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Tag Archives: Glamorgan Bird Club

142/365 Birding at Magor Marsh

22 Wednesday May 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, birds, insects, nature, trees

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#365DaysWild, Glamorgan Bird Club, Grey heron, Little egret, Magor Marsh, Mistletoe, Sedge warbler

It was a cracking blue-sky day for our Glamorgan Bird Club trip to the Gwent Wildlife Trust’s Magor Marsh Reserve today, and what a fabulous place it is! A natural area of fenland, divided by the lush waterways of ancient reens, home to large areas of reed bed and magnificent wildflower meadows, interspersed with small wooded areas.

190522 reen

The bird list today was not extensive but I think it was the first time any of us had seen Little egrets nesting in Britain, and one of those was easy to see from the bird hide, and it was sharing its tree with a nesting Grey heron.

190522 nesting herons

Plus the reserve was alive with Redgies – Reed and Sedge warblers – and you know how much I love those little birds. One Sedgie even hopped out for a few photos.

190522 sedge warbler

And, because Bird Club outings are about more than just birds, when the bird life was a bit sparse we simply turned our attention to all the other interesting flora and fauna that surrounded us.

190522 mistletoe
190522 galls on blackthorn

Like a tree adorned with huge bundles of Mistletoe, and another, probably a Blackthorn, with what looked like galls affecting its fruit.

190522 damselfly
190522 beetle

And all the damselflies and beetles, bees and butterflies (though not as many butterflies as I was hoping for – I’m blaming the coolish wind). All in all, it was a pleasure to explore this lovely reserve and another most excellent field trip.

190522 bee
190522 small copper (2)

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Birding at Whiteford Point

14 Monday Jan 2019

Posted by sconzani in animals, birds, nature, walks, winter

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

birding, birtdwatching, Brent geese, British birds, Curlew, Dunlin, Glamorgan Bird Club, horses, Little egret, Llanrhidian Marsh, Oystercatchers, saltmarsh, Shelduck, Whiteford Point

Yesterday was our first Glamorgan Bird Club field trip for 2019, and what a magnificent day it was!

190114 (6) whiteford point

I hadn’t been to this part of the Gower peninsula before – our walk was through the National Trust property at Whiteford Point – and the scenery, like that all over the Gower, was stunning.

190114 (1) saltmarsh at whiteford point

190114 (2) whiteford point

With forestry, saltmarsh and coast line, the environment is very diverse, which means there’s a wonderful variety of flora and fauna to be seen, not just birds – though the bird life certainly didn’t disappoint. And there were many handsome ponies nibbling on the saltmarsh.

190114 (3) horses at whiteford point

As well as most of the smaller, more common birds – blackbirds, robins, singing Song thrushes, calling Bullfinches, a big mixed flock of Chaffinches, Linnets and Reed buntings – we also disturbed both Common snipe and Jack snipe that were lurking in the reed beds next to the path. The Jack snipe was a lifer for me, though views were brief as the birds shot up suddenly and unexpectedly, flew a short way, then disappeared back into the reeds.

190114 (4) brent geese and flying dunlin

Once we reached the beach, we saw a wide range of waders and sea birds. Here a flock of Dunlin flies past Brent geese grazing along the shoreline.

190114 (5) shelduck and dunlin

More skittish Dunlin flying along the shore, this time above the heads of feeding Shelducks.

190114 (7) oystercatchers and curlew

It was wonderful to see such good numbers of Curlew, here with even larger numbers of the ubiquitous Oystercatchers. We also enjoyed sightings of some less common birds – a Great northern diver quite close to the shore; a Slavonian grebe further off and diving frequently so not easy to keep track of; a Red-breasted merganser a distant speck through the ’scopes.

190114 (7) a raft of eider

My favourites were undoubtedly the Eider ducks. I fell in love with them when I first heard their call on our birding trip to Northumberland last year.

