One present and singing for a couple of hours this afternoon in a suburban garden a quarter mile from nearest water/river.

2 Cuckoos calling in the reserve at 11.00am when I arrived. One was close to the boardwalk but flew off almost immediately giving good views in flight; the second one continued calling for about 10 minutes, then fell silent and did not show again. I bumped into Steve Strutt 15 mins earlier in Grangemoor Park and he had just come from CBWR and did not see anything so they must have been just passing through. Hard luck, Steve!

05:30 – 07:30 this morning:  Several Gardens Warblers showing well – the best views I’ve ever had of this species.  Also a Cuckoo, Wheatear, Kestrel, lots of Tree Pipit, Skylark, and Willow Warbler, and several Stonechat, Blackcap and Whitethroat.

Cuckoo seen twice between 1000 – 1100 hours. Also singing and displaying tree pipits and skylarks and 1 wheatear at the summit. Also garden warbler, common whitethroat, g-s woodpecker, stonechat

Lesser Whitethroat obviously in residence-singing again. Skylark singing. Little else.

A Spotted Flycatcher in the west pool bushes was the only passerine of note. High tide roost at Sker/Kenfig Sands contained 128 Sanderling, 14 Dunlin, 28 Whimbrel, 9 Turnstone, 2 Bar-tailed Godwit, 2 Purple Sandpipers, 1 Curlew & 8 Ringed Plover. Two Shag were on the rocks at Sker, 5 Shelduck went down channel and 3 Common Sandpipers on the East Pool Shore.

13th – Last evening’s high tide:

Whimbrel (124), Dunlin (41), Ringed Plover (22), Oystercatcher (5), Grey Plover (2) & Curlew (1).

Swallow (c50), House Martin (c10), Shelduck (35), B-h Gull (11), Little Egret (2), Peregrine (1) & Cetti’s Wbr. (H).

Good passage of Whimbrel from the wharf last night evening, best total I have had there and most in that area since 6/09/1987 [RM]. Seawatching was poor despite the excellent visibility, just Herring/LBB gulls and one Grey Heron crossing the channel.

At least 7 adult Great-crested Grebes at Lamby Lake this evening including a pair with 1 well-grown juvenile. Mute Swan pair has at least 8 cygnets.

Stroll along Barry Waterfront tonight produced a lovely Male Wheatear. Have we had them hear before John Wilson?

2 Wheatears (1m,1f) on the barrage rocks and an Oystercatcher flew into the bay from the sea.
The Lsr Whitethroat is still singing in Grangemoor Park near to the thick metal chimney stack. A second LW heard briefly over the IKEA brick wall to the east.

A record shot of yesterday’s Long-tailed Skua, which flew towards Swansea Bay at 18:00. A dark phase Arctic Skua past heading in the same direction at 18:50. Nothing much else of note during a sea watch between 17:00 to 19:00 that initially appeared like it might be fairly uneventful.

Not a lot about this morning …….until these 3 Cranes flew over!

http://andyburnsphotography.zenfolio.com/waders/h368b440d#h3be4e3b9

The were quite low heading west and then started to circle near the car park for about 5 mins as they gained some height (presumably in a thermal) until they headed off west again. The first shot shows the 3 birds, the second is a close up of the lower right bird. Notice it has tags (or GPS senders?) on the top of both legs. The bird on the lower left has no tags. The top bird may have a blue tag on its left leg but difficult to see.

After a few phone calls, all the birders at Cossie had a good view.

Andy

Sandwich tern, 4 common scoter and a porpoise off the Tutt early morning
Whimbrel on Bracelet Beach
An immature mute swan off Knab Rock was unusual.
188 kitts on ledges on the pier / sitting on the water close by, and a guillemot on the sea. No sign of female eider, but there was one present last night.
Seems like the ravens on the Lighthouse Island have fledged three young this year. Two adults (in wing moult) and three other birds (assumedly young) were flying around the area last night.

Pretty quiet this morning between 05:45 and 07:30.  A summer plumage Great Northern Diver heading d/c was the highlight, and seven Whimbrel on the rocks below the lookout.  Otherwise little else of note.  Good to meet Neil Donaghy before I had to leave – hopefully he had more luck than I did!

doing a beach walk on aberavon beach (half) i had come across yet again dead birds 1 dead herring gul, 1 gullimot and a manx shearwater (no ring tag) maybe due to bad weather the past couple of days but i think its worth a look in other beaches and maybe come across some that maybe still alive and need help just a thought………..