2 Common Sandpiper on far shore of W lake this morning. Common Whitethroat back of W lake. Mute Swan with nest in E lake reeds. 

There was a Common Sandpiper at the West Lake this morning.

Emma and I started at the Watermill this morning with perhaps a dozen or so Sand Martin, little else. Then over at Portobello island and vicinity: fem Goosander, 30+ Shelduck, 1 Dunlin, 1 Common Sandpiper, 4 Whimbrel, 1 Wheatear and 2 brief Yellow Wagtails flushed and disappeared north-east.

I ventured out from Kenfig Pool at 1100h, after picking my way through the mud by south hide, did the circular walk to Sker and then the farm and golf course to 1330h. Nice sunny weather and stiff south by south-easterly wind, but little of note except a Whimbrel at Sker Point, 4 Yellow Wagtail flying strongly North-east from the Point and a Wheatear at Sker farm. Though I hear DGC had better luck with waders out at Sker/Pink Bay late morning (several summer plumaged Bar-tailed Godwit) and late afternoon (4 Ruff).

 

No sign of the funny Curlew, nor the Dunlin flocks, however there were 212 Black-tailed Godwit along a few Whimbrel and an estuary tick in the form of a Black Swan! Has one been seen elsewhere recently in the local environs?

Friend’s garden in Creigiau is having 4-6 siskin on feeders everyday and pair of bullfinches.

Highlights from BBS visit on 18th (Good Friday): 2 red kites, 2 male redstarts, 2 wheatears, numerous singing warblers (willow, blackcap, chiff chaffs), skylarks seemed in relatively good numbers, 1 tree pipit, reed bunting in a new square, and curlew heard a couple of times, which is encouraging.

2 reeling grasshopper warblers from the walkway this evening thanks to Alastair flannagan for taking me to them my hearing aid is working well now never thought I would hear one again 

Tree Pipit 1 Willow Warbler 4 Chiffchaff 3 Blackcap 4 Linnet 2 and Large Red Damselfly 1

A fem.Redstart in the small reed-bed in front of St.David’s Hotel did not linger ( 9.45am with Peter H ). Wheatear over. Reed Warbler seen and heard in the Ely River inlet by the BT building.

in the reserve: fem Redstart in trees by the large gate at the far end of the first field from the road. Several Common Whitethroat singing and 1 Lesser Whitethroat. On St. Mary’s Well Bay rocks, 1 Whimbrel.

Lavernock Pt coast path, 1 Wheatear in ploughed field just beyond the big house. Whitethroats in bushes in the field by the access road to the point, and Blackcap. Light passage of Swallows.

In response to ludicrous suggestions that myself and others are deliberately suppressing or putting out late news of rare birds, you may be interested in the following:
If you sign up to Twitter and follow @welshbirders, you will get to hear news at same time as everybody else. This feed has been openly available for some time now, but it’s possible some of you may not have been aware of it. We have Mark to thank for setting this up and it is a great way of sending and receiving information quickly. If you’re not into Twitter then you can read the messages direct, without having to sign up, on the GRC blog.

Early morning visits to avoid the crowds.

At Lamby Lake (Parc Tredelerch) singing Common (5) and Lesser (1) Whitethroat in the shrubs around the reedbed at the eastern end. Common Sandpiper on the River Rhymney.

Male Redstart at the St Davids Hotel end of Cardiff Bay wetland (in the scrub/trees down from the car park). Cetti’s Warbler showed briefly in the same area. Female Wheatear and 2 Linnet on the grassed area at the boardwalk end of the reserve.

At Cosmeston Cetti’s calling from the boardwalk reedbed, and Jay skulking in the trees behind the bird table.

 

1 garden warbler singing in willow scrub next to river near footbridge that crosses the river also 2 groppers reeling 1 in cwmdu area and another in brookfield area

A few more signs of waders on the move this evening with counts in the relatively small area south of the bridge including 123 Black-tailed Godwits, 306 Dunlin, 6 Whimbrel, 1 Grey Plover, 6 Ringed Plovers and 86 Oystercatchers. The most interesting bird however was one of four Curlew that flew in and landed, which appeared to have a dark rump in contrast to the obvious white rumps of the other three. It was a brief and distant view in dull light, so could just be soiled plumage or some other effect, however, the bird also had a strikingly long bill and was darker all over, so worth looking for if you’re passing.

2 Tree Pipits doing parachute displays viewed from the road just west of Cwm Cadlan nature reserve this morning. 1 male Stonechat and 1 male Whinchat both on fence posts at the roadside just east of the reserve. 2 Wheatear on Cefn Cadlan.

Grey Wagtail on the dam at Llwyn On by the outflow, and Dipper on the river at the foot of the dam.

Luckily the scramble bikers left just as I arrived. A productive walk round the Common. Saw my first Cuckoo of the year plus Tree Pipit (3), Redstart (1), Willow Warbler (9), Chiffchaff (1), Blackcap (2), Swallow (1), Skylark (2), Linnet (5) plus the regulars.

A cold North-easterly wind was blowing with overcast skies this morning, but did not stop me noting a summer plumaged Dunlin, 4 Ringed Plover, 8 Oystercatcher and 2 Kittiwake on the beach. Yesterday’s migrants appear to have moved on.

Yesterday we enjoyed a cracking male Redstart just outside the caravan first thing. There was also a mini-fall of migrants, perhaps a dozen Whitethroats up on the Burrows, several Willow Warbler and an elusive Reed Warbler which was singing softly and intermittently in thick cover by the stone jetty. 2 House Martin and a few dozen Swallow trickled through the Burrows. Early morning seawatching yielded an adult Gannet and 3 Sandwich Tern fishing offshore plus what we initially thought was an Iceland Gull which was flighty and ranged from Broughton beach as far as Burry Holm where we briefly re-located it later on that morning – However, upon inspecting Emma’s photos at home we realised it was in fact a Glaucous Gull. Plenty to enjoy on the walk across to Burry holm. Emma saw a hunting Merlin hurtle through and we also saw 12+ Shag and several pairs of Fulmar and Raven nesting in two different locations around Culverhole and Burry Holm areas. During a late afternoon walk south towards Llangennith Burrows we located a Cetti’s Warbler calling from deep cover between the farm and Llangennith Burrows.

Mike and Emma Cram & family