over the field !? and my first Yellowhammer here for about 10 years – is this a description species for this area?

Yesterday: Lsr Scaup from the boardwalk; c.150 Tufted Duck; 3 Shoveler ;1 Teal; no Wigeon; 1 ad Med Gull. 2 Stonechat (m+f); 1 fox again.

At Cossie this morning a Snipe flushed from grass about 50m beyond the dragonfly pond – the first for me this autumn. Also 2 Chiffchaff, & Green ‘Pecker of note.

Lavernock 4:15 p.m. – the Firecrest found by Phil Bristow this morning showed very well in the Field Maple tree by the road, in the garden of Church House, until about 4:30 when it poured with rain. A stunning, very bright bird.

Thanks for the plug Mark. The day formally starts at 10am but I’ll be out ringing from early morning. We plan to put the nets up at first light and hope to start processing birds at 7.30am if we catch anything! You are welcome to come and watch. To get to the ringers’ table, walk past the southern hide, through the avenue of willows and bear right when the path forks. Look for the table on the left after about 50 metres. At some point we will move back to the centre and catch a few birds next to the car park in the afternoon. Bird ringing is weather dependant but at the time of writing the conditions look pretty good for Sunday.

For people wanting to maximise their birding on the day, high tide is at about 9.24am. There have been good numbers of waders this week between Sker Point and Rest Bay. They can be seen on any tide but are closest when the tide is right up. Low tide is at 3.34pm when many gulls and waders will have moved onto the mussel beds off Sker Beach.

Kenfig Pool has been poor for birding this autumn but water rails, snipe and a kingfisher have shown really well in the cuts out from the southern hide. A female pintail has been about for weeks. An otter has been regularly feeding in the lake over the last few weeks, often quite late into the morning. A great white egret put in a brief appearance at the saltmarsh during the week and with light easterlies and overcast conditions there is a chance for another rarity or two to turn up over the weekend.

Cakes, hot drinks and children’s craft activities (in the afternoon) will be available in the reserve centre and there will be guided walks starting from the front of the building. We are keen to enthuse children about birds and birdwatching so please make a special effort to invite families and point out birds to children. We look forward to seeing you!

Looks like there are good opportunities to join in with some birding activities this weekend either at Mumbles on Saturday or at Kenfig NNR on Sunday.

Mumbles Head tomorrow for a chance to have a look around the bushes and hopefully observe some visible migration. There were good numbers of Sky Larks and Meadow Pipits moving through Crymlyn Burrows earlier today but also 22 Swallows and a House Martin passing through. Hopefully the calmer weather tomorrow will encourage some more migration with perhaps something special mixed in. I’ll be at the Mumbles Car park from 07:00 and will remain near there till 08:00 before moving up onto the hill. Depending on numbers of birds and participants we’ll probably stick around the general area till about 11:00. We’ll never be too far away from the car park so joining up at any time before 11:00 should be fairly straightforward. My contact details can be found on the contacts page of the main website, if planning to join later give a call in the morning and I’ll be able to tell you where to find us.

The Sunday event at Kenfig looks really good too and I’m sure that will be further promoted on here later today or tomorrow. All event details are found via links on the main website

A nice frosty juvenile Arctic tern flew close in up channel at high tide this morning. A bar-tailed godwit and a good count of 83 turnstones were also of note.

Lots of temporary pools following the heavy showers, being enjoyed by c35 mallards, 1 shoveller, 1 wigeon, 2 teal, 1+ water rail, 21 tufties, 2 pochard, 21 tufties, c8 little grebes, 1 GC grebe, c10 coots, 2 moorhens and 2 herons. 1 skylark over, was my first of the autumn here,

There’s been quite a few comments over the last year or so about ditches needing to be cleared of reed – well the clearance has started!

A Marsh Tit made two brief visits to the carved dragon in Cogan Wood this morning. A Jay is also feeding there regularly, along with a Nuthatch and Coal Tit. A few days ago there was a rat and a squirrel on the carved dragon! Elsewhere at Cosmeston this morning a Treecreeper just north of the bridge, a Grey Wagtail where the West Lake outlet stream joins Sully Brook, Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers, several Chiffchaff and a steady flow of Swallows heading south in ones and twos.

A female Pochard was with a group of Coot and a Tufted Duck just off the Cardiff Bay Ice Rink boardwalk early this afternoon. Approaching high tide at Bendrick Rock this evening there were 19 Oystercatcher, 6 Ringed Plover and a Turnstone, all hunkered down against the strong wind.

Yesterday mid-afternoon the Lesser Scaup was again just off the St Davids Hotel boardwalk at the east end of Cardiff Bay wetland reserve. There was a Shoveler and a few Teal and Wigeon in the reserve.

I have just witnessed Gull behaviour i haven’t seen before.A flock of 20 or so Black Headed Gulls appeared to be flying around and hovering over lake-side trees laden with berries.I was 200yds. away with just bins.They seemed to be actually taking berries,but couldn’t be certain.On reaching my car i got my scope out and eating berries was exactly what they were doing.Has anyone else seen or heard of this kind of behaviour?

The Glamorgan Bird Club first indoor meeting of this autumn/winter period is tonight 7:45 p.m. at Kenfig Nature Reserve Centre. A stills and video presentation by Paul Bowden on the little known [at least bird wise for most of us] Nakhchivan Autonomous Region of Azerbaijan, and the Lesser Caucasus Mountains. Should be good.

ON Sept 30th my friend and i were at sandwell valley park farm and on the pond at the back of the farm there were some mallards ferreting in the blanket weed . some dragonflies were flying about and suddenly one mallard jumped up out of the water and tried to catch one. he missed but we had never seen this happen before . is it usual for mallards to eat dragonflies ?

Lavernock this morning:

Reserve: 50 Goldfinch feeding on dead Scabious heads, 1 Jay, 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Kestrel.

Lavernock Pt and fields: 3 Stonechat in the coastal paddock by the house, plus 2 Reed Bunting, 30 Linnet, 2 Jays over, 1 Sprawk, 1 Buzzard, several Chiffchaff by Church House. Also a fair few Swallows and House Martins overhead.

A roving flock of  c.100 birds contained Blue, Great and Long tailed Tit – a few Nuthatch and Treecreeper – several Goldcrest and at least one Firecrest..

Nine Choughs present this afternoon, including the resident colour-ringed pair.

2 Redwings flew in to roost at Singleton Park this evening – first I’ve seen this year.

Raft of 45 Teal at the mouth of the Thaw, flocks of Ringed Plover and Turnstone amongst the Oycs, three Stonechat, one Barwit, two Wheatear one Snipe and three Clouded Yellow

11.00 to 13.00 Jay 5, only 2 chough, peregrine, 2 ravens, and 3 clouded yellow. The highlight was a juvenile hobby sitting on a telegraph pole on the way back to Bridgend.

7 chough the highlight , also a few chiffchaff around the seaward end of the valley , 2 kestrel,fulmar ,plenty of mipits ,skylark and linnet in the fields.3 clouded yellow .1-3pm.

A grasshopper warbler this morning (juvenile carrying no fat).  No blackcaps but lots of chiffchaff and goldcrest.

Lots of skylark, meadow pipit and the odd grey wagtail over.  Some passage of hirundines including a few large mixed flocks of swallows and martins

More info re: ringing totals here: http://gowerbirdringinggroup.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/oxwich-marsh-6-october-late-gropper.html