190114 (8) horses on the marsh

Eventually, we made the long trek back to the cars and moved on to nearby Llanrhidian Marsh, to await the dusk, hopeful of harriers and perhaps an owl or two. More ponies were running free on the marsh – they looked unloved and uncared for, their manes very long and tatty, but, as we waited, a man arrived and fed them some meal from a bucket. They were very handsome and quite inquisitive.

190114 (9) little egrets

The marsh seemed alive with Little egrets, and we had good sightings of several Great whites – another year first for me. Some of our group saw a Hen harrier, and a couple of Red kites came in gliding low, hunting for their supper, but no owls appeared and the harrier did not return.

Still, as the sun went down, we were treated to this stunning sunset, and we returned home tired but happy after a most excellent day’s birding in a superb setting.

190114 (10) sunset over llanrhidian marsh

Here’s my trip list: Blackbird, Black-headed Gull, Black-tailed Godwit, Blue Tit, Brent Goose, Bullfinch, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Buzzard, Eider, Redshank, Snipe, Cormorant, Dunlin, Dunnock, Curlew, Teal, Wigeon, Golden Plover, Stonechat, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great Black-backed Gull, Great Crested Grebe, Great White Egret, Great Northern Diver, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Green Woodpecker, Greenshank, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jack Snipe, Jackdaw, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Linnet, Little Egret, Long-tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Lapwing, Pintail, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Raven, Red Kite, Red-breasted Merganser, Reed Bunting, Robin, Sanderling, Shelduck, Slavonian Grebe, Song Thrush, Starling, Treecreeper, Woodpigeon, Wren.

My birding friend and I saw Greenshank at Penclawdd when we stopped for a quick scan on the way to Whiteford Point so my total for the day was 61 and, as other birders saw a few birds I didn’t, the club’s total was 70. Those extras were, most notably, that Hen harrier but also Common gull, Green sandpiper, Jay, Merlin, Redwing, Rook, Stock dove and Turnstone.

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13/365 Llanrhidian sunset

13 Sunday Jan 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, birds, nature, seaside, walks

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birding, birdwatching, Glamorgan Bird Club, Llanrhidian Marsh, sunset, sunset over Llanrhidian Marsh

The sun goes down on an absolutely magnificent day, a 12-hour day of birding at Whiteford Point and Llanrhidian Marsh, a long walk with 33 fellow birders from the Glamorgan Bird Club in stunning Welsh scenery, seeing some wonderful birds and adding 16 new species to my 2019 year list, catching up with friends, enjoying good conversations and sharing some laughs – life doesn’t get much better!

190113 llanrhidian marsh sunset

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Birding at Garwnant and Rhaslas

19 Monday Nov 2018

Posted by sconzani in autumn, birds, nature, walks

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birding, birdwatching, British birds, Common crossbill, Cormorant, Garwnant Forest, Glamorgan Bird Club, Goosander, Llwyn-onn Reservoir, Red kite, Rhaslas Pond, Water pipit, Willow tit

Clear blue skies, stiff  breeze and freezing cold, star birds and great company, long walk, Welsh upland scenery … it doesn’t get much better than yesterday’s Glamorgan Bird Club’s field trip to the forestry at Garwnant and Rhaslas pond, with a quick stop at the Llwyn-onn reservoir in between.

181119 birding at garwnant and rhaslas (1)

It took us a while to leave the car park at the Forestry Centre as the birding got off to a cracking start with lots of Common crossbills coming in to feed on the cones of the tall conifers all around us.

181119 birding at garwnant and rhaslas (2)181119 birding at garwnant and rhaslas (3)

We headed out along one of the many walking trails, hoping for views of Willow tits. One person heard one but the bird didn’t reappear so we carried on a bit further to a high vantage point. From there we were rewarded with views of Kestrel, Buzzard and this magnificent Red kite.

181119 birding at garwnant and rhaslas (4)

Retracing our steps, a couple of us who’d lingered behind heard the Willow tit calling, waved frantically to the birders ahead, and managed some good views of this increasingly uncommon little bird.

