Brilliant day with great sights of a bittern flying down the channel of cut two and landing in the reeds of cut one. Ten minutes later an otter swam towards the south hide in channel of cut two and going into the reeds of cut one. Didn’t see the otter again but the bittern showed well after this.

Headed out for a Winter Thrush Survey of Cardiff Riding School yesterday to clear the boxing day cobwebs:

Blackbirds 24 – included 6 ringed as part of the Cardiff Blackbird Project (http://www.cardiffblackbirds.blogspot.co.uk/)

Mistle Thrush 2, Song Thrush 2 and 51 Starling.

Biggest surprise was the 423 redwing, highest count I’ve had for the site, which were recorded in three groups. The first near the allotments next to the river comprised 25 fly which flew north east. Walking from the Blackweir end of the paddocks back towards western avenue a second flock of 212 was moving between two trees in the paddock closest to the weir which flew east into Bute Park, and shortly after a separate group of 186 were feeding in “Pope’s Field” (large square paddock next to Pontcanna Fields).

No fieldfares yet.

Southern Hide- 3pm- bittern walked across flattened reeds at the back of the first cut.

Swanbridge/Sully Beach/Bendricks early morning – 6 Curlew, 30 Oystercatcher and a single Turnstone

Cosmeston early morning – Drake Gadwall (East Lake), Drake Teal (West Lake), Cetti’s Warbler in the West Lake reeds and a Common Gull on the posts

Llwyn On – Great Northern Diver viewed around 1pm from the car park on the west side roughly half way up the reservoir

Jepsons Pond – 3 Goosander on the pond and a Red Kite over.

Rhaslas Pond – 2 Goosander plus Wigeon and a Cormorant

Pond next to derelict Ffosyfran training centre – 4 Teal

Incline Top pond late afternoon – 7 Goosander

This morning before the Boxing Day crowds descended on the river.

Gadwall 8, turnstone 1, little grebe 7, goldeneye 13, goosander 2, redshank 10 and a little egret.

Two Shags off The Deeps was the highlight of a Christmas walk in the Ogmore area.

Chiffchaff in the garden this afternoon. Happy Christmas

4 or 5 Redwings feeding on white-berried Rowan (notable, as there have been very few Redwings here this year), plus tame Nuthatch taking food from the hand:

 

17-Little Egrets flew in to the roost.16h00-16h25.

tutt head sat. am

6 RT Diver west, 1 GN Diver landed on sea , steady  stream of auks and kittiwakes  , all west.

whitford sands sunday ,

approx 590 sanderling which seems a good count for down here.Also, 24 black tailed gowit,32 ringed plover on beach;pretty stotmy ,otherwise

 

Two bitterns and an otter reported today. The latter was sitting on reeds at the end of ‘Tree Cut’ left of the southern hide this afternoon.

A flock of c19 Redwing just arrived to join the 2 Mistle Thrushes that have been in the trees behind my home for a few weeks. That’s almost as exciting as birding from my house gets.

Earlier, at Fairwater Park, nice if brief view of fem. Sparrowhawk in tree, also male bullfinch, redwings and usual suspects.

No sign of Lsr Scaup this am on CBWR. Large exodus of ducks: only 15 Tufted Ducks seen on the reserve, none at Prospect Place and just 15 seen elsewhere in the bay.
In The Marl playing fields,a single ad.w.Med Gull, a flock of 36 Greenfinch and 2 Redwing.

Pair of Goosander on Isaac Morgan pond mid morning, and a hunting Kestrel near the entrance to the derelict Ffos-y-fran training centre.

Late this afternoon at Cosmeston singles of Barnacle goose, drake Pochard and drake Shoveler all at the west end of East Lake, and on the West Lake 3 Gadwall.

Slavonian grebe close inshore at Burges Island. Also a rb merg (male) and 51 eider there.
46 black-tailed godwit, 162 sanderling and 49 ringed plover among the waders on Whiteford Sands
800+ lapwing with 44 golden plover at The Groose
4 eider off Mumbles Pier, and 11 Med gulls in Bracelet car park.

12 little grebe, 3 turnstone, 5 gadwall, 1 shellduck, 5 goosander and 1 little egret  were of note this morning together with 1 water pipit on the lower estuary

No sign of the Ring-necked Duck this morning sadly. The Barnacle Goose below was with a v large flock of Canadas that arrived this morning. Also present 3 Shoveler [2f 1m] and 2 pairs of Gadwall as per the other day and 1 AdW Med Gull on E lake.  Also checked CBWR, R. Taff at Hamadryad and Prospect Place for R-n Duck but no joy.

Porteynon: 6 purple sandpiper (including the one above), 31 ringed plover, dunlin, redshank, sanderling, little egret, 13 turnstone and a snipe (unusually) on Sedger’s Bank, and 2 Med gulls with 164 black-headed and 56 common gulls on the beach. 2 red-throated divers flew west out of the bay. 8 shag.
Oxwich: 46 teal, 17 gadwall, 6 shoveler, 4 wigeon on freshwater pools. 439 common gull at Nicholaston Pill. No sign of Mandarin.
Eider (2) off Mumbles Pier (sub ad male and a female).