Very quiet this morning: Tree Pipit (1), Meadow Pipit (24 f/o) and a few Blackcaps, Chiffs and Swallows. The Whitethroats appear to have cleared out.

As I dragged my aging corpse up Oakland Road, Bridgend on my morning run, I was surprised to hear, then see a Kingfisher flying up into the houses on the north side. I assume it has been investigating garden ponds. Never seen one so far away from the Ogmore.

There’s a nice photogenic flock of 8 Chough frequenting the Broughton area at the moment. Emma captured this shot in the vicinity of our caravan.

A greenshank in the Dock 70+ redshank on the Crumlyn burrows side of the river along with 6 dunlin a ringed plover 15 curlew 1 whimbrel usual gulls and a heron flushed a small bird by the sub station it flew into cover I think it was a grasshopper warbler by the jizz 10 Canada geese flew over

Dean’s Curlew Sandpiper from this evening. What a peach!

A Curlew Sandpiper was on Portobello Island this evening along with the long staying Greenshank. Another Greenshank flew over Newton Burrows this morning .

Eight wigeon on the pool and three great crested grebes.

This morning 21 blackcap (20 captured), 2 sedge warbler, 1 reed warbler and 7 chiffchaffs.

We are now on the brink of ringing 2500 on the marsh in 2014.  More here: http://gowerbirdringinggroup.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/oxwich-march-13-september-changing-of.html

Lsr Scaup, 5 Wigeon, 3 Teal, 2 Shoveler, RC Pochard, 67 Tufted Duck, 14 Little Grebe, Kingfisher.

Our second Grasshopper Warbler of the autumn was this morning’s highlight. Also Tree Pipit (1) and lower numbers of Blackcap, Chiffchaff and Whitethroat than of late. Light Swallow and Meadow Pipit passage overhead. (DJJ/GJJ)

Spotted Redshank, Greenshank, 2 Red Kites, Kingfisher all by the car park yesterday and off Dalton’s Point a Curlew Sandpiper was with the wader flock that included 364 Black-tailed Godwits and 127 Knot.

Wildfowl & Waders this am: Teal [24], Pintail [11], Shelduck [14], Curlew [29], Lapwing [100], Little Egret [4 RGW, with 5 more on PGW], Greenshank [2, both later on PGW], Bar-tailed Godwit [1 @ 09.45 >E], Black-tailed Godwit [1 @ 11.10 >E], Oink [1] & Jack Snipe [1]. Passerines: Swallow [c500, all >E], Goldfinch [c100], Chaffinch [40], Pied Wagtail [14 all >E], Reed Bunting [2] & Reed Wbr. [1]. GBB Gull [13, mixed ages].
RGW = Rumney Great Wharf (Glamorgan) & PGW = Peterstone Great Wharf (Gwent).

Q – If Scotland secedes from the Union, will we lose all our Scottish species from our GB list?

Large number of hirundines over the Bay this morning as well as birds passing through. most of the birds hanging around the Bay were House Martins while the birds passing through were largely Swallows. Rough estimate of c.1,500 House Martin and 500 Swallow.

At least 2 Water Rail starting to call this morning.

Good passage of Swallows heading east along the barrage and across the bay this morning. Only spent a short time counting but saw 800+ in less than an hour.

While watching bats this evening a greenshank was roosting on the east shore. Bats recorded included (in order of appearance): noctule, common pipistrelle, soprano pipistrelle and Daubenton’s.

Black-neck grebe still present at 17:30 – seen with Andrew Lucas

Quieter this morning than of late. Tree Pipit (3), Meadow Pipit (1), Linnet (3), Blackcap (15+), Chiffchaff (10+), Whitethroat (6) only sign of visible migration. Goosander (2) were the first of the autumn here.

Whinchat on the hill this morning.  In the broken scrub on the Bracelet Bay side of the mast.  Redstart spp (assumedly common) in scrub above the Big Apple, but only saw its tail as it flew into scrub.  Lots of chiffchaff, 1-2 willow warbler, several blackcaps and a whitethroat.  More meadow pipit passage than in previous mornings, but no tree pipits heard.  Crests starting to form flocks.

At Oxwich this evening, a greenshank was heard calling.  75 swallows and 3 sand martins were captured going in to roost.  More here: http://gowerbirdringinggroup.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/oxwich-marsh-9-10-september-2014.html

At Oxwich yesterday, 3 tree pipit (1 captured), 11 blackcap, 4 reed warbler, 1 sedge warbler.

 

Very odd sight this evening of a Guillemot at Ogmore, over the high tide. Initially seen diving near the sewage works bridge upstream of Portobello and then cruising down the river among the Canada Geese and Black-headed Gulls. Not something you see everyday! At one point it surfaced near where I stood, allowing me to take a brief snatch of video footage.