MAY 22ND - 31ST

On the 22nd, three Common Cuckoos and a Water Rail with chick were at Kenfig Pool and a Red Kite was at Gileston. Six Eurasian Nightjars were at Llanwonno on 23rd and two Common Cuckoos, four Whimbrel and fifty Common Swifts were at Kenfig Pool. Two Grey Partridges were near Tondu, Bridgend. The 24th produced a Spotted Flycatcher at Llanilid, ten Wood Warblers were at Pontneddfechan and two Honey Buzzards were at the usual site. Three Nightjars were at Ogmore Forest on 25th and a female Pied Flycatcher at Coed-y-Bedw on 26th was one of very few recorded this year. After a total washout on 27th, two Red-billed Chough were at Aberthaw Marsh on 28th – a site further east than they have previously been recorded. Four Red Kites and two Common Cuckoos were at Ogmore Forest, where single Pied Flycatcher, Common Redstart and four Wood Warblers were present. Raptor watching was also worthwhile with Northern Goshawk, three Red Kites, European Sparrowhawk, Peregrine and large numbers of Common Buzzards seen at the usual site. On the 29th, Ogmore Forest held six Wood Warblers, ten Common Redstarts and a Dipper feeding chicks. The 30th produced 2000+ Manx Shearwaters, forty European Storm Petrels, three Northern Gannets, three Sandwich Terns and two Black-legged kittiwakes off Porthcawl, while three Red-billed Chough and a male Northern Wheatear were at Ogmore-by-Sea. Three Yellowhammers and a Peregrine were at Tyn-y-Caeau Farm and 25 Eurasian Sky Larks, a female Northern Wheatear and a Tree Sparrow were at Lan Farm. On the 31st, a female Marsh Harrier was a very pleasant surprise at Kenfig Pool, where there was also a Common Cuckoo and 250+ Common Swifts overhead. Three Sandwich Terns, 675 Manx Shearwaters and seven European Storm Petrels were again off Porthcawl. Three Eurasian Nightjars were at Llanwonno, a Spotted Flycatcher was at Darren Woods, Maesteg and Tawny Owls were seen in a couple of locations.

7TH - 20TH MAY 2007

As ever, sea watching really begins at this time and from the 8th, the weather deteriorated sufficiently for good numbers of birds to be seen all along the coast. A Storm Petrel and 105 Manx Shearwaters were off Porthcawl and 163 Manx Shearwaters and four Arctic Skuas were off Nash Point. The 10th produced the first Pomarine Skua, as well as five Arctic Skuas and a Great Northern Diver off Port Eynon and four Storm Petrels, two Great Northern and two Red-throated Divers and 95 Manx Shearwaters off Porthcawl. The theme continued on the 11th as Port Eynon had two Black-throated Divers, 32 Northern Gannets, a Little Tern, an Atlantic Puffin, ten Purple Sandpipers, seventy Black-legged Kittiwakes and an Arctic and a Pomarine Skua. Elsewhere, two European Nightjars were at Llanwonno Forest, two Egyptian Geese were in Neath and Blackpill produced 118 Dunlin, six Sanderling and 52 Whimbrel. On the 12th, a Great White Egret was reported briefly at Gileston and a Common Cuckoo was in Maesteg. Another Common Cuckoo was at Kenfig Pool on 13th and a Eurasian Hobby was at Mynydd Eglwysilian, while an Iceland Gull at Cardiff Bay on 14th was a late record. Better weather on the 15th saw a Honey Buzzard going north over Maesteg and a Eurasian Hobby at Roath Park, Cardiff, while a singing Wood Warbler and Tree Pipit were at Llanwonno Forest on the 16th. More bad weather from 17th produced three Pomarine Skuas and two Common Scoters off Porthcawl and a Spotted Flycatcher was at Llanilid. On the 18th, 31 Storm Petrels were off Porthcawl, along with 45 Northern Fulmar, eighty Manx Shearwaters, and Arctic Skua and an Arctic Tern, while another Pomarine Skua and a Bar-tailed Godwit were at Lavernock Point. The 19th saw a Pied Flycatcher at Coed-y-Bedw, while off Mumbles, two Storm Petrels, a Pomarine and an Arctic Skua and three Sandwich Terns were present. On the 20th, 500 Common Swifts were at Kenfig Pool and 23 Manx Shearwaters, four Northern Fulmars and six Dunlin were off Kenfig Sands. Two Honey Buzzards and a Northern Goshawk were at the well known site and a Black-tailed Godwit and a Common Crossbill were at Llanilid.

