Amazing turnout for our mid week trip to Goldcliff and Newport Wetlands today – 29 participants!!! Must have been the weather. Full species list yet to be ratified but is a little over 50 I think. Nothing outstanding as water levels in the lagoons at Goldcliff were too high for waders apart for a small group of resting Lapwing and some Curlew. 10 Grey Plover were on the beach with a few Dunlin, and there was a large if distant wader flock offshore at Newport Wetlands which contained Curlew, Black-tailed Godwit, Dunlin and a few Knot. Thanks to all who attended. Substantive list will go on the web site soon.

First Song Thrush for me for 3 months from Ogmore riverside footpath. 4 Lapwings and Heron seen from Watermill Pub. Tues 22nd Oct afternoon.

per David Rich – 2 Great White Egrets flew down river at about 2 p.m.

2 GWE flying down river at Portobello Sat pm. Only wader was a C. Sandpiper. Also Kingfisher.

Another abortive attempt to find the Hobby late afternoon so no joy, although it was apparently seen briefly this morning. On W lake a drake Pochard and a drake Shoveler, and amazingly two pairs of adult Gt Crested Grebes displaying, and three Little Grebes [distant but looked like 2 ads and an imm]. Edit… Forgot i had a fly- through Stock Dove uncommon for the site.

2 Ad Green Woodpeckers in W paddock and a Kingfisher W lake were the best of the bunch in a quick walk this morning. No sign of the Hobby seen recently by Graham Smith and Wayne Strong, but it wasn’t a concerted effort to look for it tbh. Only raptors were a Sparrowhawk over near the golf course and a very dark Buzzard drifting over. ….. also male Stonechat in W lake reeds. Hobby was seen again today by Graham.

A Hobby has been active by the W lake conservation area and nearby St Marys Well Bay Road (1st field on left past the railway bridge) for the last 3 days or so – per Graham Smith and Wayne Strong.

Green Woodpecker heard near St Donats, also Peregrine flying west. Back nearer to Llantwit, 6 or so Swallows also flying west. Have not seen the regular lone Wheatear there for a few days now. Met a couple who had seen “Alpine Crows” with red beaks near to Nash Point last year.

In a howling gale, 8 very tame Turnstones at the top of the beach near the cricket pitch, but nothing else. A Green Woodpecker flew up from the lawn of one of the shoreline bungalows.

A little activity this morning. The W paddock hedge produced 4 fem and 1 male Blackcap, 4 Blackbird, 1 Song Thrush, 1 Chaffinch, 1 Reed Bunting, and a Goldcrest and a Coal Tit, both unusual species for that stretch of hedge. There was a light passage of Swallows overhead and over W lake I had a House Martin in with some Swallows. The usual suspects on the water. The recent pair of Pochard seem to have departed.

A Yellow-browed Warbler was heard calling this morning with a tit flock 100m down from the reserve centre. Not seen. Also Marsh Harrier over S pool hide.

A pair of Pochard were on W lake with 5 Tufties. 4 House Martins were over W lake although I subsequently learned that there were another 15 over E lake. 2 adult Green Woodpeckers in W paddock. Approx 130 Canada Geese on E lake. Then the horizontal drizzle/rain set in ….

1 female Wheatear, 1 Peregrine, 2 Kestrels, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Fulmar. 50 or so Swallows heading East

A minimum of 248-Canada Geese today.11h00

Uncannily calm at Cosmeston this morning [compared to the howling gales a group of Glamorgan Bird Club members were subjected to at Portland Bill the last couple of days!]. A Green Woodpecker posed nicely on one of the ‘snipe paddock’ posts albeit in poor light, and a juv Moorhen posed similarly on lily leaves at the dipping pond. There were about 50 Goldfinch feeding around W paddock.

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Spotted this morning at 08:45 Goldcliff Lagoons from Marsh viewing platform, single juvenile or non-breeding plumage Red-necked Pharalope.

Clockwise from top L: Black-tailed Godwit at Lodmoor, Ruff at Lodmoor, 2nd yr Mediterranean Gull at Radipole, Kestrel at east cliffs Portland Bill, and part of a resting group of c.140 Great Black-backed Gulls on Portland Bill.

Kingfisher flew downstream under Llantwit bridge 1700 hrs. Sept.27th. Also female Stonechat edge of stream not far from the cafe.

Sparrowhawk flew across Sully Brook near the Medieval Village/Mile Road junction. c.30 House Martin high above there. Kingfisher flew under main bridge and along the shoreline of E lake. 4 Linnet W paddock and light Swallow passage over, plus a single Raven.