A Peregrine cruised over the reserve this morning. A Heron in St. Mary’s Well Bay plus a few Oycs, and a Buzzard over Rowland’s Well field. Otherwise pretty wet & muddy!

Saw my first Redwings of this season this morning – c.10 were in trees bordering W paddock and the Mile Road at Cosmeston.

Late WeBS on Wed 16th Oct.   The highlights were -7 returned Little Grebe, a Kingfisher and 5 Redwing

Mute Swan, Gadwall , Mallard , Teal, Little Grebe, Moorhen , Coot , Woodpigeon Kingfisher, Magpie , Carrion Crow, Great Tit, Long-tailed Tit , Wren, Nuthatch Blackbird , Redwing, Robin , Chaffinch.

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.