Late WeBS. Water Pipit at Green Pt Rhymney Est but on Lamby tip side of river mouth. V high tide no waders!

Correction – Redshank [600] were upstream on the grassy river bank by Lamby Way. Also 43 Teal, 4 Shelduck and 2 Oycs.

2 male Wheatears were on the outer barrage rocks near the sails, plus 8 or more Pied Wags [couldn’t find any White Wags]. Over at the ice rink boardwalk the adult winter and the 1st winter Little Gulls were feeding mid bay, although by 4:30 they weren’t doing much flying – could be picked up on the water with concentrated scope work! On the grassy area with some ‘decorative’ rocks outside Cardiff Pointe flats, was the 3rd male Wheatear showing very well. The top two pix were on the barrage and the bottom two were at Cardiff Pointe.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Wheatear 2 males Sand Martin 4 Chiffchaff singing Cetti’s Warbler 2   Great Crested Grebe 18 Greenfinch 10 Goldfinch 12 Raven 2 lots of gulls feeding.

42 Canada geese 22 mute swan 30 +black h gulls the usuall mallards tufted ,Pochards coots and moorhens
At swansea vale were 15 magpies a pair of Canada geese
Pair of. Tufteds few pairs of coots and moorhens
Earlier this week there were 26 house sparrows on my feeder in Briton ferry

1 Greylag Goose on E lake. Saw 2 Treecreepers this morning – 1 by the S. entrance to Cogan Wood and the other by the SW corner of E lake. 4 Reed Buntings chasing through the E lake reeds and 2 more by the bird table. Buzzard circling over the car park. 2 drake Shoveler on W lake plus 1 ad Little Grebe and 1 Gadwall visible.

It was a Hen harrier day yesterday. In addition to the male at Heol-y-Cyw, a ringtail was seen and videoed over the fields at Gileston – vid is on South Wales Birding Facebook page.

Male Hen Harrier quartering field at junction of Pant Hirwaun and Heol Laethog at 1:00 today before heading off south towards Cefn Hirgoed.

Highlights this morning. Three Sand Martin and a single House Martin over W lake, drake Scaup under the tree by the end of the reed bed on W lake [presumably back from Cardiff Bay] and a pair of Shoveler under there too. Chiffchaff fly-catching by the main bridge.

2-Chiffchaffs in trees between lake and railway line.Bittern booming from reeds at eastern end of lake.10h00-10h45

Wheatear still  showing well on the waste ground by Empire Way near the Ice Rink. It often flies onto the bit of grass by the Ice Rink car park.

Twelve folk joined us on the GBC public birdwalk this morning, we were pleased to see/hear 36 species in the very blustery conditions.

The highlights were- Great white Egret, Slavonian Grebe, Black-necked Grebe, 12 Reed Bunting. Potential breeding evidence was shown by 2 pairs of Carrion Crow by/in nests, a pair of displaying Mute Swans, a couple of Great Crested Grebe investigating the reedbed, and a pair of copulating Tufties. Spring is around the corner!

Chiffchaff singing in the same place as yesterday, this morning. Treecreeper on tree opp the end of the Med Village path. Pr Shoveler sheltering under the trees by W lake reed bed, 1 drake Pochard that I could see, 4 Gadwall and the usual Tufties. No sign of Scaup.

Cosmeston late morning. Chiffchaff singing on path between the 2 lakes. 2 mistle thrush W paddock. Jack Snipe just flushed from adj the wire fence of the ‘snipe paddock’ which is the wire fenced area on LHS past the end of the W paddock hedge. It flew 50 yds and landed on the other side somewhere. Also 3 Greenfinch there – bit of a rarity at Cossie.

A drake Scaup was asleep in the middle of W lake Cosmeston this morning. Presumably the bird from Cardiff Bay [which was originally found at Cossie].

Two hawfinch feeding by the log.  Two jay, lots of great tits,  blue tit, chaffinch.

Circular walk on Thursday 7 March starting and finishing at Taffs Well railway station:

Gwaelod-y-garth and Garth Hill – Dipper, Siskin, Jay, Goldcrest, Green Woodpecker, drumming Great Spotted Woodpecker, singing Mistle and Song Thrush, Skylarks, Meadow Pipit and Buzzard

Craig-yr-Allt/Twyn Garwa – Bullfinch, Raven, Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers

Mynydd Meio/Nantgarw – Ravens, Stonechat, Meadow Pipit, Red Kite and Sparrowhawk

My first chiffchaff of the year today in 19 species seen this afternoon. Also goldcrest, mute swan, Mallard, tufted duck, great crested grebe, Moorhen, coot, black headed gull, herring gull, heron, Magpie, Carrion Crow, blue tit, great tit, long tailed tit,robin, blackbird and goldfinch.

Cosmeston early morning: 7 Pochard and 5 Gadwall on the West Lake, 3 Chiffchaff (1 singing), a few Fieldfare and Redwing in trees on west side of play area, Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers calling, several Coot nest building, 4 Little Grebe and 8 Great Crested Grebe (some displaying), Cetti’s Warbler in the East Lake reedbed and a Water Rail calling from the West Lake reedbed.

Sully Island – 2 Great Black-backed Gull on the mud and stones below the Captain’s Wife car park as the tide dropped; overhead a Raven mobbed by Jackdaws.

Barry Docks – a Skylark singing over what’s left of the rough ground at the eastern end of the Waterfront.

Flemingston/Llanbydderi Moor – 13 Lapwing, Stock Dove, Greylag Goose and Common Gull.

2nd March, another singing Chiffchaff in Sanatorium Park.

DIPPER nest building