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.