A juvenile Black-necked Grebe was on the westernmost of the south pools today, feeding very actively. Also a Whinchat nearby.

Coastal Path from Heliport to Shafts Bay (mouth of the Rhymney, including the old frag tip [motor park]). Chiffchaff [7], Kestrel [1], Yellow Wagtail [1, f/o] & Cuckoo [juv].
Leps: Clouded Yellow [5], Red Admiral [10], Common Blue [5], Meadow Brown, Speckled Wood, Small Heath & Small White. Odonata: Migrant Hawker [6] & Common Darter [12], plus a few spikes of Autumn Lady’s Tresses.

Highlights – Lol Middleton, Andy Burns & Steve Young! 🙂 A few Chiffies in the big Sycamore by Church House, light continuous passage of Swallows, Buzzard, 3 Mute Swan f/o, 1 Heron f/o, loose flock of Linnet & Goldfinch and small nos. of Greenfinch, Willow Warbler and Blackcap at the N end, and 1 Stock Dove.

Nothing special to report, but lots of migrant activity.
Around 20 stonechats-the most I’ve seen in this area, 2 whinchats, 4 common whitethroats, c 200 starlings, c 50 linnets, 1 reed bunting by the golf course pond, 4 rock pipits on the beach, good numbers of meadow pipits, goldfinches, wheatears and a few yellow wagtails.
Buzzard, kestrel and a sparrowhawk causing mayhem.
On Saturday a black-tailed godwit was a first for me at Sker.

Female Redstart; Yellow Wagtail over; Tree Pipit (3 over); Chiffchaff 12; Blackcap and Whitethroat. Few Meadow Pipits, Swallow, House Martin south.

Llanrhidian marsh:  1 Wheatear, lots of Swallows & a few House Martins.

Crofty marsh:  1 Yellow Wagtail around horses, Chiffchaff singing.

Salthouse:  Australian Shelduck male!! (No rings) Feeding on mud at low water.

Now 37 Tufted Ducks present [17 W lake, 20 E lake]. Also 4 GCG, about 20 House Martin and a light passage of Swallows. 3 Buzzards over the S meadow.

A good morning for Raptors – Buzzards, sparrowhawks, peregrines and a kestrel plus an unidentified Bunting which Lol thought was probably a corn bunting.
Here is a very poor shot of it – as it was a long way off. Any comments? It flew off soon after.

http://andyburnsphotography.zenfolio.com/p276754680/h4e5331f#h4e5331f

Had a quick look this morning -the juv black-necked grebe is still present on the main lagoon (also seen by Phil Bristow on Saturday) though often elusive among the willows. 

A weekend ringing on Flat Holm resulted in 180 birds of 18 species being ringed – with good numbers of blackcap, goldcrest, willow warblers, chiffchaffs and house martins ringed. Two sedge and reed warbler were also caught, as was a treecreeper; this being only the fourth time the species has been caught on the island, the last being in 1998!

Conditions were particularly good on Saturday with 118 birds ringed; this left little time for birding on a day when the island was hopping with birds! 38 species seen (including those ringed)in total with good numbers of whinchat, wheatear, swallows, house martins and meadow pipits moving on the island.

A Norfolk wing-tagged Marsh Harrier was hunting the marsh this evening (video grab below) and a Redstart was videoed by a camera trap set up covering a Kingfisher perch, which is a bit frustrating as I’ve not seen one on the marsh this year.

OOC at WWT Llanelli’s, the scrapes have been pretty busy over the weekend with counts of 4 Curlew Sandpiper, 140 Knot, 1 Spotted Redshank, 62 Greenshank, 146 Redshank, 3 Ruff, 712 Black-tailed Godwit and 2 Garganey.

70 redshank 20 dunlin 2 greenshank 1 spotted redshank 1 kingfisher and a sparrow hawk
With rob jones
Dave Lewis had a grasshopper warbler earlier

Highlight this morning was a goshawk that briefly pursued a wood pigeon over the reed bed before returning towards the woodland on the Penrice Estate.

In the reed bed and surrounds: 4 reed warbler, 2 garden warbler, 22 blackcap, 8 chiffchaff, 6 willow warbler, 7 robin. There has been an influx of the latter three species over the past few days. 

No sedge warblers this morning, and no overhead passage of pipits noted for the first time in a while, but a few grey wagtail over again.  

More information here: http://gowerbirdringinggroup.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/oxwich-marsh-6-september-2014.html

200 Canada geese 3 perigrine 2 little egrets 2 heron 3 cormorants with rob jones
Brunel Dock
A spotted redshank found by Dave Lewis also greenshank a few redshanks a kingfisher a sedge warbler a perigrine holding a live pigeon which it dropped and then it flew off also a sparrow hawk and 8 linnets

Another busy morning with plenty of birds moving through. Best of the lot was a Grasshopper Warbler – only our second for the site – which showed well for about 5 mins. Supporting cast of migrants: Spotted Flycatcher (3); Redstart (2); Tree Pipit (5+); Blackcap (all over the place – 30+); Common Whitethroat (10+); Chiffchaff (20+); Willow Warbler (3).

Another surprise was a Goshawk which flew over to the north towards Forest Farm/Glamorgan Canal. (DJJ/GJJ)

First light down at rhossili proved initially quite quiet, with not much passing over.meadow pipit starting to build up with approx 40.single yellow wagtail tagged on.3 tree pipit flyovers plus flyover snipe.small no.s of long distance migrants with single whinchat,wheatear,chiffchaff and twos of willow warbler and white throat.18 pied wagtail miling around,and flock of 95 linnet on recently ploughed field.minor influx of robins passing through/ setting up winter territory with 16.3 chough and a peregrine plus kestrel

Quieter today, with several of yesterday’s goodies departing overnight. For the first time since 16th August, there were no BN grebe sightings!

Lisvane, am: 1 Med gull, 16 little grebes, 4 GC grebes, 18 mallards, 83 tufties, 4 pochards, 2 mutes, 73 coots, 41 Canadas, 1 heron, 2 grey wags, 1 cormorant and a sparrow hawk trying and failing to catch a green woodpecker.

Llanishen at dusk: 1 wigeon, 8 pochard, 22 tufties, 26 Canadas, 5 moorhens, 2 mallards, 14 little grebes, ad and juc GC grebe, 18 coots, 2 ravens, 1 kingfisher, 2 tawny owls calling at dusk. c500 swallows came in to roost, finally settling in the willow scrub.

I also watched a very tame jay “anting” on the lawn outside St Andrew’s church in town.

2 spotted flycatcher in Ram Grove.  Lots of robins along the coast.  Willow warbler and chiffchaff in Mewslade Valley and 3 wheatear noted, but very few other migrants about.  Chough present as usual.  Big adder at Butterslade.

Clouded yellow on Thurba Head and above Red Chamber.  The moth yellow belle is abundant at the moment along the steep coastal slope.