22ND - 30TH SEPTEMBER

On the 22nd a Wryneck was in Cardiff Bay, where there were also a Green Sandpiper and Yellow Wagtail. Three Black Terns were at Hendre Lake, Cardiff and another two were at Eglwys Nunydd Reservoir. Two Little Stints, a Ruff, a Hobby, 100 Black-tailed Godwits and 50 Red Knot were at Goldcliff Pill. The 23rd produced three Curlew Sandpipers and two Little Stints at Loughor Bridge, Gower. Five Black Terns were at Eglwys Nunydd Reservoir, while another two were at Lisvane Reservoir along with a Common Tern and another Black Tern and two Little Stints were at Kenfig Pool. A Common Tern was at Salthouse Point and shorebird counts there included 5000 Oystercatchers and 1000 Curlew and a Hobby and a Willow Tit were at Tir Founder Fields, Aberdare. The 24th produced a cracking Hobby at Kenfig Pool, where the Black Tern and one Little Stint remained, along with a Whinchat, two Yellow Wagtails, a Sedge Warbler, two Whitethroat, nine Blackcaps and two Common Snipe. Three Common Terns were at Cardiff Bay and a further three Black Terns and a Little Ringed Plover were at Lisvane Reservoir. A Dartford Warbler was at Sker Farm on 25th, while the unfortunate Black Tern at Kenfig Pool was taken by a pair of hunting Peregrines. Also present there were a 1000 Barn Swallows, a Spotted Flycatcher, Whinchat, two Wheatears, four Reed Warblers and a Sedge Warbler. Three Black Terns were still at Lisvane Reservoir and a Firecrest was at Lavernock Point. Six Mediterranean Gulls were in Porthcawl and a Red Kite was over Pant Norton, Ogmore Estuary. Three Little Stints were at Loughor Bridge. The 26th produced an Arctic Tern and two late Common Swifts at Kenfig Pool, along with a Whinchat, Sedge Warbler and 38 European Robins. Five Black Terns and a Common Sandpiper were at Eglwys Nunydd Reservoir and an Osprey flew north over Cosmeston Lakes, Vale of Glamorgan. A Hobby and a Firecrest were at Lavernock Point. Three Black and an Arctic Tern were again at Eglwys Nunydd Reservoir on 27th, while Sker had a Red Knot, a Bar-tailed Godwit, four European Golden Plover, a Whinchat and a European Shag of note. Three Green Sandpipers and two Mediterranean Gulls were at Ogmore Estuary. The 28th brought an Osprey to Talygarn Lake, Vale of Glamorgan and another to Lliw Reservoir, Swansea, while four Green Sandpipers were at The Watermill Flood, Ogmore Estuary. Tyn-y-Caeau Farm feeding station held 100 Sky Larks, fifty Linnets, thirty Yellowhammers and 200 European Starlings and a Black Tern was at Cosmeston Lakes. Heavy rain on 29th meant birding opportunities were limited, but seven Common Snipe and a Dunlin at Kenfig Pool were new in, and forty Barn Swallows and a Sedge Warbler were present. Two Common Terns were at Cardiff Bay. Two Red-billed Chough at Sker House was an unprecedented record on 30th, though unfortunately they soon moved east. A Quail was also flushed from the tiny Sker Pool. At Kenfig Pool, some visible migration was finally noted with 110 Meadow Pipits thirteen Sky Larks, nine Siskins and twenty Chaffinches.

15TH - 22ND SEPTMBER

The 16th produced a Black-tailed Godwit and Black Tern at Lisvane Reservoir, Cardiff and a Little Ringed Plover was there on 17th. The same day also saw an adult Yellow-legged Gull, 735 Common Shelduck, 300 Common Redshank and 24 Northern Pintail at Rhymney Estuary, Cardiff. A Common Redstart, Whinchat, 413 Eurasian Oystercatcher, three Red Knot and 52 Sky Larks were at Sker. The Little Ringed Plover was still at Lisvane Reservoir on 19th, where there were also 24 Little Grebes. On the 20th, ten Curlew Sandpipers and four Mediterranean Gulls arrived at Blackpill at the same time as our group! Other species seen today included five Chough and 24 Sandwich Terns at Rhossilli, ten Northern Gannets, a drake Common Scoter, 100 Barn Swallows and a Willow Warbler at Mewslade and a Whinchat at Llanilid. A South East gale on 21st brought a Black Tern, Black-tailed Godwit and Whinchat to Kenfig Pool, a Marsh Harrier to Llangennith, Gower and nine Choughs to Ogmore-by-Sea. On the 22nd a Wryneck was in Cardiff Bay, where there were also a Green Sandpiper and Yellow Wagtail. Three Black Terns were at Hendre Lake, Cardiff and another two were at Eglwys Nunydd Reservoir. Two Little Stints, a Ruff, a Hobby, 100 Black-tailed Godwits and 50 Red Knot were at Goldcliff Pill.

