1m-Shoveler,a rare sighting for this location.16h40

23-Little Egrets flew from the island roost at first light today.

Nothing too exciting at Cosmeston this morning. An adult Yellow-legged Gull was on E lake way out in the middle, and an adult Common Gull was a bit closer[see pic]. There are currently 2 prs of GC Grebes, 1 pr of which were displaying although I missed the crucial bit. W lake had 3 Gadwall, 2 drake Shoveler, and 21 Pochard of which only 4 were females. One GCG was diving near the main bridge.

I had a morning walk around the business park and area and managed to see a flock of at least 50 Siskins feeding in the numerous alder trees.

Red kite over the garden at last. First one of the year just makes the January garden list. (I’m counting flyovers for my own list)

Had first ravens over yesterday – x2 and first garden sighting of a bullfinch for the year (female). Garden list at 32 for year. Can’t wait for the warblers to return.

Redwings seem to be acting differently – maybe about to head off? Odd small groups of 3 or 4 in the garden apart from larger flock of 20+ moving around surrounding fields.

A late morning figure-of-eight walk round the lakes to avoid the mud! An adult Yellow-legged Gull was on E lake, and there were 2 Common Gulls on W lake, an adult and a 2nd winter. There were 2 pairs of GC Grebes, a pair of Gadwall and the usual Tufties and Pochard distributed between both lakes. Too cold to stand and count them!

Before the drizzle set in this morning, 3 Hawfinch flew back & forth over the trees behind the dragonfly pond but didn’t settle. A Green Woopecker was in the same area.

With many of the wetter areas on Sully/Cog Moors frozen yesterday, a Green Sandpiper was on a bare section of riverbank on the Cadoxton River at ST 14894 69299. Further upstream a Kestrel was mobbed by corvids and soon flew off. Several Nuthatches were singing and calling in Park Wood and at Michaelston-le-Pit there were 17 Moorhen and 3 Little Grebe on the Salmon Leaps pools and a Grey Wagtail and Great Spotted Woodpecker nearby. Walking back towards Dinas Powys, Siskin called from riverside alders below Casehill Wood.

Bumped into local birders Mathew Meehan and Alex Bevan [not literally!]. Matt informed me that the Hawfinches were still around [now c.10 birds]. After a few minutes standing in the rain, 3 suddenly appeared in the tree tops, then dropped out of sight, then 5 more appeared and sat in the top twigs of a tall tree. I managed to fire off a few record shots. They were at the top of 40-50ft high trees and about 100 – 200m distant, and against a light sky. So 2 ‘as taken’ shots below and 2 mega crops from effectvely the same shots. Camera was at max Zoom [600mm DSLR equiv]. One crop shows a bird just as it dropped off its perch, showing the very distinctive broad white wing bars. The cropped perched in the open shot shows the charateristic short tail with a white terminal band. Apologies to those familiar but if you’ve not seen one before these are features to look out for if and when you get the chance. Also present on W lake were a pair of Wigeon, a pair of Gadwall and 2 pairs of Shoveler. Very thin sprinkling of snow.

A walk along the coast to Cosmeston from Sully yesterday morning, starting about 2 hours after low tide, revealed 2 Grey Plover, 3 Dunlin and 15 Ringed Plover close to the water’s edge. An adult Mediterranean Gull showing first signs of its summer plumage black hood was on the playing fields with a small group of Black-headed Gulls. Good views of a perched Sparrowhawk and Jays along St Mary’s Well Bay Road, where a Green Woodpecker was calling.

On Cosmeston’s lakes Pochard, Shoveler and Gadwall added variety to the usual horde of Tufties, and on the way home along Lavernock Road a Raven flew over calling as it headed west.

Nothing too exciting but a nice sunny walk. The House Sparrows in the clifftop bushes were enjoying the sun, and a Common Gull flew by as we walked along the esplanade. So clear that both bridges were visible – the first time in ages.

The buzzard first seen associating with our garden feeders a week or so ago is now a regular visitor and providing interesting observations. Whereas a Sparrowhawk appearance completely disperses the smaller birds (principally tits) they stick around and appear to mob the buzzard when it perches in the trees around the feeders. It does not seem interested in the small birds but has made visiting the feeder area and telegraph pole outside the front door part of a daily routine. We have a rural garden rather than urban, surrounded by pasture land and trees.

At least 16-Snipe on the south side of the island this morning.

Late morning before the rain. No show by any Hawfinches this morning, although I didn’t linger very long. Couple of Rooks in field beyond far end of W paddock was a year tick. W lake had 1 drake Wigeon and 1 drake Gadwall by the posts and a Common Gull on the posts. Little Grebe was whinnying frequently. There were 40 Pochard – 35 on E lake and 5 on W lake, all drakes exc 5. It was sunny, but dark clouds to the NW had a rainbow which was reflected in the dragonfly pond.

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Walked along Sully shoreline to walk the dog. There were 17 Curlew feeding on the sports field, and 15 confiding Turnstone amongst the seaweed at the top of the beach. About 15 distant Shelduck on Sully Island topped up my year list [as did the Curlew as it happens]. The grassy path is very muddy so we walked back along the rocky shore and came across a smart tail-less Pied Wag which I’ve named Short-tailed Wagtail [Motacilla alba brevicaudatus :-)]. A couple of Rock Pipits and normal wagtails were on the cricket pitch and as we got back to the cricket clubhouse start point, a smart male Stonechat was posing on top of the concrete posts there.

Pair of Willow tit in area of wet scrub at the western perimeter of reservoir fence line.

28 Turnstone on the beach, 5 Oystercatcher and 5 Rock Pipit on grassy area between primary school and beach;

18 Curlew on the playing fields along with 3 Oystercatcher and 100+ Starling;

2 Grey Plover, 23 Ringed Plover, 1 Dunlin, 95 Oystercatcher and 4 Shelduck on Sully Island

Nice surprise this morning, when I met Graham Smith and Matt Meehan. They’d seen a Hawfinch, found earlier by Alex Bevan. Not showing when I arrived but after c.20 mins Matt refound it and I got flight views until it landed at the top of a tree. It then almost immediately flew back again and was joined by two others at the top of a tree in the eastern fringe of Cogan Wood. Viewing was from by the muddy track beyond the dragonfly pond. Also in the same trees a Great Spotted Woodpecker flew out and a Green Woodpecker showed briefly. A pair of Great Crested Grebes displayed briefly on W lake, where there were the usual Tufties and 32 Pochard, plus a drake Shoveler hiding in the edge of the reed bed.
Lavernock Road was very busy and there must have been at least 80 cars, probably more, in the car park, so not many people are obeying the exercise from your front door rule.

Cycle round bay from home: female scaup and ring necked duck side by side just in front of the ice rink board-walk