The Club ran a great trip to the Portland Bird Observatory in Dorset over the weekend – an annual event. 10 club members stayed in the lighthouse. Some special birds were seen, including a first for GBC – a White-tailed Eagle. We were very lucky to see a Wryneck in a local quarry, accompanying the resident Little Owl. Also of note were huge numbers of Razorbills passing the tip of Portland Bill over a couple of hours. Thanks to Cindy Howells for the photo. We logged an impressive 101 bird species over the weekend.
This brief summary by Alan Rosney but posted by John W with a couple of additional comments.

Nothing exciting around, and i got caught in the unexpected heavy drizzle!. Had a Great Tit feeding from my hand by the Medieval Village. A Heron was sitting rather dejectedly in the drizzle in the favoured tree near the main bridge. A dog exploring the trees there flushed it and it flew & landed on a tree on the conservation ‘island’. It was an adult with some impressive plumes. What I assume was a pair of Little Grebes were together on E lake near the shore.

No Shorties but female Kestrel

A surprise this morning was a Hobby which flew over our heads from the direction of the golf club and alighted in a tree by E lake – unfortunately with its back to me – see photo. It was only there for about 30 secs when it was chased off by a Crow and was lost to view over the trees by the playpark. I saw it again above W lake being harassed by Jackdaws , then again hunting v high over E paddock which I took some flight pix of, but it was just a dot, so the pic below is a HUGE crop. Nice to see tho’. Nothing much else to report apart from a few Common Darter and Migrant Hawkers still about.

I decided to do the Glamorgan Bird Club Big Bird Count today and logged 28 species. My route went via the dipping pond, then up the Mile Road between the lakes, into West Paddock, then round through Cogan Wood, out into the westerly field and up by the plantation above Sully Brook, along the top of the so-called upper Dovecote field and back down to the Mile Road and back past the Medieval Village. My full list is here. Nothing of real note although Jay and Green Woodpecker were best of the bunch. Noticeable absentees were Coal TIt and Nuthatch in Cogan Wood [and Marsh Tit I guess], despite my taking some seed.

Did a very slow shortish walk round W lake Cosmeston this morning – my 1st outing recovering from a v nasty cold & cough. The Kestrel was hovering over W paddock, so the photos are biggish crops. Also of interest, plenty of Ivy Bees around at the moment and finally a nice pristine Speckled Wood.

I’m a bit tardy posting this as I’ve had a stinking cold since getting home on Sunday. Anyway, we had a great club field trip on Sunday 28th, when 21 Club members enjoyed a full day visiting Pembrey Old Dock by Burry Port, Kidwelly Quay, WWT Llanelli and for some stalwarts, the R. Loughor foreshore [an attempt to ‘twitch’ a Lesser Yellowlegs … unsuccessfully]. We logged 64 species of which the waders were the stars, with the top of the bill being the Grey Phalarope at Kidwelly. Those that had seen Grey Phal before had mostly never seen one other than swimming around in circles as they usually do but this one behaved like a ‘proper’ wader and spent some time waddling around on the mud. The waders total was an impressive 15 species the other notable ones being Spotted Redshank, Curlew Sandpiper, Ruff and Greenshank. Click here for the full list. There’s a full trip report here: https://glamorganbirds.org.uk/category/trip-reports/

From GBC walk on sunday at Kidwelly Quay

On a walk round Cosmeston on 19th with my eldest daughter, we saw 3 Buzzards circling over Cogan Wood, joined by a Red Kite which drifted westwards. In the conservation grazing area at the far end of W. paddock there were 4 Stonechats.
On 21st I walked across the Cardiff Bay Barrage and saw 2 Wheatear on the outer barrage rocks. There were also a number of Swallows heading out over the channel.

Yes poor picture but Saturday lighting was dreaful on Month walk, while in the hide shelter from the rain, when i call Kingfisher for second time, the wanted Kingfisher, well the first ended being Swallow landing on the post, simple honest mistake, so few boo hooed, my next call and question my name of being honest Martin especailly when i thought i missed the pic and evidence. Cheers everybody, had great fun, pleased to be back, first walk since my illness it felt great apart from climbing stile which not improved though i’m 2 stone lighter.

There were some 50 Swallows 30 House Martins and £ Sand Martins. The swallows were mainly over the trees as there were lots of midges. The martins were low over the water. nice to see Black-headed Gulls many of which were first winter types.

A rare short visit this morning to walk the dog whilst my wife attended an appointment at UHW. There were 5 Little Egrets at the north end, 2 by the S. end of the island and 3 at the north end by Wild Gardens Road. There were also 2 Grey Herons and 2 Cormorants in the trees there.

An amazing count of 22 members met up at Peterston-super-Ely for an amble along the R. Ely floodplain, hoping to see Green Sandpipers. Club member John Duffy acted as our guide as it’s his WeBS count location – thanks John. At their favoured meander in the river we were awarded with flight views of 5, or poss 8 birds giving their strident shrill “weet weet weet-a-weet” call, looking like giant House Martins with their bright white rumps. Other highlights were Red Kite, Stock Doves, Spotted Flycatcher, 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers and a selection of common species. Butterflies included 2 Painted Ladies, several Small Copper and a Clouded Yellow. Some photos below for the record.
Click here for the full list. 32 species seen or heard.

6 pairs have raised at least 2 broods each resulting in 50-60 birds swirling and twittering around our workshop and garage. Hopefully the numbers will be even greater next year.

Another day, another field trip. 12 members met up at Bryngarw Country Park today and we had a dull damp wander around the different sections of the park. The birds were noticeable by their absence, or at least lack of activity. Highlights were Spotted Flycatcher, with rather brief and difficult views right up in the canopy of a very tall Ash tree. A Nuthatch family group was quite active near the car park, a male Stonechat braved the heavy drizzle in an open area and a Grey Wagtail was on the river. John Wilson.
PS it was not a raptor day, so the only large birds overhead were Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gulls, and a couple of Ravens ‘cronked’ their way over too.
We managed to log 23 species – https://drive.google.com/…/14DOLE4mo5jV7dEcOxnH…/view…

Cardiff end of the barrage late morning, in old Buddleia bushes on far side of the old feeder dock, there was a feeding flock containing 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 2 juv Common Whitethroat, 1 fem/imm Blackcap, Long-tailed and Blue Tits and a Willow Warbler. No Sand Martins.

Young Reed Warblers and Chiffchaff Few dragonflies Southern Hawker 2 Beautiful Demoiselle 2 Butterflies Gate Keeper 2 Meadow Brown 6 Red Admiral 4 and Large White 10.

On a walk round this morning, best birds were adult male and juvenile Green Woodpeckers in adjacent trees, a nice close juv Little Grebe and a juv Great Crested Grebe by the main bridge, where there was also an adult Grey Heron sitting in a tree.