Quick visit this morning, and there was a good selection of birds in the area outside the  hide without a door including 5 bullfinch (3M 2 F), and 2 goldcrest. Kingfisher and water rail seen from the  hide, and some very vocal green woodpeckers nearby. 

A 1w little gull with 72 black-headed gulls roosting on the high tide off the Oxwich Bay Hotel this morning. Also a great crested grebe.
Waterfowl appear to have decreased in the marsh, with only 15 teal, 15 mallard and a female shoveler this am. A kingfisher was a bonus.
Still two eider off Mumbles (imm male and a female) and a peregrine was hunting over Mumbles Hill yesterday am.

Late report via my brother Edward – he and his wife Jackie saw a Short-eared Owl sat in the bracken at the northern / seaward end of the caravan park at Broughton, near Llangennith, Gower. Wonderful views as it took flight (Jammy sod!).

Mike Cram

A Kittiwake and a first winter Little Gull still on the beach among the hordes of dog walkers at lunchtime.

One Woodcock today.

1-Yellow Legged Gull on the roof opp. Waitrose at 16h30

LT Duck on Knap still also Yellow-legged gull.

Adult Med gull on railings beside docks opposite Morrisons – got about 50% of hood already.

but no sign of BT Divers.

Quite a busy high tide with the adult Little Gull and first summer Kittiwake still present off the point, while a Razorbill and a drake Common Scoter were close inshore and at least 12 Great Crested Grebes on the sea was a very high count for the site. The wader roost contained 4 Purple Sandpipers and 53 Turnstones of note and a female/imm Merlin was chasing Linnets near the coastguard hut.

Here’s a cropped head shot of the LTD [esp for Andy :-)] showing the bill serrations.

30 + Mediterranean Gulls (BB) others at Mumbles Blackcap 2 females near coastal path.  Spent an hour looking for Ross’s Gull late afternoon-no joy again! There was no sign of the Little Gulls either. On Blackpill Beach one dead of each Razorbill Guillemot and Kittiwake. A Mediterranean Gull at BB had a white ring on left leg with number 25 on it, I could not make out if there were other numbers. 

Male and Female Blackcap in garden. Fantastic

finally managed to get out for a little while. Here’s couple of pix of the L-t Duck seen this afternoon, one in mid-dive.

100+ pied wagtails going to roost on tescos roof neath abbey at 17 40 this evening

Long-tailed Duck back on the Knap Lake this morning, along with an adult Mediterranean Gull.

Was a nice surprise when walking yesterday afternoon

4 Common Buzzard drifting on thermals over fields to West of Pyle on Sunday afternoon, 16th, for about 5 mins before splitting into pairs and heading SW and NW.

A kittiwake on Oxwich Pond this morning (assumedly still recovering after the stormy weather), along with at least 10 shoveler (an increase since Jan). No decent count of other waterfowl as they were hiding in the margins.
Quick trip around Whiteford: peregrine hunting the creeks on Cwm Ivy Marsh, counts of 1380 golden plover, 1430 lapwing (both The Groose), 317 dunlin, and 25 eider (both Berges Island). Another 3 kitts and a razorbill all looking miserable off Burges Island.
Frog spawn in the fields opposite the first area of plantation was my first of the year.

No sign of the LTD this morning.

Here is a reasonable shot I got of it yesterday.

http://andyburnsphotography.zenfolio.com/waterfowl/h5118277#h5118277