DEVON

Our inaugural DEVON tour with myself and Paul Roberts as leaders went extremely well with generally superb weather and an interesting array of birds. DAY ONE was a gentle hour or so introduction at Slapton Ley where a Peregrine plucking a kill, large numbers of migrating Swallows and House Martins, a couple of Cetti’s Warblers, Ruddy Ducks and Clouded Yellow butterflies were the highlights on a fabulously sunny afternoon. DAY TWO was again blessed with glorious weather as birded various sites on the Exe Estuary. A very brief Spotted Crake was the highlight at Dawlish Warren, where a few Wheatears, Whitethroats and a Whinchat were the only passerines of note, though a Great Spotted Woodpecker was a good fly over record. Offshore just a Bar-tailed Godwit and some Sandwich Terns were of note. Bowling Green Marsh produced some excellent wader watching with four Avocets, five Curlew Sandpipers, a Little Stint, six Greenshanks, two Spotted Redshanks, eight Knot and a Grey Plover as well as large flocks of Dunlin and Redshank as well as an early Brent Goose. Finally an adult Mediterranean Gull was at Powderham. DAY THREE was again quiet for migrants with just a Spotted Flycatcher and a few Blackcaps and Common Chiffchaffs of note at Prawle Point. However, we did get exceptionally good views of Cirl Bunting here, as well as an unexpected Whimbrel. Sea watching in rather difficult, misty conditions produced plenty of Northern Gannets, a few Black-legged Kittiwakes, Common Terns, Guillemots and a European Shag. The FINAL DAY saw some good sea watching at Berry Head, where large numbers of Black-legged Kittiwakes and Northern Gannets were offshore and we also enjoyed excellent views of two Arctic Skuas and a lingering Balearic Shearwater. We saw seven more Cirl Buntings, but once again passerine migrants were almost non-existent. We ended the tour with a respectable count of 97 species along with interesting Lepidoptera such as Convulvus Hawk Moth and Pale Clouded Yellow butterfly.

7TH - 14TH SEPTEMBER

The Semi-palmated Sandpiper was again present at Goldcliff on the 8th and a wildfowl influx took place at Kenfig Pool with nine Shelduck, thirteen Common Teal, seven Northern Shoveler, five Ruddy Ducks, 56 Tufted Duck, 54 Common Pochard and a pair of Eurasian Wigeon. Two Dunlin, two Kingfishers and a Common Snipe were also present. The Black-necked Grebe was again at Eglwys Nunydd Reservoir. The 9th at Landimore, North Gower produced a Wood Sandpiper that was pushed up out of a ditch at high tide in the evening. Other species seen of interest included 27 Pintail, 3000 Oystercatchers, 65 Ringed Plover, 400 Dunlin, 380 Curlew, Greenshank, two Green Sandpipers, an adult Mediterranean Gull, 59 Great Black-backed Gulls & three Wheatears. A female Northern Pintail was new in at Kenfig Pool and the Semi-palmated Sandpiper remained at Goldcliff. On the 10th an Osprey was over Pant Norton, Ogmore, while a record count of 357 Sanderling were at Kenfig Sands along with 34 Ringed Plover. At the pool, a Bar-tailed Godwit, six Curlews and two Dunlin were on the east pool shore and a Common Redstart, Sedge Warbler, six Common Whitethroats, eighteen Blackcaps, two Jays and a Little Egret were present. A Great White Egret was present very briefly a Eglwys Nunydd Reservoir. The 11th brought the first Icterine Warbler for the county for almost fifteen years when a bird was trapped and ringed in Mewslade on South Gower. On the 12th, the only news was of an adult Mediterranean Gull, nine Eurasian Wigeon and a Yellow Wagtail at Kenfig Pool. The 13th was also quiet with two female Pintail at Kenfig Pool, along with an increase of Shoveler to 23 and a Sedge Warbler of note. On the 14th a Grasshopper Warbler was at Blaen-y-cwm, Nash Point and a Green Sandpiper was at Ogmore Estuary. Four Common Snipe, two Wheatears and two Reed Warblers were at Kenfig Pool on a very wet morning.

