Until mid December, I had only seen a Black-throated diver (also known in other countries as Black-throated loon, Gavia arctica) once previously, and that was at a great distance through someone else’s ‘scope, and I’d certainly never managed to get any photographs. Then, on 9 December, a juvenile turned up at Llanishen Reservoir in north Cardiff, the first sighting there since 2013, and it’s still there. Throughout its stay, it has remained in the centre of the reservoir, quite a distance from the path that circles the large expanse of water so, for me, it has been almost impossible to get a good look at the bird, and my photographs have, at best, been record shots.

Then, to the amazement and delight of local birders, including me, a second bird was spotted on Christmas Day, cruising around the former docks in the seaside town of Barry (known to many UK folks as the home town of Gavin and Stacey). Due mostly to the weather, I was a bit late to the party but, on Sunday 29 December, caught the train to Barry Docks to try to find it.

I was initially dismayed to find the docks full of kayakers (apparently, it’s a regular Sunday event) and a rescue speedboat, so I thought the bird would’ve been scared off (I almost was!). Fortunately, there was one small inlet the kayakers weren’t going into, and the diver had taken refuge there. This was absolutely perfect for watching the bird, as it provided much closer views. In fact, I couldn’t have asked for better!

And so, as you might expect, I devoted rather a long time to watching this stunning and very active bird. It spent quite a lot of time with its head underwater, obviously searching for food, and diving frequently after that food, though I never saw it actually catch any fish or crabs. And, enchantingly, it was talking to itself, a repetitive low throaty call (which you can hear on the BTO webpage for this bird, by expanding the ‘Songs and calls’ section). I can’t think of a better way to spend a Sunday!