Pair of Pintails, on the west lake this morning. In with the Tufties. There’s a record shot at

http://andyburnsphotography.zenfolio.com/p544547808/h308f03a7#h308f03a7

(it was a long way off and very poor light)

First Pintails I have seen at Cozzy this year. Few Pochards and Shovelers also in with the Tufties. No sign of the Lesser Scaup on the west lake but I didnt get a chance to look at the flock of Tufties on the east lake before the rain came.

At least 31 Goldeneyes,18f and 13m. 3-Goosanders 2f 1m.  2-Choughs east of the second walled field.11h00-13h30

A pair of Choughs at Ogmore-by-Sea today neatly brings my Foot It (bird species seen in January walking from home and back) score to 100, the target I had set myself at the beginning of the month. That’s probably going to be that for the challenge this year.

I decided to limit my walks to a four mile radius from home:

This I kept to with the exception of a foray to Newton Point/Porthcawl, brought on as a result of desperation when things seemed to be drying up (it worked – seven additions were made).

The majority of my effort was not surprisingly made in the Ogmore/Merthyr Mawr/Southerndown area, although Parc Slip also played its part. This map shows where the productive effort was put in:

I would say that compared to 2013 – when I first had a go at this and recorded 103 species – birds were generally harder to come by, probably largely as a result of this year’s unrelenting wet and mild conditions, unlike in 2013 when a cold snowy spell mixed things up. However, I’m pleased to have reached my target and appreciate how lucky I am to live in such a relatively bird rich location.

Some noteworthy birds seen in both years: Little Egret, Red Kite, Goshawk, Peregrine, Water Rail, Purple Sandpiper, Mediterranean Gull, Yellow-legged Gull, Kingfisher, Water Pipit, Chiffchaff and Chough.

Birds seen in 2014, but not 2013: Brent Goose, Pochard, Great Crested Grebe, Shag, Bittern, Grey Plover, Barn Owl and Cetti’s Warbler.

Birds seen in 2013, but not 2014: Wigeon, Pintail, Golden Plover, Lapwing, Jack Snipe, Green Sandpiper, Bonaparte’s Gull, Little Owl, Black Redstart, Blackcap and Brambling.

On the minus side it was especially frustrating to not see any Lapwing or Golden Plover, both of which can be present in their hundreds with a bit of a cold blast. Gulls were a tad disappointing overall – no Bonaparte’s like last year, none of the hoped for white-wingers, no Little Gull or Kittiwake despite all the gales, although a pristine adult Yellow-legged Gull was some compensation. I searched in vain for Little Owls at three known sites – two were apparently abandoned and the other had been taken over by Barn Owls.

I would certainly recommend a go at a walking list in January. It’s a great way to gain a greater appreciation of your local area and its birds, while any pounds lost in weight or saved in fuel can’t be a bad thing! Will I be doing it again in 2015? Hmm, let me get back to you on that…..

 

11am
Goldeneyes at least 21 female and 17 males, some head throwing. Female Sparrowhawk flew through. Goosanders 2 male 1 female. Cormorants 7, Redshanks 2, Curlew 1. 2 Grey Wagtails, at least a dozen Pied Wagtails and similar numbers of meadow pipits. Pair Stonechats.

A good count of about 90 Canada geese on the marsh 20 flew in while I was counting from the roundabout no sign of any of the pipits

mark hipkin found yesterday they could be anywhere on the marsh usual gulls and a little egret there

An imm Iceland Gull was on the sea off Blackpill this evening around 16:45.

Great Crested Grebes are still in good numbers in the bay. 153 off Aberavon Beach, 106 off Crymlyn Burrows & 67 off Blackpill.

 

Lesser Scaup still on the west lake this morning…looking very settled in with the other tufties. It came a bit closer so I managed to get a couple of better shots.

http://andyburnsphotography.zenfolio.com/p544547808/hbea5f51#h9762762

http://andyburnsphotography.zenfolio.com/p544547808/hbea5f51#h21d9ea0

 

A quick walk round Cossie this morning: drake Lesser Scaup showing v well by shoreline on W lake together with c.180 Tufties and a drake Pochard. Also 3 Wigeon there [2m, 1f] and 6 Gadwall. A further 40+ Tufties on E lake. Grey Wagtail in the new wet area by the Med Village access boardwalk and several Reed Bunt and a couple of Redwing.

7 Red-throated Diver, 3 Little Gulls and a Bonxie all west. Also around 300 Kittiwakes, with as many lingering and resting on the sea as were moving west. 100 or so Herring Gulls, 60 Common and 50 Black-headed Gulls feeding very profitably amongst the spume over the rocks on the incoming tide. 2 Chough flew over west.

Male Lesser Scaup was at Cosmeston again this morning (thanks to Lol Middleton for spotting it again). I managed to get some reasonable ‘in flight’ shots but at the limit of the cameras range. There are 5 shots at:

http://andyburnsphotography.zenfolio.com/p544547808/h8cf77e2#h8cf77e2

It was on the east lake with the tufties and obliged by taking off for the photos – and then landed on the west lake. It was there when we left at 11am, over the far side again with the tufties.

 

 

Female Blackcap present in Canton garden again.

66 Canada geese 75 black headed gulls 25 herring gulls 15 lesser b b gulls1 little grebe 5 curlew 2 redshank 5 mallard 4 wigeon 1 cormorant 25 jackdaws 10 carrion crows 

A smart adult Yellow-legged Gull was present this afternoon, taking my footit total to 99.

I have had some information back from the project that GPS tagged the Brent Goose, still present of the lower estuary. They were able to download data from the bird’s logger when it stopped off in spring 2013 at the Frisian Island of Schiermonnikoog, where it was originally tagged. In the 2012 breeding season it was on the fantastically named October Revolution Island, the largest island of the Severnaya Zemlya group in the Russian Arctic. It spent last winter in Bassin d’Arcachon (Bordeaux) and at a site in northern Brittany. Quite why it has turned up at Ogmore Estuary on its own in the middle of winter is anyone’s guess.

drake Lesser Scaup on west lake amongst tufties – also two pair Wigeon and two drake Pochard. Was about to get a record shot when the driving hail convinced me that sitting sipping coffee behind some decent double glazing has some advantages. Which reminds me, any luck with the lesser whitethroat John?

Lol

late news per BirdGuides – drake Lesser Scaup was apparently on W lake this afternoon.

Female goshawk chasing redwing in fields nr sewage works also 2 chiffchaff along river

female present in Canton garden all day.

Managed to properly read the rings on the Dark-bellied Brent Goose today, once the gloom had eventually lifted a little (red ‘F’ left leg, black ‘4’ right leg). The bird was ringed at Schiermonnikoog – an Island off the Dutch coast – on 10/05/12. It is carrying a GPS logger which can be downloaded using a radio antenna from a distance of a few hundred metres. This is the first of the GPS birds to have been recorded in Wales.

following up on the belated news of waxwings tweeted yesterday.. Looking this morning… Several berry laden trees but only starlings, house sparrows, 20 collared doves, and a lot of dog toilet!