MOROCCO

Our tour to Morocco 7th - 17th February 2007 is now full, but we can take bookings for 2008 though dates are yet to be announced. With a whole host of interesting birds and cultural aspects to enjoy, this tour is sure to be popular. If you would like further details,or wish to reserve a place, please conatct Neil on 07971 983227.

New Website

Tour Leader Gerard Gorman has a new website, dedicated solely to THE WOODPECKERS OF EUROPE www.woodpeckersofeurope.info and contains a wealth of information on these fascinating birds, along with some great pictures. All of the species included [though not necessarily all at the same time] can be seen on our tours led by Gerard to Hungary, Czech Republic and Romania.

1st - 7th September 2006

September 1st began with another Arctic Skua, sixteen Manx Shearwaters, a Sandwich Tern and two Harbour Porpoise off Porthcawl, along with three Wheatears. The 2nd produced a Black-necked Grebe at Kenfig Pool and a Sandwich and a Black Tern at Eglwys Nunydd Reservoir. The Black and Sandwich Terns were still at Eglwys Nunydd Reservoir on 3rd when a Swift, three Shelduck and a Black-necked Grebe were also present. The 4th produced a Spotted Flycatcher at Kenfig and the Black-necked Grebe and Black Tern were again at Eglwys Nunydd Reservoir. Two Sandwich Terns were in Cardiff Bay and two Yellow Wagtails and 200 Swallows were at Lavernock Point. An Osprey, male Hen Harrier, Barn Owl and Green Sandpiper were at Llanrhidian Marsh in the evening. On the 5th two Ring Ouzels were at Cwmparc in the Rhondda Valley. The 6th produced a couple of Sedge Warblers, four Chiffchaffs and a Little Egret at Kenfig Pool, two Mediterranean Gulls in Porthcawl and a small fall of migrants at Blaen-y-cwm where three Yellow Wagtails, a Whinchat, Common Redstart and three Choughs were present. Two Tree Sparrows and fifteen Yellowhammers were at the feeding station at Tyn-y-Caeau Farm and the Black-necked Grebe and a Little Egret were at Eglwys Nunydd Reservoir. The 7th brought late news of a juvenile Semi-palmated Sandpiper at Goldcliff Pools yesterday evening, but there was no sign of the bird today. Also present there were a Little Stint, two Spotted Redshank and two Ruff. Signs of passerine migration at Kenfig despite another north westerly wind included two Grey Wagtails, a Tree Pipit, sixteen Blackcaps, a Wheatear, a Whinchat and two Sedge Warblers. Also present were a record count of 257 Canada Geese, a Peregrine, 71 Sanderling, a Clouded Yellow and a showy Red Fox. At Single Common Redstarts and Yellow Wagtail were at Lavernock Point and Dunraven Walled Gardens and a Whinchat was also present at the latter, while at the former, a Lesser Whitethroat and 1500 Barn Swallows were also noted. A Hummingbird Hawk Moth on a Buddleia in the office garden was a very pleasant distraction to the weeding that I was carrying out at the time!

South Wales Weekly Bird News

This new feature allows you to keep up with what's being seen by Neil or other Celtic Bird Tours leaders on our daily birding excursons in South Wales. Beginning in September 2006, we hope that you enjoy seeing what migrants we are finding and that you will join us for a tour here in the underwatched county of Glamorgan.

FAIR ISLE

Our Fair Isle tour for 2007 is starting to fill up nicely. The revised dates are now 1st - 8th October and it is the intention to travel up from Stansted on the first day in the morning and last day back there in the late afternoon - subject to availability of flights. If you would like to reserve a place, please note that we have a strict January deadline for final balances for this tour. Cost £799.00 per person. £50.00 Single Room Supplement. Deposit £350.00. Maximum group size of six plus leader. For more details visit the web page and see our previous tour reports from this magical island.

UPDATE as of 22/12/2006 - Flight now from Edinburgh to Shetland owing to the cancelling of operations from Stansted by Atlantic Airways. TWO PLACES REMAINING.

