A Merlin landed on the rocks at the rivermouth car park, before flying off over the bay towards Porthcawl.

Ken Fyfield showed me some nice photos of a 1st winter little gull that was on Kenfig Pool around lunch time. Unfortunately it didn’t stay for long.
Gareth Maund, landlord of the Prince of Wales Inn next to Kenfig, has been seeing a barn own most evenings this and last week. It has been next to the road and over the fields between the pub and Kenfig Pool.

2 Water Rails and Chiffchaff calling, and Kestrel in Hamadryad Park.
In CBWR (with Dean T) Lesser Scaup, Goldeneye, 3 Kingfishers together, GSW over reedbeds and Stonechat (f) along walkway by St.David’s Hotel. 2 GBB Gulls on the Pierhead pontoons.

There was a purple sandpiper on the usual rocks this morning together with one turnstone and 2 oystercatchers.
4 little grebe were the highlights near Ploran Mawr and 3 chough on Southerndown cliffs.

1-Swallow briefly over hendre lake.16h35

Porthcawl seafront 1045-1130 all down-channel: 8 Turnstone, 2 ad winter Mediterranean Gull,  3 Kittiwake, 2 GBB Gull, 3 Guillemot. also present 2 Rock Pipit. Salt Lake car park: 1 Common Gull, 25 BH Gull, 25 Herring Gull. Manor Farm, Porthcawl 25+ Curlew in fields next to main road.

Watermill (Ogmore estuary): unsurprisingly there is a large flood following the recent weather upon which was:- 1 Cormorant, 1 Grey Heron, 1 Little Egret, 25 Canada Geese, 2 Wigeon (fem), 24 Teal, 5 Curlew and 300 BH Gull. Nearby 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Buzzard, 1 Mistle Thrush and 2 Chaffinch.

A Goshawk flew slowly west over the Odeon cinema around midday.

5 snipe and 1 jack snipe on the various ponds

Bearded Tit along the boardwalk – the first I’ve seen here in a long time.  Also plenty of Redwing around.

Some ducks off the wharf at high tide: Wigeon (82), Pintail (15) & Shoveler (13). A small movement of Meadow Pipits along with 2 Sky Larks.

At the Heliport, there was a winter male White Wagtail in the WTW compound, also there a Clouded Yellow and a Common Darter along the coastal path.

Lesser Scaup and Goldeneye back at Prospect Place this lunchtime.
2 Common Gulls on the orange buoys at the barrage and a Common Sandpiper at the Ely rivermouth. An ad. Med Gull on The Marl playing fields.

Mute Swan (2 imms on sea off CB), Wigeon (1m ->e), Common Scoter (((8)(4)(3)) on sea), Great Crested Grebe (75 off AB + 14 off CB) & Guillemot (20+)

Water Rail showed well for 6-7 mins on the north side of the ‘pond’ in Hamadryad Park at 10.45am with 6 Little Grebes on the Taff.
(with Dean T) after 2 days at Prospect Place, the Lesser Scaup and Goldeneye were back in CBWR with at least 40+ Tufted Duck, c.285 Canada Geese, 1 Kingfisher, 9 Little Grebe, 2 Grey Heron and a 2nd.w. Med Gull.
2 GBB Gulls were on the Pierhead pontoons and another Kingfisher at Ely rivermouth. 2 ad.w. Med Gulls were on the pontoons at the Sand Wharf building.

A few odds and sods of note on the morning tide included a Pale-bellied Brent off Dalton’s Point with 40 Dark-bellied counterparts. At Wernffrwd an Arctic Tern and a Sandwich Tern were milling around; also there another 133 D-b Brents, Red-breasted Merganser, Green Sandpiper, 2 Peregrines making the ducks and waders difficult to count, though numbers appeared relatively low. 20 Fieldfare over my first of the ears.

Surprised to see an adult male black redstart in my garden this morning.

The bird flew around the street, perching on walls occasionally, before flying off after about five minutes. Location-Porthcawl.

Three small groups of crossbill over and a single brambling. 46 carrion crow at Sker Point and about 150 golden plover.