1ST - 6TH MAY 2007

MAY began with a Garganey at Ogmore Estuary on 1st and two Common Greenshank were at Llanilid. A Yellow Wagtail and 45 Whimbrel were at Rhymney Estuary. A Spotted Flycatcher was in Porthcawl on 2nd, along with two Sandwich Terns at Ogmore Estuary. A Great Northern Diver was off Rhossilli and a Eurasian Hobby was in Gorseinon, Swansea. On the 3rd, a good count of 24 Black Terns were off Porthcawl, a Spotted Redshank and nine Whimbrel were at Llanilid. Five Sandwich Terns were at Lavernock Point. The 4th produced two drake Garganey, a Short-eared Owl and two Eurasian Hobbies at Kenfig river mouth, with two more Hobbies and twenty Common Swifts in Cardiff. A Whinchat was in Maesteg and Garden Warblers were in at many locations. On the 5th, a Little Gull was at Ogmore Estuary and the pair of Garganey were again at Kenfig river mouth. Poor weather on the 6th saw just two Grasshopper Warblers, eleven Whimbrel and a Northern Gannet at Kenfig NNR. Six Manx Shearwaters and three Northern Gannets were off Nash Point. Porthcawl was the place to be with a Pomarine, three Arctic and a Great Skua, two Arctic and three Sandwich Terns, a Red-throated Diver, 40 Manx Shearwater, 37 Common Scoter, two Little Gulls and three Razorbills.

23RD - 30TH APRIL 2007

Rain on the 23rd brought good numbers of birds to Kenfig with 150 Sand Martins, sixty Barn Swallows, 25 House Martins and four Common Swifts over the pool. At least 25 Sedge and five Reed Warblers were present, a late Common Snipe and a drake Northern Shoveler and eight Common Teal were at the river mouth. On the beach, fifty Dunlin and twenty Ringed Plovers were present along with a flock of six Little Terns. More rain on the 24th produced a Garden Warbler, Common Redstart and Tree Pipit at Darren Woods, Maesteg and a second winter Mediterranean Gull was in Cardiff Bay. A Whinchat was at Sker Farm on 25th, a Northern Fulmar was off Porthcawl and a dark morph Artic Skua was off Cardiff Bay, along with a Little Egret. On the 26th, a Eurasian Hobby was at Llanilid, along with three Little Egrets, while forty House Martins, a Common Sandpiper, three Lesser Whitethroats and seven Common Swifts were at Kenfig Pool and sixty Whimbrel were at Sker. Three Reed Warblers were in Cardiff Bay and a Great Skua, four Manx Shearwaters, two Red-throated Divers and five Northern Gannets were at Rhossilli. A Siberian Chiffchaff and eight Sandwich Terns were at Oxwich Bay and a Whinchat was at Ogmore Estuary. A Marsh Tit, two Kingfishers, three Grey Wagtails and a pair of Dippers including one amazingly perched high in a willow tree [!] were at Miskin Cricket Club on 27th. A pair of Red Kites were on territory near Bridgend, three Wood Warblers were in the Ogmore Valley and a Common Redstart was in Maesteg. On the 28th, a Long-eared Owl was an excellent find at Kenfig Pool, a Northern Goshawk was over the western end of the reserve and a flock of 22 Bar-tailed Godwits were at the river mouth. A Whinchat and several Tree Pipits were in the Garw Valley. Sixty five Bar-tailed Godwits at Ogmore Estuary and forty at Porthcawl continued the influx of this species today with 140 seen in total. Three Sandwich Terns were at Caswell Bay, Gower and a Common Redstart and Common Cuckoo were at Coed-y-Bedw, Cardiff. On the 29th, ten Common Redstarts, two Wood Warblers, three Grasshopper Warblers, two Tree Pipits, a Red Kite, a Eurasian Woodcock and a Pied Flycatcher were all in the Maesteg area and a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker was in Bute Park, Cardiff. The 30th produced six Grasshopper Warblers and five Tree Pipits in Maesteg and 104 Whimbrel and 71 Bar-tailed Godwits at Sker.

NORTH WALES

OUR North Wales Spring tour was again fully subscribed and again produced an excellent range of species including the first Marsh Harrier that we have recorded on this trip; a female that was in off the sea at Cemlyn Lagoon. We also found another scarce migrant in the form of a Little Tern at Penmon Point. Otherwise it was business as usual with the expected Sandwich and Common Terns, Black Guillemot, Pied Flycatchers, Common Redstarts, Common Eider, Grasshopper Warbler, Wood Warbler, Red Kite and Hen Harrier recorded. We also made time to see the now regular breeding Ospreys on the Lleyn Peninsula and enjoyed excellent views of 26 Black Grouse at our regular site, where two Red Grouse, three Whinchat and a Northern Goshawk were also recorded. A flock of ten Twite included a pair gathering nest material, a resplendent breeding plumage Bar-tailed Godwit was a nice record and we rounded off the trip with a splendid and very showy male Ring Ouzel. Our tour next year will run from 3rd – 8th May and will again be based at The Swallow Falls Hotel.