Two common sandpipers flitting around the islands in Roath Park Lake this morning.

Hendre lake april 16th Mallard with 13 ducklings

Lamby Lake april 17th 10 to 12 Hirundines all Swallows.

Driving along heads of valleys road at Dowlais this morning, Red kite overhead and a single Lapwing just a few yards off the carriageway. Later driving over Gelligaer common just after Bedlinog turnoff pair of Curlew flew over. I’ve heard them in this area before but haven’t seen any, so hopefully they’re breeding on the common.

In the last few weeks I have seen greenfinch and chaffinch in the garden for the first time in four years which is an encouraging sign. In Howardian nature reserve this morning, chiff chaff, willow warbler, garden warbler and blackcap.

Kingfisher and heron over garden this morning was a nice bonus.

Feeling fortunate to have plenty of birds in or over the garden during this time. First pair of swallows seen over on the 10th but none hanging around yet. Chiffchaff, Blackcap and Garden Warbler have all taken up residency. Other birds over the long weekend – bullfinch (pair), chaffinch, goldfinch, blue tit, great tit, long tailed tit, coal tit, robin, wren, dunnock, house sparrow, blackbird, song thrush, mistle thrush, green woodpecker, great spotted woodpecker, nuthatch, treecreeper, pied wagtail, grey wagtail, collared dove, woodpigeon, jackdaw, carrion crow, magpie, jay, raven, buzzard, red kite, peregrine, sparrowhawk, herring gull,

First Swallow 10th, Garden Warbler 11th. No Whitethroats yet

Our first Swallow seen locally 10th (within walking “exercise” distance of our house, say 2 miles) – Garden Warbler singing 11th. Still no Whitethroats.

REDSTART singing briefly, early afternoon.

mid pm, 1 each of BUZZARD, PEREGRINE and GOSHAWK soaring together high over our  garden.

Just sat down in my garden around 13.30 and was absolutely stunned to see a Red Kite quite low heading my way. It moved lazily away to where I thought I would be able to see it out front. Grabbed my camera on the way through the house, only to hear my wife yell that it was out back again. Unfortunately one of the local rooks had decided to pester it, and it disappeared. I live back to back with the houses on Port Road between Barry Tesco and the Co-op garage. When I last caught a glimpse of it, it would have been roughly over the Cwm Ciddy pub. My last post on here was a Kite on my way into Cardiff. Certainly brightened my day during this lockdown period.

Penderyn Reservoir this morning. Willow Warbler, Common Sandpiper

Nant moel reservoir this afternoon. Willow warbler, Sand Martin, grey and pied wagtails. Used willow tit playback but no response, however usual tit species were present.

Afternoon sightings – Kestrel soaring high, Blackcaps 2, Chiffchaff, and 10 House Martins and 2 Swallows high over, for about 2 minutes.

Willow Warbler 2 our first of the year Blackcap 6 Chiffchaff 4 Wren 5 Dunnock 4 Jay 1 Buzzard 1 Butterflies Brimstone 8 Peacock 6 and a Dark-edged Bee-fly.

Singing Willow Warbler this Morning, also, after an absence of more than a month, a Song Thrush singing lustily.

Whilst trying unsuccessfully to locate a singing Blackcap this afternoon, 2 House Martins fluttered silently over in a northerly direction – a first for me ( a first Housemartin sighting of Spring prior to a Swallow sighting that is). Later I saw the male Blackcap and as it flew off another joined it.

willow warbler and 2 female blackcaps in our pear tree at same time – things are definitely moving – plus 4 buzzards soaring and rook flyover (a real rarity for our garden).  First orchid shoots on front lawn.

One singing well, Leckwith Road early this morning. Another at the entrance to Grangemoor Park fifteen minutes later.

Total of ten singing Blackcaps on a 1.5 mile stretch of the Ely Trail plus six singing Chiffchaffs.

The only birding that I can do is also in the garden. Over the 40+ years I have lived in this house in Coity, Bridgend we have had some good birds – Black Redstart, Whitethroat on several occasions, Mistle Thrush, Sparrowhawk plucking a Sparrow on the patio, Barn & Little Owl over the farmland that used to be at the back (now gone to houses), the two Woodpeckers – Green & Great Spotted and Red Kite overhead on 3 occasions. Today we had a new bird – a Stock Dove feeding with the Woodpigeons & Collared Doves. Not a bird that I thought would frequent a garden. I was digging the veg plot at the time, so no chance to get a photo.

Sand Martin at least 9 Chiffchaff 1 Shelduck 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull 20 and very few people.