Tag Archives: birding

A one-legged wagtail

27 Saturday Jun 2026

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During the summer months I don’t often walk along the embankment of the River Ely where it flows in to Cardiff Bay as most of the birds I like to see there are elsewhere, busy breeding the next generation. However, during this past week, while we’ve been melting under the record-breaking temperatures of our second heatwave of 2026, the Ely embankment made for a pleasant and relatively short early morning walk before I retreated from the burning sun.

And, of course, there were still birds to be seen: Mallards snoozing close to the water’s edge; Coots ditto, until a passing dog walker’s mutt barked at them, scaring them in to the water; a couple of Great crested grebes diving often for sprats; and this handsome male Grey wagtail, standing guard over his two youngsters who were chasing each other with the mad exuberance of youth out over the water and back again.

Though Grey wagtails can be quite skittish, this one seemed more confiding. And then I noticed why that was – it only had one leg. This didn’t stop it from moving about but, when it was still, it was obviously more comfortable sitting with its body touching the ground. And, considering this bird had raised two healthy youngsters, it was obviously able to live a full life, which was very reassuring to see.

A sweet young Robin

23 Tuesday Jun 2026

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Is this not the sweetest little Robin you’ve ever seen?

I simply can’t walk past a juvenile Robin without stopping to say hello.

Though their feathers look nothing like those of adult Robins – no red breast to be seen, they already act like adults: confiding, curious, bobbing their heads and flicking up their tails.

And so, of course, I had to stop, pull out my camera, and take far too many photos while this sweet young Robin posed like a professional model.

Not Bank swallows

16 Tuesday Jun 2026

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During last week’s wander around Cardiff Bay and on in to the city I paused for a wonderful 20 minutes to watch the Sand martins flitting constantly in and out of their nests in every available gap, hole and crevice in the walls of the Bay’s many old docks.

Their activity has reached a level of frantic that means I can safely assume they’re now feeding young.

In North America the Sand martin is known as the Bank swallow, something I didn’t know until quite recently when a man tried a little too forcefully to tell me (the term ‘mansplaining’ applies here, I think) that the birds I was watching and listening to were Bank swallows, rather than Sand martins, because that’s what his Merlin bird app told him.

(Note to Merlin users: if you live in the UK, make sure you change your settings to British bird names!)

A fledgling Long-tailed tit

11 Thursday Jun 2026

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It’s that time of year when all the young fledgling birds are out and about, following their parents and siblings through the trees, begging for food, learning to forage, constantly calling to stay in contact with each other.

Though it’s often difficult to spot the individual birds now that the foliage on the trees is so lush, it always make me smile to hear them and, occasionally, one bird will pause briefly in the open so, if I’m quick, I’m able to grab a few photos. This juvenile Long-tailed tit recently provided me with just such an opportunity.

A surprise Spotted flycatcher

04 Thursday Jun 2026

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It’s not unusual, during Spring migration, not to see many of the bird species that pass through. Unless they need to rest or refuel, there’s no reason for them to stop, and the urge is strong to reach their breeding locations and get the reproduction process underway. I assumed this was why no Spotted flycatchers had been sighted locally this Spring, though it now seems that a lot of birds are late arriving this year, coming in waves depending on when the weather conditions are favourable for long-distance flights. Then, one evening, I got lucky.

I was sitting at my table/desk, deliberately positioned next to a window with views of the adjacent woodland and out to the Bristol Channel, when I noticed a bird chase a small butterfly along the tree line. My birding skills must be improving because I was immediately on the alert – the bird, the way it moved, its jizz didn’t look like one of the usual birds – definitely not a Robin or a Dunnock, nor, I didn’t think, a Chiffchaff. I kept my eyes on the place where the bird appeared to have landed and reached behind me for the binoculars that live, when I’m home, in a handily positioned bookcase. And there it was, a striking little Spotted flycatcher!

For perhaps 30 minutes I watched it flitting in and out from the trees, attempting to catch small flying insects, sometimes pausing and settling as if preparing to roost for the night but then getting tempted into flight once more by the sight of a succulent titbit. Eventually, it flew further along the woodland and was lost to sight. I can’t imagine a nicer way to spend my evening!