181119 birding at garwnant and rhaslas (5)

We then walked a rectangular path, taking us out around more of the forest trails, seeing even more Crossbills and another couple of Willow tits, as well as many other species. After lunch back at the car park, we drove down to nearby Llwyn-onn dam for a quick scan for any interesting birds. The reservoir was looking gorgeous, with much more water than on our last visit.

181119 birding at garwnant and rhaslas (6)

We’d hoped for a Water pipit … and there it was, though a very flighty bird that scarcely stayed still and kept flying off in various directions. I was pretty happy though as this was a lifer for me, and it was a year tick for several other birders.

181119 birding at garwnant and rhaslas (7)

I really like how this photo of the Cormorant turned out. And there was a Common sandpiper just along the pipe from where it was perched.

181119 birding at garwnant and rhaslas (8)

Then it was on for a quick check of Rhaslas pond before the light faded – sunset is around 4.15pm at the moment. It was bitterly cold up on the open moorland as you tell from how rugged up everyone was.

181119 birding at garwnant and rhaslas (9)

Though there weren’t a huge number of birds on the pond, we did see several Goosanders, Wigeon, Tufted ducks and a solitary Goldeneye. It was a smashing end to an excellent day!

181119 birding at garwnant and rhaslas (10)

Here’s my list of birds seen: Wigeon, Teal, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Goldeneye, Goosander, Grey Heron, Cormorant, Red Kite, Buzzard, Kestrel, Common Sandpiper, Black-headed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Woodpigeon, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Magpie, Jay, Carrion Crow, Raven, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Coal Tit, Willow Tit, Goldcrest, Wren, Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Blackbird, Mistle Thrush, Robin, Pied Wagtail, Water Pipit, Chaffinch, and Common Crossbill. And somehow I missed the Starling, Song Thrush, Redwing and Fieldfare.

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Birding at Maiden Castle

29 Monday Oct 2018

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature

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birding, birdwatching, British birds, Corn bunting, Glamorgan Bird Club, Golden plover, Kestrel, Maiden Castle

This past Friday to Sunday was the annual Glamorgan Bird Club long weekend trip to Portland Bird Observatory, and my second visit to the fascinating island of Portland. But first the trip down …

181029 birding at maiden castle (1)

Eleven of us left south Wales in various car-share combinations and via various routes to meet up around 10am at Maiden Castle, just outside of Dorchester. The ‘castle’ is, of course, not a castle but rather an ancient Iron Age hillfort, one of the largest in Europe.

181029 birding at maiden castle (3)

I still haven’t managed to explore the site itself, as our primary reason for meeting there is because we’re almost certain to see a Corn bunting, a bird we don’t get in Wales so it’s a year tick for most of us and a lifer for some. (You’ll need to believe me when I say that the small brown blob sitting on the fence is a Corn bunting.)

181029 birding at maiden castle (2)

Sitting in the field adjacent to the Maiden Castle carpark were over a hundred Golden plovers, a bird that seems common in this area as we also saw a large flock of them on the 2017 trip.

181029 birding at maiden castle (4)
181029 birding at maiden castle (5)
181029 birding at maiden castle (6)
181029 birding at maiden castle (7)

We were also treated to our first of many Kestrel sightings of the weekend. After a bit of fence-post sitting and some hovering, this beautiful little bird plunged down to the earth in a nearby field, having apparently caught something. It fluttered about several times, as if its prey was still alive and trying to escape and the Kestrel was having trouble subduing it.

181029 birding at maiden castle (8)

My long lens wasn’t quite long enough to identify the victim but, whatever it was, it seems it may have been too large and/or heavy for the Kestrel to carry as the bird eventually flew off empty-clawed.

181029 birding at maiden castle (9)

Soon afterwards – though probably unrelated – something spooked the Golden plovers and they treated us to a wonderful display of formation flying before settling again further off. And that was our cue also to head off, to our next stop en route to Portland.

