A rare visitor to Cardiff Bay

17 Thursday Nov 2022

Tags

autumn bird migration, birding, birdwatching, Branta bernicla, Brent goose, British birds, Cardiff Bay birding, Dark-bellied Brent goose

Monday’s walk around part of Cardiff Bay was special. When I reached the eastern side of the Barrage, I noticed an unusual bird with a flock of the 20-plus Canada geese that were cruising close to shore. I wasn’t sure what it was but a quick photo post to the local WhatsApp group produced three rapid responses: ‘It’s a Brent goose, Annie!’

221117 brent goose (1)

I probably should have known that but I’ve only seen these geese a few times before and then only at a distance. It’s a rare occurrence for one to drop in to the Bay. There are four races of Brent goose (Branta bernicla) (if you’re interested, there’s a good article, with photos, on the Bird Guides website); this bird was one of the dark-bellied sub species that breed in the Russian Arctic. Good numbers of these birds over-winter on the Exe estuary in southern England, so it’s possible that this bird was heading in that direction.

221117 brent goose (2)

Perhaps it got a little lost en route, though I suspect it was simply hungry. It repeatedly came out of the water and up on to the grass to feed – I say repeatedly because dog owners often let their mutts run loose in that area and the Brent, and the Canada geese that followed its lead, kept getting chased, causing them to fly back to the safety of the water. The geese persevered though and, from reports I heard from other birders who came to see this local rarity, I know that it was still in the area in the late afternoon. Our Brent visitor disappeared overnight, hopefully with its energy restored for the flight south to find its kin.

221117 brent goose (3)

Migrating Reed warbler

11 Saturday Sep 2021

Posted by sconzani in autumn, birds

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Acrocephalus scirpaceus, autumn bird migration, bird migration, birding, birdwatching, British birds, Reed warbler

As is often the case with this little brown bird, I heard it before I saw it, not the song but the short nasal ‘churring’ call these warblers make to keep in touch with each other deep within the reed beds.

210911 reed warbler (1)

Luckily for me, as this particularly Reed warbler foraged its way along the brook, I could follow its movement by the bending and shaking of reed stems, and when it occasionally ventured out to the edge of the reeds, I was able to grab some images.

210911 reed warbler (2)

Small though it is – around 13cm in length, the Reed warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus) migrates from Britain to over-winter in sub-Saharan Africa, so this little bird has quite the journey ahead of it.

210911 reed warbler (3)

280/366 Yellow-browed warbler

06 Tuesday Oct 2020

Posted by sconzani in autumn, birds

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

autumn bird migration, autumn passage of birds, birding, birdwatching, British birds, migrating birds, passage migrant, Yellow-browed warbler

Yesterday was brilliant! Not only did I manage a walk without getting wet, but I also saw my first-ever Yellow-browed warbler.

201006 yellow-browed warbler (1)

I didn’t discover the bird – local birder extraordinaire Graham did that and put the word out on Twitter. The bird had been seen about half way along the coastal path between Penarth and Lavernock, so I kept a keen eye out as I walked in case the warbler had wandered further along the path. The hedgerows were alive with birds but it wasn’t until I got close to the original location that two other local birders alerted me to the bird’s presence.

201006 yellow-browed warbler (2)

The Yellow-browed warbler (Phylloscopus inornatus) is a ‘scarce autumn passage migrant’ (Eastern Glamorgan Bird Report no.57) in south Wales. Most years there are just a handful of sightings, though that can vary dramatically – in 2016, there were 26 sightings reported, which earned the adjective ‘extraordinary’ from the bird report writer (Eastern Glamorgan Bird Report no.55).

201006 yellow-browed warbler (3)

This is a small warbler, smaller than a Chiffchaff, and a very active feeder, so it can be tricky to spot in dense foliage, but I knew to look for its ‘yellow brow’, the thick stripe above its eye, and the two stripes on its wings, the top one quite short, the lower longer. It also has a distinctive call that is crisper than that of a Chiffchaff or Willow warbler, and similar to a Coal tit.

