This morning’s tally – nothing v exciting except the unexpected 2 Red Kites circling over nearby Penarth Cemetery allowing a few quickly grabbed shots, then drifting off quite high towards the town. Cosmeston itself had a very hot crow!, fem Mallard with 7 ducklings, the CG Grebe pair still have 4 humbugs and another pair have a nest on W lake bay, and a big silver bird flew over several times.
Loop around hilltop via bronwydd woods this morning which was alive with common species, No Wood Warblers singing yet this year, usually present by now, No Spotted flycatcher either but its early days. Out into scrub where Willow Warbler , Blackcap and Whitethroat seemed everywhere plus pairs of Greenfinch and Bullfinch. Male Kestrel around quarry, cuckoo calling then seen above nant graig ddu,another calling above rhiwgarn. Red kite over. @ Swifts over Porth
Two Lesser Whitethroats singing 400 metres apart in Grangemoor Park. Reed Warbler singing; Cetti’s Warbler singing.
Ely Trail: Cetti’s singing at two sites. Reed Warbler singing.
Cuckoo heard calling for second consecutive evening. Two passing through or one stayer? Distant but clear.
Also heard pheasant from garden for first time in a while. Used to hear lots.
Swift over garden again. First one this year appeared on 1st May.
Cuckoo heard calling in Clyne Woods towards direction of golf course.
Caught up with a spring passage Whimbrel this morning during our walk. Tide was out but the bird flushed from just in front of me like a Jack Snipe, as I crept up the banking to look at the beach. A few Oycs around but couldn’t locate any Ringed Plover or Grey Plover that Ceri Jones has seen recently, but only had bins and tide was way out. Had a nice Common Whitethroat in amongst Alexanders growing on waste ground between two of the bungalows. Plenty of Swallows too.
Finally caught up with Swift this morning, with 3 circling around over Cosmeston, seen from Lavernock Rd. Also 3 house Martin and a few Swallow.
Grangemoor Park: Lesser Whitethroat singing, Common Whitethroat singing, Cetti’s singing. Ely River Trail : Reed Warbler singing.
Several swifts from early evening. Mon 4th May.
Regular nesters here.
Sparrowhawk cruising , 3rd day running.
The Great Crested Grebe pair were a little closer today, and they have 4 chicks – this is the largest hatched clutch I have seen here – previously it has been max 3. Managed to see a Reed Warbler scrambling around in the W lake reeds. Also flying around W lake was a Common Sandpiper looking for somewhere to land.
Hurray! first Swifts of the year. 3 over just as the 4 o’clock train went by.
Sat 2nd. My one local weekend walk up to the plateau and back down via Nant hafod. Theres now at least 3 Lapwings in the field at the top, Stockdove, Stonechat 2 prs, many meadow Pipit, several Linnets, Skylarks, a distant calling Cuckoo over in Glynfach.Willow warblers, Mistle thrush, Greenfinch and a singing Redstart as I followed Nant Hafod. A couple of very vocal song thrush and several Swallows around Nyth Bran and as I returned to Porth @ 12 Sand Martin swooping around the small colony nesting in weep holes of bypass.
On what is now our ‘Sunday walk’ – up the road and through the alley then out to the front and through Windsor Gardens, then drop down onto the esplanade by the pier and back along the seafront. A short list – 2 Collared Doves, Woodpigeons, Dunnock, House Spadger, Lesser Black-backed and Herring Gulls, then a nice photographic Blackbird amongst daisies and a v smart male Greenfinch posing nicely and occasionally wheezing. Also a pic of the empty closed pier too, tide falling.
On our daily walk it was a nice surprise to see Cuckoo flying over the moat calling. Sand Martin 20 Grey Wagtail 2 Swallow 3.
Female Hen Harrier flying low and being bothered by other birds.
Had a ‘lifer’ today – a pair of Little Grebes mating at Cosmeston this morning. I’ve never seen this before. The photo is a big crop as they were quite distant. Also unusual in that they’ve apparently made a nest [on which they are performing], in full view in the edge of the reeds. Usually it’s impossible to see where they’ve nested. A GC Grebe pair have 2 ‘humbug’ young – that pic is an even bigger crop. Also Moorhen and Coot chicks on view. Also 2 Kingfishers, one carrying a fish from W lake to E [poss breeding again?], the other bird was perched in the middle of w lake reeds.
1st May
Nice to see two Tree Pipits feeding on the ground, Garden Warbler 1 Blackcap 6 Willow Warbler 1 Chiffchaff 2 Jay 1 Mistle Thrush 1 no sign of any Dragonflies yet.
A friend reported to me she had been watching a male Bullfinch taking a bath in her birdbath yesterday: also a G.S Woodpecker ascending a Maple tree.
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