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Birding at WWT Steart Marshes

14 Sunday Oct 2018

Posted by sconzani in animals, autumn, birds, nature, seaside, walks

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Bar-tailed godwits, birding, birdwatching, British birds, Cattle egret, coastal habitats, Glamorgan Bird Club, Golden plover, Greenshank, Hare, Roe deer, saltmarsh, WWT Steart Marshes

Storm Callum was wind-blasting the south-western counties of Wales and England with 50-mph-plus gusts yesterday but that didn’t deter 10 mad keen (some might just say mad) members of the Glamorgan Bird Club from heading to England, to the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust property at Steart Marshes in Somerset, for a day’s birding. And what a magnificent place it is and an incredible day we had!

181014 Steart Marshes (1)

This is a man-made landscape, engineered to deal with local flooding issues and future sea-level rises, but it has the advantage of providing much-needed and extensive salt- and fresh-water wetland habitats. You can read more and watch a video on the WWT website.

181014 Steart Marshes (2)

I don’t have a lot of close-up photos to share from this trip. As I mentioned at the start, it was incredibly windy so the conditions for non-blurry photography were difficult, and many of the birds were distant so I was relying on my bins and the generosity of my birding friends and their telescopes for better views.

181014 Steart Marshes (3)

That doesn’t mean you can’t see some incredible sights here with the naked eye though: the miracle of hundreds of Lapwings or Bar-tailed godwits rising and flying in unison is one of Nature’s finest wonders, as are views of birds of prey like Merlin and Hobby screaming like fighter jets across the marshes in pursuit of prey.

181014 Steart Marshes (10)181014 Steart Marshes (7)

We also saw small numbers of Roe deer and Hares, scampering about in the fields.

181014 Steart Marshes (5)181014 Steart Marshes (6)

For the serious birder, there was much to quicken the heartbeat, with 13 species of wader seen, 12 Cattle egrets, a Spoonbill and a Glossy ibis. I managed to add five ticks to my year list so I was well pleased.

181014 Steart Marshes (9)181014 Steart Marshes (8)

This is a site that will only improve in future years and will almost certainly continue to attract star birds, but it’s also a place for everyone to enjoy the many walking trails, the excellent wildlife viewing facilities and the stunning beauty of the saltmarsh, an environment more colourful than I had imagined it would be. If you can, do visit!

181014 Steart Marshes (11)

My species total for the day was only 49 but this list is about quality, not quantity. Five of these were year ticks for me: Mute Swan, Canada Goose, Shelduck, Eurasian Wigeon, Mallard, Northern Pintail, Pheasant, Little Grebe, Glossy Ibis, Spoonbill, Cattle Egret, Grey Heron, Little Egret, Cormorant, Marsh Harrier, Common Buzzard, Kestrel, Merlin, Hobby, Moorhen, Coot, Ringed Plover, European Golden Plover, Grey Plover, Northern Lapwing, Knot, Little Stint, Dunlin, Ruff, Common Snipe, Black-tailed Godwit, Bar-tailed Godwit, Eurasian Curlew, Spotted Redshank, Greenshank, Common Redshank, Black-headed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Woodpigeon, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Skylark, Wren, Starling, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Goldfinch and Linnet.

The ones I missed but others saw or heard: Eurasian Teal, Northern Shoveler, Mediterranean Gull, Stock Dove, Collared Dove, Raven, Jackdaw, Blue Tit, Cetti’s Warbler, Blackbird and Chaffinch.

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Birding at Ogmore and Pant Norton

11 Thursday Oct 2018

Posted by sconzani in birds, insects, nature, walks, wildflowers

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birding, birdwatching, British birds, Buttonweed, Cormorant, Curlew, Glamorgan Bird Club, Kestrel, Musk thistle, Ogmore, Pant Norton, Portobello House, Stonechat, The Pant, Wall butterfly, Wigeon

Though a cool wind was blowing in off the sea, yesterday was a gloriously sunny day for our Glamorgan Bird Club outing to Ogmore. The fine weather also meant we had a great turn out of 26 people, more than usual for our field trips.