A Tawny fledgling

01 Monday Jun 2026

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I was soaked from un-forecast rain showers when I reached the bus stop outside Cosmeston Lakes Country Park and just hoping a bus would come quickly so I could get home and into dry clothes. But, when I got there, two of my birding acquaintances were also awaiting a bus and told me, excitedly, that they had just been watching a fledgling Tawny owl sitting low down in a tree close to the car park.Although I’ve seen the occasional adult Tawny and sometimes hear them calling at night in the woodland adjacent to my building, I hadn’t seen one for a couple of years and had never seen a fledgling. So, understandably, it only took me a moment to decide that I simply had to go for a look, soaked or not.As it was still raining, I didn’t want to damage my camera so only managed to get a few quick photos, and I also didn’t want to disturb the bird, though I’m sure one, or both of its parents were perched nearby, well hidden amongst the foliage, keeping a close eye on their offspring. What a special sight this was – a bundle of fluff, perched on a branch, looking sleepy and making the occasional low chirruping sounds.

p.s. I wrote this post last week. In the interim, this little fledgling has become something of a local celebrity, and it’s been really heartwarming to see how delighted people have been at seeing it. It’s also been good to see how respectful and protective of the bird the visitors have been. Of course, I have since revisited the site as well, and managed to shoot this short video clip of the fledgling. Enjoy!

Five little cygnets

30 Saturday May 2026

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I’ve never really understood how anyone, let alone a talented writer like Hans Christian Andersen, could label a cygnet an ‘ugly duckling’. In my opinion, there is nothing even remotely ugly about a cygnet; it is the very embodiment of cute.

These five very young cygnets were with their Mute swan parents, pottering along the water’s edge where the River Ely flows in to the western edge of Cardiff Bay, and watching them certainly brightened up a very dull, grey, occasionally wet day. I hope you enjoy this massive dose of cuteness as much as I did.

Weymouth trip birding roundup

28 Thursday May 2026

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The main reason for my trip to Weymouth and Portland from 7 to 14 May was to celebrate a BIG birthday and, for me, there’s no better way to celebrate than to spend time in Nature, watching the birds, butterflies and other creatures that make my heart sing. The fact that I was able to add eight new bird species to my 2026 list was a welcome bonus but certainly not a necessity – I get just as much pleasure from seeing the ‘ordinary’ birds (the Skylarks and Stonechats and the Pipits feeding their families) as I do from seeing those I don’t get to spot on my home turf. And, in fact, I didn’t even see one of the biggest birding highlights of this trip, a Bittern that was booming from deep in the reed beds during two of my visits to RSPB Lodmoor. I didn’t manage to get many great photos of the birds I saw but here are a few …

One of the artificial islands used for nesting by Black-headed gulls and Common terns (and, it seems, the occasional Canada goose). The air around these little islands is always alive with birds coming and going, and the noise is often raucous.

Though Reed and Sedge warblers and Reed buntings sang constantly from the reed beds, they were rarely visible. I got a lucky fleeting glimpse of this Sedge warbler.

Each time I went to Lodmoor, I was treated to Swallows like this one, as well as House and Sand martins zipping about overhead, and also coming down to gather mud and bits of vegetation to help build their nests.

On several days, at both Lodmoor and Radipole, I watched Marsh harriers flying back and forth, sometimes soaring, often just skimming the tops of the reeds as they hunted for food.

From the coastal path above Portland’s west cliffs, I spotted Guillemots and Razorbills, several gull species and Gannets, as well as these Kittiwakes, an adult on the right and a juvenile below left.

If you’re interested, the birds that were new sightings for me were Common tern, Bar-tailed godwit, Sanderling, Little tern, Whimbrel, Kittiwake, Great white egret, and that booming Bittern.

Bar-tailed godwits

26 Tuesday May 2026

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In a blog about Black-tailed godwits, after seeing a huge flock of them just off Cardiff Bay Barrage in February last year, I wrote:

We have two species of godwit in Britain, Black-tailed and Bar-tailed (Limosa lapponica), and, at first glance, they can be difficult to tell apart but, as you can see in some of my photos, the Black-tailed have broad white wing-bars and their white tails finish with a black band, hence their name.

Though we sometime see Bar-tailed godwits (Limosa lapponica) in south Wales, as they pass through during their spring and autumn migrations, I haven’t seen any locally since 2019, so it was wonderful to see them several times in Dorset, both at Lodmoor and along the shore line in front of the Wild Chesil Centre at Ferrybridge. In fact, early one morning, I took a seat on a small concrete slipway by the road at Ferrybridge and spent perhaps 30 minutes watching these two birds feeding. I was hoping they’d come closer as the tide came in but, just as they were getting nearer, a dog walker and his pet walked along the sand between me and the birds, scaring them further away.

One morning at Lodmoor, this single Bar-tailed godwit flew in, and was joined a short time later by two little Sanderlings – more very enjoyable birdwatching minutes were spent watching these birds as they foraged along the water’s edge.