201006 yellow-browed warbler (4)

I watched the bird – or perhaps I should say I stared at the bushes where the bird was – for about 45 minutes. Its intermittent calling helped find this little leaf flitter when it vanished for short periods, though I found it easiest to just watch for movement. It mostly seemed content to stay within a small area, a temporary feeding territory my bird guide calls it, and it was certainly defending that territory, aggressively chasing away a Chiffchaff that flew in. Eventually, I could see rain clouds on the horizon and judged it prudent to head homewards, but what a fabulous encounter I had enjoyed with my first Yellow-browed warbler!

253/366 Stillness, part 2

09 Wednesday Sep 2020

Posted by sconzani in autumn, birds

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

autumn bird migration, birding, birdwatching, British birds, Redstart

Yesterday I wrote about being reminded twice of the value of stillness – this was the second time. With a couple of fellow birders, I’d been enjoying a feast of migrant action all in one field – a Whinchat, a Spotted flycatcher, four Stonechats and these two Redstarts – though, as usual, the birds were a little too distant for my camera to get good photos.

200908 redstart (1)

Then, the unforecast rain came down in earnest, blowing across the field in vertical waves. The two chaps headed off but I figured I’d wait out the worst of the weather in the shelter of a large Oak tree growing along the hedgerow. Once again, my partial camouflage and my stillness – I waited 30 minutes or more – was rewarded, as one of the Redstarts came very near where I was standing. I couldn’t risk the camera being out in the rain for long but I was delighted with the couple of images I took and with being able to get such close views of this lovely bird.

200908 redstart (2)

231/366 They’re back!

18 Tuesday Aug 2020

Posted by sconzani in autumn, birds, nature

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

autumn bird migration, birding, birdwatching, British birds, Cardiff Bay, Ely embankment, Turnstone, Turnstone breeding plumage

As well as seeing the Common sandpiper I blogged about yesterday, Friday’s walk along the Ely embankment made me smile for another reason – the Turnstones are back!

200818 turnstone (1)

Fresh from their breeding season in Greenland and parts of northern Canada, looking very handsome in their darker summer plumage, perhaps still a little weary from those long-haul flights, but they’ve made it.

200818 turnstone (2)

I love these characterful little birds. Most of the time they might seem a bit dull, plodding purposefully along the tide line, turning over pebbles and seaweed in their never-ending search for insect snacks, or sitting, a little hunched over, snoozing in the sun.

200818 turnstone (3)

Yet I’ve also seen a large group of them, in a coastal town in southern England, in the midst of a huge storm, when the ferocity of the waves had driven them up off the beach on to an expanse of grass where large puddles had accumulated, behaving like crazy kids, chattering away happily to each other while they ran in and out of the puddles, excited, splashing and flapping their wings, and so obviously having fun.

200818 turnstone (4)

There were four Turnstones on the embankment on Friday. Maybe they’re locals, or maybe they just stopped over for a rest before heading further south, but I’m sure I’ll be seeing many more of these special birds in the weeks to come.

Wheatear

14 Thursday Sep 2017

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature, parks

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

autumn bird migration, birding, birdwatching, British birds, Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, migrating birds, Oenanthe oenanthe, Wheatear

I went looking for Whinchat and Redstart but came home with Wheatear. I’m talking about birds, of course, and I didn’t actually bring the bird home, of course, just photos – and not particularly crisp photos at that, as the bird was perched on a fence post some distance away and I couldn’t get closer without spooking it. But what a lovely little bird it was!

170914 wheatear (1)

This was at Cosmeston, my local country park and nature reserve, which, as it sits very close to the Welsh coast adjacent to the Bristol Channel, is perfectly situated as a sort of springboard location for migrating birds – and the autumn bird migration is well and truly underway now. The Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe) breeds in upland areas of northern and western Britain but then, come the cooler days of late summer – early autumn, it wings its way south to spend the winter in central Africa.

The name Wheatear intrigued me so I consulted my trusty copy of Stefan Buczacki’s Fauna Britannica. It appears that many people assume, as I did, that the name comes from the bird’s tendency to consume ripening wheat. However, the etymology is older and seems to come from a Middle English word meaning ‘white arse’!

170914 wheatear (2)