181011 Ogmore birding (1)

We started off near Portobello House, scanning the dunes of Merthyr Mawr and checking the River Ogmore, where the ubiquitous Cormorants were adorning this big dead tree in the water.

181011 Ogmore birding (2)

A Kestrel hovered over the dunes, and we witnessed a spectacular chase by a Sparrowhawk after a Meadow pipit – only very blurry photos of that, unfortunately. (The mipit escaped.)

181011 Ogmore birding (3)
181011 Ogmore birding (4)

Two Wigeon flew in to join the Canada geese, Mallards and gulls up river.

181011 Ogmore birding (5)

After grazing along the muddy banks down river for a time, this Curlew flew upstream to find another place to feed.

181011 Ogmore birding (6)
181011 Ogmore birding (7)

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, our birding trips are not just about birds. Many birders are also interested in flora and other fauna so, yesterday, Dave was able to point out to us the invasive Buttonweed (Cotula coronopifolia) (he was the first to spot this plant in Wales!) and a Musk thistle (Carduus nutans). And another of our keen-eyed birders spotted this Wall butterfly, only the second time I’ve seen one of these beauties.

181011 Ogmore birding (8)181011 Ogmore birding (9)

After a wander up and down the riverbank we headed across the road and up a track into a series of small valleys, an area known locally as The Pant. As well as many other small birds, there were several Stonechats popping up and down in the shrubs and bracken.

181011 Ogmore birding (10)

And then, what for me was the highlight of the day, really close views of a Kestrel hunting for its lunch. This handsome young male caught three creatures – probably voles or other small mammals – in the space of 10 minutes or so. It was incredible to watch how this bird’s amazing eyesight enabled it to hone in so accurately on its prey and, though I can’t help but have some sympathy for its victims, to see what an efficient hunter the Kestrel truly is.

181011 Ogmore birding (11)181011 Ogmore birding (12)

My total number of species for the day was 41: Mute Swan, Canada Goose, Eurasian Wigeon, Mallard, Little Grebe, Little Egret, Cormorant, Sparrowhawk, Common Buzzard, Kestrel, Eurasian Curlew, Greenshank, Common Redshank, Black-headed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Woodpigeon, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Coal Tit, Skylark, Long-tailed Tit, Common Chiffchaff, Wren, Nuthatch, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Robin, European Stonechat, House Sparrow, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Siskin, Linnet, Bullfinch and Willow Warbler.
I must have wandered off when these birds were seen: Greenfinch, Stock Dove, Jay, Jackdaw, Rook, Raven, Goldcrest and Dunnock.

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Birding at Llandegfedd Reservoir

20 Thursday Sep 2018

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature, walks

≈ 1 Comment

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Barnacle goose, birding, birdwatching, British birds, Canada goose, Cormorant, Glamorgan Bird Club, Llandegfedd Reservoir, Wheatear, Yellow-legged gull

Knock-you-off-your-feet wind gusts, persistent rain showers, slippery-with-mud woodland trails, cross-country orienteering along steep-sided reservoir banks and through much-overgrown long-under-used footpaths … these all added to an adventurous and exhilarating day’s birding on yesterday’s Glamorgan Bird Club trip to Llandegfedd Reservoir, north of Newport.

180920 birding Llandegfedd (1)

The surrounding countryside is beautiful and the trail around the reservoir offers a good variety of different habitats, from woodland to wetland, for birds and other wildlife.

180920 birding Llandegfedd (2)

Some of our ten intrepid birders heading through the woodland, while the wind roared through the tree canopy overhead.

180920 birding Llandegfedd (3)

Looking back towards the dam you can see how low the water level is after this summer’s drought.

180920 birding Llandegfedd (4)

One of our frequent stops to check what birds we could spot along the water’s edge. In the foreground a congregation of Cormorants and Black-headed gulls, in the background some of the 300-plus Canada geese, all hunkered down in the face of the gale-force winds.