South Wales August/September 2006 Tour

Our SOUTH WALES tour from 29th August – 3rd September produced some excellent birding and enjoyable experiences for all concerned. Our first afternoon was spent in the valley at Pant Norton where a good selection of migrant passerines included Spotted Flycatcher, Lesser and Common Whitethroats, Willow Warblers and Blackcaps, as well as a juvenile Yellowhammer begging for food from a male. Three Sparrowhawks and a Stoat rounded off a nice introduction to the tour in warm sunshine. Day Two was spent on North Gower where we excelled ourselves with two Ospreys perched on posts at Wernffrwd, at least two Peregrines, twenty Greenshank, three Spotted Redshanks, 150 Black-tailed Godwits in a wide array of plumages, a couple of Pintail, 35 Common Eider, 2000 Oystercatchers, an adult Yellow-legged Gull, Kingfisher and large numbers of Little Egrets, Eurasian Curlews and Common Shelducks, which all made for a great spectacle. Day Three produced great views of more Little Egrets, Spotted Redshanks, Greenshanks and other waders including Green Sandpiper, Ruff, Common Snipe, Little Ringed and Ringed Plovers, Northern Lapwings, Knot and Dunlin as well as large numbers of Common Teal, Common Shelducks and Northern Shovelers at Goldcliff Reserve on the Gwent Levels. We also found a late Common Swift and a Grey Wagtail and Dipper at Candleston near Bridgend on a windy but humid day. Day Four was windy and sea watching was the most productive aspect of the tour with an Arctic Skua, sixteen Manx Shearwaters, five Common Scoters, a Sandwich Tern and two Harbour Porpoises offshore, along with three Northern Wheatears on the seafront. New waders for the tour at Sker Point were 150 Sanderling and a small count of Ruddy Turnstone, but we also enjoyed excellent views of a hunting Peregrine and a large display of Autumn Ladies Tresses that were pointed out to us by Carole. The highlight of a very windy day five was a Black-necked Grebe at Kenfig Pool, but otherwise, we noted just a Common Sandpiper, a couple of Northern Fulmars, our first Rock Pipits and a few Speckled Wood butterflies – ultimately rewarding after a very difficult day, where the wind was not really conducive to any type of birding at all as it was also from the wrong direction for sea watching! Our final morning began at Eglwys Nunydd Reservoir, where we soon picked up the Sandwich Tern and quickly after a Common Swift was found. News of a Black-necked Grebe near the entrance reached us and we were rapidly in place to enjoy excellent views of what was almost certainly the same bird as at Kenfig yesterday. After much searching, we picked up the Black Tern that was first found yesterday and we watched this bird for some time as it flew back and forth along the reservoir – a very nice bird indeed. We stopped briefly at the northern end of Kenfig National Nature Reserve where a large flock of Barn Swallows were feeding, but principally we looked at flowers enjoying more Autumn Ladies Tresses, as well as Vipers Bugloss, Common Toadflax and Evening Primrose and butterflies that included Grayling, Small Heath and Meadow Brown. We concluded the tour at Bridgend station where we said our farewells after what had been a very successful and enjoyable few days birding.

Isles of Scilly [18th - 21st August 2006]

THE inaugural Isles of Scilly Pelagic Weekend was fully subscribed and was a superb birding experience for all of those who came. The group gelled extremely well and really worked as a team, and along with the considerable expertise of principal guide Bob Flood and skipper Joe Pender plus assorted helpers, we achieved everything the trip was set up for, as well as having a great time on these magical islands. As ever, we are at the forefront of exploring innovative and ground breaking new tours and we managed to get the timing of this one spot on. one thing is for certain, you don’t EVER get views of birds like you do from a smaller boat from the super ferries and that’s where this sort of trip has it’s greatest appeal. From the moment we met on the quay at Penzance in glorious sunshine and virtually no wind, we knew we were on to a winner. On the whole the weather stayed kind to us throughout our four day tour with the return cruise to Penzance feeling more like a Mediterranean cruise than UK waters such was the calmness of the sea and the intensity of the sun! The final totals of eleven Wilson’s Storm Petrels, 230+ European Storm Petrels, 26 Great Shearwaters, two Cory’s Shearwaters, fourteen Sooty Shearwaters, two Balearic Shearwaters, 25 Great Skua, one Long-tailed Skua, one Black Tern, two Little Terns, plus Arctic Terns, Common Terns, Puffin, Kittiwakes, Manx Shearwaters and are impressive enough, but when you consider that the vast majority of these birds were seen right off the back of the boat then the true sense of experiencing something special becomes apparent. Land birding also produced some exciting moments with Aquatic Warbler, Bluethroat, Spoonbill and Peregrine among the highlights as well as an unidentified Hippolais warbler that was seen briefly by some and thought to have been a Melodious Warbler. We also noted Harbour Porpoises, Atlantic Grey Seals, Common Dolphins and a lone Minke Whale. Watching the tagging and releasing of four Blue Sharks was another exciting and important aspect of the trip that does so much to try and help with the conservation and understanding of these often misunderstood creatures. For anyone with an interest in seabird identification, I can’t recommend this tour highly enough. We return next year from 17th – 20th August. STOP PRESS - Just one place remaining as of 22/12/2006