The Lsr Scaup was back on CBWR this morning with c.66 Tufted Ducks after being absent on Monday and Tuesday. 2 GBB Gulls were in front of the Pier Head building and another 2 off the barrage with c.50+ Common Gulls and a Kingfisher present in Penarth Marina. Yesterday in CBWR a Chiffchaff showed well in the reedbed in front of St.David’s Hotel with c.8 Reed Buntings.

No sign of the lesser Scaup at Cossie this morning but there appeared to be a good candidate for a ring-necked duck:

Tufted duck sized, looked a bit stockier, grey flanks, black back, no tuft (just a bump) and a bill with a distinct white band at the base and another behind a large black tip. It was with a large group of tufted ducks by the board walk in front of the cafe, east lake. Didn’t seem overly tame. I have very bad field sketch but didn’t think to get a photo.

Might be worth checking out by the cossie regulars.

Here is the appalling field sketch done in a bit of a hurry as was on my way to a meeting

Only other thing of note there was a single shoveler (east lake)

Cardiff barrage was quite impressive at low tide with all 5 sluices open. There were 60 Common Gulls on the orange buoys and adjacent water – seemingly the most numerous species present.

20 dunlin and 16 redshank in dock 40 curlew on Crumlyn burrows side 600 est pre roost jackdaw flock 

16 little egrets in the boat club roost 2 mute swan on river 2 herons and a kestrel 

Also of interest at Ogmore Estuary was a Canada Goose bearing a red ring ‘AAKT’. I have already received a reply and the bird was ringed at Bowness-on-Windermere on 2/7/13 by the RSPCA Ringing Group as part of a study on post-moult dispersal of Canada Geese from Lake Windermere, Cumbria. 

Distance 326km Duration 168 days

Brilliant views of a Bittern from the Wader Pool hide.The bird was in front of the hide for nearly two hours.12h15-14h10

highlight of brief walk this morning – 3 male Bullfinch by the W lake overlook and a couple of Redwing there, 4 Gadwall and 1 drake Pochard on W lake and about 100 Tufties in total. No sign of Lsr Scaup [gone back to Cardiff?]. Several Water Rail squealing in E lake reeds.

Had a message from Mike Le Ves Conte today. Anyone able to check it out?

“As of 12.00 hrs today.Tentatively identified GND on the north shore of the island in Aberdare
Park Lake.First spotted 10.30gmt yesterday (16 Dec) by myself and Peter Priddy (Park Ranger)”

Two Water Pipits this morning – one almost as far upstream as the river confluence; the other ranging around the lower estuary.

Also: adult Kittiwake at Portobello, 10 Little Grebes, 86 Teal, 12 Goldeneye, 5 Goosanders, 1 Little Egret and just 1 Purple Sandpiper.

 

I have been alerted to an unconfirmed report of a poss Great White Egret at Hendre Lake by “a local resident birder”. Not sure when this was but poss today or y’day.

The Lsr Scaup was back in CBWR yesterday with c.160 Tufted Duck but no sign of it today and only
c.40 Tufted Duck on the reserve with c.20 at Prospect Place and about another 20 in the Taff rivermouth. A Chiffchaff showed well in the riverside trees in Hamadryad Park and a Peregrine was perched on Penarth Head.

We rec’d a msg on our FB page just now. An obs thought they saw an Osprey on the wall of 1st house past the sewage wks. They supplied pix of which these are the best two. Looks like it’s prob a pale Buzzard to me. The pix are low res and won’t zoom in a lot.

3 little grebe and 1 grey plover were in the pill this afternoon,pretty unusual for this place.Spooked up from the saltmarsh were approx 350+ mainly wigeon from male birds flying around,and out into the gloom.they were roughly 500m+ on a line from  peclawdd chippy to loughor bridge-

fem. brambling in the back garden also.

4 Hawfinches this moring, possibly 5 at one point, in the same area as reported yesterday by GJJ/DJJ , feeding in the trees adjacent to the path.

The fulmar are back on the cliffs. There were 10 at Nash Point and 30 at Cwm Nash this morning

no sign of the mandarin… Apart from that all the usual suspects.. Mallard,teal.gadwall,little grebe,mute swans,calling cetti’s,moor hens

 

 

2 Bullfinch (1m,1f) in the alders on the north-west boundary.

A Barn Owl was hunting over rough ground just off Heol Hopcyn John at around 10pm.