180920 birding Llandegfedd (5)

Can you spot the Wheatear that was dotting along the shore, prospecting for insects?

180920 birding Llandegfedd (6)

Alan spotted an adult Yellow-legged gull (centre right, above) amongst the Black-headed gulls, a good opportunity to point out its diagnostic features to those unfamiliar with this bird.

180920 birding Llandegfedd (7)

I don’t think I’d ever seen so many Canada geese in one place before. They sure can make a racket!

180920 birding Llandegfedd (8)

Even the geese were struggling with the wind gusts – here you can see them leaning into the wind as they waddle along.

180920 birding Llandegfedd (9)

And then someone spotted a Barnacle goose amongst all those Canadas and, though its origins were much debated – wild bird or escapee from a private estate or reserve? – seeing that lovely little Barnacle was the icing on the cake of a magnificent day for me, ’cause I sort of befriended the two Barnacle geese that used to be regulars at Roath Park when I lived in Cardiff. Seeing this bird was a nice reminder of those good times.

Full credit to the ten intrepid birders on yesterday’s trip as, despite the adverse weather conditions, we still managed to identify a very respectable 36 species. They were: Greylag Goose, Canada Goose, Barnacle Goose, Eurasian Teal, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Goosander, Great Crested Grebe, Grey Heron, Cormorant, Sparrowhawk, Common Buzzard, Peregrine Falcon, Coot, Ringed Plover, Black-headed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Yellow-legged Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Woodpigeon, Magpie, Jay, Carrion Crow, Raven, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Swallow, Long-tailed Tit, Willow Warbler, Wren, Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Blackbird, Robin, Northern Wheatear, and Pied Wagtail.

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Birding at Kenfig

17 Monday Sep 2018

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature, walks

≈ 4 Comments

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birding, birdwatching, British birds, Glamorgan Bird Club, Golden plover, Kenfig beach, Kenfig National Nature Reserve, Ringed plover, Sanderling, Shag, Sker Rocks, starling, Stonechat

180917 birding at Kenfig (1)

Last Saturday was the monthly Glamorgan Bird Club walk at Kenfig National Nature Reserve on the south Wales coast and this time, as the high tide time worked in perfectly, our large group of 28 enthusiasts headed down the eastern side of the reserve towards Sker.

180917 birding at Kenfig (2)

With so many eyes on the look out as we walked through scrub and across parts of the golf course, we soon had a respectable total of small birds but the highlights came as we got closer to the sea. Near Sker House, a small Starling murmuration swirled about in ever-changing formations before pausing to rest on overhead wires.

180917 birding at Kenfig (3)

Then, we were entertained by a small party of Stonechats, dotting in and out of the vegetation surrounding a wire fence.

180917 birding at Kenfig (4)

Moving on, we had distant views of Curlews and godwits in a field. At first we thought the godwits were Black-tailed but, on closer examination and with the help of reserve ranger Dave’s local knowledge, they were identified as Bar-tailed godwits, not particularly common hereabouts.

180917 birding at Kenfig (5)

The best part of the day for me was at Sker Rocks, where we enjoyed really close views of several wader species. Small flocks of Sanderlings flitted back and forth from the rocks to the beach and, at times, were less than 20 feet away, scurrying hurriedly along the sand, poking about for food. A single Ringed plover sat alone by the water’s edge for a time, and then was replaced by four beautifully marked Golden plovers. (I got some reasonable photos of the Sanderlings and Golden plovers so will post separate blogs on them.)

180917 birding at Kenfig (6)180917 birding at Kenfig (7)180917 birding at Kenfig (8)

As we headed back inland, one of our younger birders, Tate, spotted a Shag fishing very close to the rocks – not a bird that’s seen much locally so a nice sighting.

180917 birding at Kenfig (10)

And some of us headed down to Kenfig Pool for a quick look but there wasn’t anything of note, and fishermen sitting much closer to the bird hide than they’re supposed to meant that wasn’t worth visiting.

