Just received a text from Mike Cram who’s watching an Osprey eating a fish on one of the posts on the marsh at present.

Rather quieter than hoped for. A couple of Commics, a few Manxies and Fulmars all d/c and a juvenile Kittiwake doing a very good impression of a Sabine’s were the only things of note.

4 Spotted flycatcher and a wheatear were the highlights among 27 species.

One common tern and another six unidentified terns (probably all commons) seen passing the point in the rain at high tide this morning heading down channel. At least 10 yellow wagtails were counted by Graham Roblin among the Welsh Black cattle but birds could be heard calling all over the place so there could have been many more. No sign of yesterday’s knot but there were plenty of oystercatchers, turnstones, curlews and ringed plovers. There were also 2 teal, three dunlin and a sanderling.  

2 fem type Wheatear on the barrage rocks and grass slope. In Hamadryad ‘ pond’, a GC Grebe with 3 very small chicks and 7 Little Grebes.

The only thing of interest in rain & wind was a single Swift.

Groups of 4,7, and 9 common tern battling into the wind going up toward Gowerton pill.All looked to land further up from 19.10 to 19.30

Not many birds at the reserve today but a juvenile Green Woodpecker fed outside the north hide for 40 minutes.

Greenshank 2, common sandpiper 3, yellow wagtail 1, and little egret 1 were the birds of note this morning.

2 very mobile whinchats on the stone wall 300m west of lifeguards’ cabin at Pink Bay. In the same area, slightly closer to Sker, 4 yellow wagtails were feeding among the Welsh black cattle.
12 wheatears, 7 stonechats, 2 rock pipits and a mixed flock of 50 mainly linnets with a few goldfinches and meadow pipits thrown in.
Not many waders to report; just 3 curlews and 48 oystercatchers on Sker beach.

2 Black-necked Grebes at lisvane res this morning. One in more summery plumage. Both showing well in the south-west corner. i.e to the right of the car park.

Via James Vafidis

Eider at Blackpill this morning

Six Greenshanks flew over together gong north west and an Otter was briefly outside the South Pool Hide.

This afternoon a male Eider was in Port Eynon Bay along with 4 Med Gulls, but there were no signs of any terns on or around the busy beach area. Observations in the upper part of the Burry over the previous couple of days have revealed a gradual increase in common species such as 75 Gadwall, 62 Teal, 63 Mallard, 45 Great Crested Grebe, 2700 Oystercatcher, 38 Ringed Plover, 36 Dunlin, 10 Snipe and 289 Curlew, with less common species noted being no more exciting than 1 Yellow-legged Gull and the odd Tree Pipit. Let’s hope the change in wind direction spices things up a little…

23/8/14

we went for a walk down to sker farm and one of the fields towards the yellow house there was a whimbrel there on its own

Visible migration today as 2 Tree Pipits passed over our street this morning calling.

Willow tit calling in oak tree in street this afternoon.. Second time this year I’ve had one

Mixed gull roost at HW Overton Cliff: 260 herring gull, 4 GBB, 3 Med gull.

Juvenile Dartford warbler just east of Longhole in gorse.  Garden warbler with numerous blackcaps in Overton valley.

There are a lot of uncultivated fields full of weeds along the top path to Longhole Cliff this year.  The only species of any note in them this afternoon was (2) red-legged partridge, which seem pretty scarce in Gower.

 

Some migrants on the move this morning with 1 sedge warbler and 1 swift near the lapwing breaking area.30 sandwich tern with 8 juvs. Also on the beach mixed flock of Dunlin (30) , ringed plover(35) , sanderling (12), and 6 turnstone. 1 kestrel hunting the edge of the beach. 

Around the middle pines/ dunes 2 yellow wags, 5 tree pipit, 2 spotted flycatcher, 1 lesser white throat.

good to see plenty of juv song thrush, mixed tits, gold rests, in with some juv willow warblers and chiffchaff.

35+ redshank and a greenshank 3 were reported earlier today
A tawny owl flew across the road by the old grandison pub near briton ferry