Llanishen: 1M + 1F shelduck flew in at 09:30, 1 sedge warbler singing occasionally (2 singing here on 14th), 1 reed bunting singing, 1 ad GBB gull on dry-land roost, among lessers that included an immature colour-ringed bird [black ring, yellow letters K+U]. Also 1 gc grebe, at least 2 little grebes, 4 tufties, 14 mallards, 2 Canadas, 1 moorhen, 8 coots, 2 mute swans flew over, 1 grey heron, and my 1st common blue of the year here.

Lisvane: 6 gc grebes, 14 coots, 2 tufties, 2 mute swans, 2 mallards with at least 4 ducklings, 2 grey wags. Whitethroat singing nearby, on Lisvane Road.

Roath Park Lake: tawny owl fledgelings at the wild end, various colour-ringed gulls: blue ring -orange letters AKZ, black-yellow L+B, red-white 5YF.

Lisvane: 1 green sandpiper asleep on the N shore. 62 tufties, 1 Canada, 9 coots, 6 GC grebes, 4 mallards etc.

Llanishen: 1M & 1F shoveller, 7 little grebes, 12 coots, 4 tufties, 3 teal, 2 Canadas, 1 snipe visible.

Some belated news: 18th March, Roath Park Lake wild end, 2 adult tawny owls with 2 calling chicks, plus 2 foxes. 

16th March, Llanishen: 147 snipe during WeBS count, plus 9 teal, 1 GC grebe, 10 tufties, 14 coots, 1 moorhen, 3 reed buntings, 1 leucistic jackdaw, etc.

1 little egret around the islands on Roath Park Lake this morning.

Lisvane: 1 yellow-legged gull, 53 tufties, 6 pochard, 8 GC grebes, 4 little grebes, 10 mallard, 16 Canadas, 4 coots.

Llanishen: 10 teal, 3 snipe, 1F pochard, 9 Canadas, 13 mallards, 1 moorhen, 7 tufties, 10 coots.

I’ve been making a list and checking it twice –but there aren’t too many interesting birds on it…

Lisvane: 30 pochard, 49 tufties, 12 little grebes, 12 coots, no mallards, geese, swans or GC grebes.

Llanishen: water levels very high so lots of places for birds to hide among the willows: 6 teal, 1 coot and 34 mallards were visible.

Roath: 4 little grebes, the long-staying LBB gull blue AKZ, and a colour-ringed BH gull that stayed just out of readable range.

Happy Christmas and good birding to all 

Roath Park Lake: 2M teal, quite a lot of disturbance due to scrub clearance on the islands today.

City Hall: 1peregrine

Llanishen: 2F shovellers, 27 teal, 2 moorhens, 15 mallard, 1 tufted, 1 common gull. Only 1 snipe visible and no sign of the recent water rails -but the water level is very low again now. 18 magpies among the big corvid roost.

Lisvane: 35 pochard, 87 tufties, 38 Canadas, 19 mallards, 12 little grebes, 12 coots, 3 common gulls and as dusk approached a mid-tone yellow-legged type gull, seemingly a 3rd winter.

Highlight was a great view of 2 water rails at Llanishen south pool –my first record of this species at the site! The water level has dropped again, exposing some mud. Also present on Llanishen were 33 teal, 1F shoveller, 13 mallards, 3 moorhens, 12+common snipe, 1 common gull and 4 pied wags. 

Lisvane: 56 tufties, 18 pochard, 17 mallard, 15 little grebes but no GC grebes today, 39 Canadas, 12 coots and the usual gulls.

Roath Park Lake: 4 teal. Llanishen station: 1 “silver” leucistic jackdaw.

Roath Park Lake: Kingfisher at the wild end, excellent egg on toast at the cafe end.

Lisvane: no sign of yesterday’s green sandpiper today, best of the regulars was 17 little grebes and 2 pochard.

Llanishen: the south pool seems to be slowly filling, and is now bigger than at any time since the reservoir was drained, extending about half way to the middle pools. 2 teal, 1 little grebe, 1 coot, 10 mallard, and 2 mute swans, also a white-winged jackdaw in the big corvid roost and a stunning female peregrine stooped low over the south pool at dusk, heading towards the Llanishen tax office tower where it presumably roosted.

Lisvane: 95 tufties, 4 pochard, 7 mallard, 7 coots, 7 little grebes, 4 GC grebes, 1 mute swan, 33 Canadas, 1 heron, 5 mipits, 5 redwing.

Llanishen: 2 wigeon, 58 mallard, 2 teal, 1 mute swan, 7 skylark over W.

Roath Park: all present and correct. Nothing unusual.

Fox and owl survey: 3 foxes & 3 tawny owls across 4 sites. 26 redwings over in 100 minutes of timed counts (= 15.6 per hour, up from 2.4 per hour last week)

Earlier today at Rhaslas, a male merlin was seen by Sophie-Lee Williams.

Lisvane: 1 greylag and 1 hybrid among 96 Canadas, 10 gc grebes included 2 stripy-headed young, 12 little grebes, 66 tufties, no pochard at the moment, 18 mallards, 16 coots, 2 cormorants, 1 kingfisher.

Llanishen: 2 teal, 2 mutes, 3 mallard, green woodpecker and male sparrow hawk.

Roath: 1 kingfisher, 2 teal, 2 wigeon, 131 Canadas, juv LBB gull yellow K+V, gs woodpecker etc.

For those who may be interested, my monthly wildlife column in the local “Lisvane Link” community magazine is now available online, at http://lisvanewildlife.wordpress.com 🙂

My only two usable photos of yesterday’s yellow wagtail at Lisvane, which Dave Boyle points out is quite grey and stripy… unfortunately the views were brief and distant, and no calls were heard.

Lisvane: 1 juv yellow wagtail, 1 green sand still on the E shore, 1 kingfisher, 2 teal.

Llanishen: 6 teal.

Roath Park Lake: 2 wigeon, 1 teal

Last night, the teal at the “wild” end of the lake had been joined by a wigeon. Also 5 grey herons, grey wag and five colour-ringed LBB gulls; red 1PF, white D+B, yellow L+C, white F+R, yellow L+P.

Nothing too unusual at the reservoirs, but the water level at Lisvane is quite low with mud exposed in front of the car park -would be worth a look if anyone is passing…