1pm.Whilst watching and listening to Willow Warblers, Chiff Chaffs, Coal/Blue and Great Tits working their way along the Ivy and Hawthorn hedge along the railway, I became aware of a different, higher-pitched call -and there it was – a Spotted Flycatcher- which proceeded to preen itself and occasionally do a bit of fly catching before, I presume, flying South. Also 5 Swallows flying south. House Martins last seen 29th September. The Nuthatch, which has been vociferous for about a month, has either gone silent or, just gone.

Red Kite 2 Peregrine 1 Buzzard 2 Chiffchaff 6 Jay 2 Swallow 5 Stonechat 1 Linnet 5. Also, Southern Hawker 4 ( one female ovipositing) Common Darter lots, Emerald Damselfly 3 Blue-tailed Damselfly 1 Comma Butterfly 1 Signal Crayfish 4

Sighted at Blaenllechau Farm this summer. At least 2 different birds.

Stonechat 1, Greenfinch 2, Chaffinch 1, Goldfinch, Song Thrush 3, Blackbird 5, all around the snipe paddock. Green Woodpecker 1, Long-t Tit, Blue Tit E paddock. Cetti Wblr at Sully Brook.

Had a short, curtailed break in Oxwich Monday/Tuesday this week. Monday evening a Tawny Owl was calling from woods to the North of the beach. Over breakfast in the morning gloom on Tuesday I had the pleasure of watching two species of Woodpecker from our holiday chalet at the same time. I was watching a GreenW/P in a cherry tree not very far away when I noticed a “Great Tit” on a feeder beyond.However when it turned I saw it had a long beak and the face markings of a Spotted W/P. Before I could do any better it flew off low over the lawn. I realise the chances are it was a Great W/P but could it have been a Lesser?

Thanks for posting the report and list Jean. As a follow up just thought I’d add on the pix I took. Three of the rapidly vanishing Marsh Harrier, the close hovering Kestrel, and the nice posing Common Gull which allowed for pointing out the salient features, and the fact that it’s quite a scarce bird for the location [on the posts near the Pool beach].

Our first ‘Lockdown’, socially distanced, Kenfig Saturday walk was very successful. Eight folk came along, we went down to the pool, (not in the hide, too many folk) then across the dunes to the coast, where the view across the beach was stunning in the sunshine. 25 Gannet were seen over to the west of the Mumbles, by a couple of folk with telescopes. Everyone managed to see a Porpoise, there were at least three.

Highlights include – a fairly close Marsh Harrier, two Sparrowhawks, good views of a Kestrel, a Great Spotted Woodpecker, and a Snipe.

Full List- h – heard

Black-headed Gull , Blackbird, Blackcap, Blue Tit, Buzzard , Carrion Crow, Chiffchaff, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Coot, Cormorant Curlew, Dunnock, Feral Pigeon, Goldcrest, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit ,h , Greenfinch, Grey Heron , Gannet, Herring Gull , Jackdaw, Kestrel Lesser Black-backed Gull, Linnet, Long-tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Marsh Harrier, Meadow Pipit , Mute Swan , Oystercatcher, Robin Skylark, Snipe, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Stonechat , Swallow, Willow Warbler, h, Woodpigeon , Wren, h,Water Rail, h, Pied Wagtail, h, Tree Creeper, h,

A total of 45!

Many thanks to all who came, and especially to Dave Carrington for leading

Long-tailed Tits in and around the garden again today – they’ve been around for about a week now, once on the feeder. Yesterday a Chiffchaff was in a shrub 6ft from me as I had a coffee, and today one was in full song.

Goshawk 1 Red Kite 2 Buzzard 2 Tree Creeper 1 there were lots of Migrant Hawkers and Common Darters also Southern Hawker 3 and Blue-tailed Damselfly 1

At the plantation above Sully Brook, Cosmeston this morning, the Stonechat family are still around and there were several Meadow Pipits. A male Blackcap was in the island of scrub there. Also Greenfinch and 8 Linnet. Greenfinch seem to be more frequent these days and have made a bit of a recovery.

Excellent news from near Ogmore – a migrating juv Honey-buzzard was seen and photographed at Pant Norton by Gary Light.

Chiffchaff Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers. Dragonflies: Emperor, Migrant Hawker, Common Darter, Blue-tailed and Emerald Damselflies.

Quick walk round Cosmeston E & W paddocks. V hot. Gt Spotted Woopecker flew over E paddock towards golf course. Ad Little Grebe on W lake, and Heron trying to catch dragonflies by the W lake reeds.

Yesterday’s location was being mowed by a tractor mower this morning, up & down between the saplings. I only managed to see three Stonechat but Phil Bristow did manage to find the Whinchat and a Redstart about an hour later. He also had a Harris Hawk fly by over E lake whilst having a coffee! There was pretty constant hirundine passage going on and in W paddock I had Green Woodpecker and 3 Common Whitethroat in the adjacent snipe paddock.

At Cosmeston around the sapling plantation at ST169690 (far side of Sully Brook just outside Cogan Wood). 1 Redstart, 1 v brief Whinchat, m&f Blackcap, 2 Stonechat, Goldfinch, Linnet, Greenfinch and 1 Reed Bunt. Halfway back towards medieval village on same side of the brook, a Cettis Warbler was shouting at me inside social distance but refused to show. In the Snipe Paddock there were 2 Song Thrushes, around 6 Blackbird, Goldfinch Linnet and several Greenfinches.

Action reported this morning by patch worker Graham Smith. Short-eared Owl and Redstart at Lavernock. At Cosmeston above Sully Brook Whinchat, 4 Stonechats, Wheatear, 2 Spotted Flycatchers and 2 Redstarts. Nice work !

Of interest at Cosmeston this morning, a Wheatear was in the west paddock near the central hedge, and whilst watching 30 or so Sand Martins over W lake a Swift appeared briefly then headed off over E lake and was lost to view.

Female Wheatear just east of Tresillian bay and 2 pairs Stonechat between there and Llantwit beach early afternoon.

Had a flock of Long-tailed Tits in the garden today and yesterday – pretty unusual for us. Also a lone Goldfinch on our seed feeder today.
At Cosmeston this morning a Chiffchaff was in the snipe paddock, a male Bullfinch by the mile road adjacent top of W paddock, an ad Little Grebe with a fully grown juv on W lake and about 20 Sand Martins feeding there.

Spent a pleasant hour (while my car was in the nearby Toyota Garage)in the company of a Dipper. It was on the opposite side of the Ogmore amongst the large boulders just upstream of the footbridge between Wild Mill and the A4063.It seemed to be enjoying an unlimited supply of food that it was pecking off the surface of the water and hardly moved more than a few yards during that time. It was still enjoying itself there when I left. Sometime during the hour a couple of Grey Wagtails flew downstream between us.