GND still present this afternoon. Little else on the res apart from 4 Cormorants. Blowing a hoolie. Garwnant Centre closed due to high winds.

A very high tide on the inlet this morning and very windy, flooding up to Gowerton. Viewed from Landimore car park this morning across to Weobley and Llanrhidian, highlights:- 2 Slavonian Grebe, 1 Great White Egret flew up a few times, the Black Brant still present with a few dozen Dark-belllied Brent Geese 100+ Pintail, 500+ Shelduck, 2 Common Eider, 1,000 Golden Plover, several hundred Lapwing, 2 Greenshank. Later on a Red Kite was in flight over Berthlwyd just west of the Chinese restaurant. Penclawdd car park was flooded but on the falling tide a count of 38 Skylark as they flew out onto the marsh.

At least 2, probably 3, Bearded Tits in reeds on the south side of the track at CBWR, opposite pond dipping area. Saw these about 10 minutes after meeting you John (good to finally meet you too).

Good view of the Black-necked Grebe from the fly-over, managed a vaguely acceptable shot despite the wind and poor light.

Enjoyable morning out birding. Four snipe and a flock of goldfinch from the hide without a door, and fantastic birding in the other hide with both good close views of kingfisher and sparrowhawk, but also a brief flight view of a bittern in the back area of the reeds opposite to the hide. Good to meet you Cliff, expect I will see you again somewhere. 

An adult Kittiwake was at CBWR this morning, first seen on the mooring boom looking right from the far end of the boardwalk. Then flew and spent a short time on the water left of the boardwalk, then flew back again onto the boom. Looked a bit sickly and had a reddish stain behind the left eye. No sign of Lsr Scaup – the tufties seem very spread out around the bay. Black-necked Grebe still around Cardiff side of the road bridge. A Kingfisher flew up the Taff at Hamadryad and under Clarence Rd bridge. Nice to meet Peter Howlett and finally put a face to a name – he writes the Glamorgan ringing report to put in the Bird Report each year – for which I am very grateful – very remiss of me not to say so at the time.

Cosmeston: A pristine ad Yellow-legged Gull on E. Lake, 24 Canadas, 46 Mute Swan, 6 Gadwall W. Lake, total pof c.60 Tufted Ducks, mostly drakes. No Lsr Scaup with them. Also 4 GCG and a Little Grebe. Where are all the Pochard this winter?

08:20-09:20
Distant skua species Arctic/pom flew west just after 09:00. Looked heavy, but not seen well enough to id to species.
Otherwise: red-throated diver 4, common scoter 5, fulmar 3, steady movement of kittiwakes (30+) and guillemots, and a shag at Bracelet.
Could only find 1 Eider (sub-adult male) off Mumbles Pier first thing.

10 Light-bellied Brent Geese, 13 Turnstones, 6 Oystercatchers, 2 Curlews, a pair of Stonechats and 60 Crows. 6 Snipe at the lagoon, with Water Rail calling.  

Black Brant seen on the morning tide between Landimore and Weobley along with fabulous numbers of other waders and waterfowl, 6 Greenshank perhaps being the most noteworthy (BS & JNE, shortly joined by CB). Best viewpoint to look for this bird is Bove Hill (SS46509336). The Thayer’s Gull and p.American Herring Gull have showed on and off all day around Burry Holms. Well done to all the hardy souls who braved the elements, especially those who managed to get photographs that will help the assessment of these records. Hanging my bins up to dry tomorrow!

Raft of 20 cormorant right out on the point… No sign of any divers in the bay… Lots of bh gulls loafing.. 2 common gulls… 2 immature kittiwakes.. 4 chough on
the campsite field

A rather quiet first visit of the year before the rain returned. Numbers of wildfowl were way down from my last visit, but  some were probably hidden in the reeds. The only sightings of note was a drake Goldeneye and a Bittern flying in from the south high over pool before it dropped somewhere in the region of The Target Pond. I suspect that this was a new arrival or a bird coming from the river mouth to the pool as it was already high when I picked it up some 150 m south of the pool and it didn’t come down in the reeds around the pool.

Putative Thayer’s Gull still present & Black Brant on north Gower – see GRC for details.

Pics and videos of the p.Thayer’s and an American Herring Gull lookalike here.

Fulmars at Spaniard Rocks https://vimeo.com/83386863

Off Spaniard Rocks in addition to the above which were on the eastern-most rocks of Burry Holms, other birds seen were 5,280 Common Scoter (too distant to see anything rarer among them), 60+ Kittiwakes and continual procession of gulls (2,000+) flying north along the coast, only a few stopping off to rest on the island. Broughton Bay held loads of gulls as the tide dropped, with hundreds of both Herrings and Commons plus other odds and sods.

Great northern diver still present this afternoon at the northern end of the reservoir.

Putative Thayer’s Gull seen this morning. More info here. (Barry Stewart)

51

 curlew this morning.. 30+ oycs… 2 mistle thrush

In addition to Paul’s post below, 10 Goosander (3m, 7f) on a very high river at Portobello first thing this morning.  On the wave-battered rocks, along with the seven Purple sandpiper there was a Shag which flew off as I drove up to park.