180917 birding at Kenfig (9)

It was an excellent day’s birding and my species total was a very respectable 48: Mute Swan, Greylag Goose, Canada Goose, Mallard, Grey Heron, Shag, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, Coot, Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, European Golden Plover, Sanderling, Dunlin, Bar-tailed Godwit, Eurasian Curlew, Turnstone, Black-headed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Feral Pigeon, Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, Magpie, Jay, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Blue Tit, Skylark, Swallow, House Martin, Cetti’s Warbler, Wren, Starling, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Robin, European Stonechat, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Yellow Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Rock Pipit, Goldfinch, Linnet, Bullfinch, and Reed Bunting.
Also seen/heard but not by me: Sand Martin, Common Buzzard, Tufted Duck, Raven, Common Chiffchaff, Northern Wheatear, and Water Rail (this last one was a shame, as it would’ve been a year tick for me, but them’s the birding breaks!).

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Birding at Garwnant and Llwyn-on

23 Thursday Aug 2018

Posted by sconzani in birds, fungi, nature, walks

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birding, birdwatching, British birds, Crossbill, Garwnant Forestry, Glamorgan Bird Club, Llwyn-on reservoir

We birders of the Glamorgan Bird Club are tough: we don’t let almost constant drizzle put us off a good day’s birding. Heck, we even sit at picnic tables eating our lunch in the drizzle. As long as our optics (bins, ’scopes and cameras) aren’t getting damaged by the wet, we carry on.

180823 birding at Garwnant (1)

And it was certainly worth carrying on ’cause we enjoyed a magnificent day’s birding. We started off with a walk around the trails at Garwnant Forestry in the morning and followed that with a walk through the woodland to check out Llwyn-on reservoir in the afternoon.

180823 birding at Garwnant (2)

I notched up my 187th bird species for the year with the several Crossbills we spotted and heard in various locations along the forestry tracks, and we also enjoyed good sightings of Willow tits and Willow warblers, Tree pipits and Treecreepers, and more than a few Spotted flycatchers flitting in and out from the trees and shrubs in their constant search for the perfect fly snack.

180823 birding at Garwnant (3)

Crossing the Llwyn-on feeder stream after lunch, I earned some brownie points for spotting a Dipper splashing about upstream, and the Spot flies were also active along the river bank there.

180823 birding at Garwnant (4)

As we walked through the woodland at the northern end of Llwyn-on reservoir, we were amazed and delighted by the sight of thousands of tiny mushrooms (probably one of the Mycena species) growing under the conifers, as well as several large groups of False chanterelles. I even had the birders sniffing at a white mushroom to teach them why it’s called The Miller – ‘It smells of dough/flour’, they correctly said.

180823 birding at Garwnant (5)

At the reservoir we marvelled at the magical sight of over 200 House martins feeding on insects above the shallow water – luckily for the birds, the reservoir is beginning to fill again after our recent drought. And the perfect finish to a wonderful day came with the cheery sight of 3 Yellow wagtails grazing together with, perhaps, 16 Pied wagtails in the grass at the water’s edge.

180823 birding at Garwnant (6)

One of the many small streams in the area

Here’s my sightings list for the day: Blackcap, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Coal Tit, Cormorant, Crossbill, Dipper, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great Crested Grebe, Great Tit, Grey Heron, Grey Wagtail, House Martin, Jay, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Long-tailed Tit, Nuthatch, Pied Wagtail, Raven, Reed Bunting, Robin, Spotted Flycatcher, Swallow, Tree Pipit, Treecreeper, Willow Tit, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Wren, and Yellow Wagtail. Also seen or heard, but not by me, were Blackbird, Great spotted woodpecker, Lesser redpoll, Sand martin and Siskin – well, I might’ve heard the Siskin but I’m not entirely sure.

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sconzani

sconzani

I'm a writer and photographer; researcher and blogger; birder and nature lover; countryside rambler and city strider; volunteer and biodiversity recorder.

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