JULY 2007

JULY began with eight Common Sandpipers at Ogmore Estuary on 1st and sea watching at Porthcawl produced 153 Manx Shearwaters, six European Storm Petrels, fifteen Northern Gannets, a Sandwich Tern, three Black-legged Kittiwakes, seven Northern Fulmar and two Common Scoter. Sea watching was the only option again on 2nd as yet more wind and rain came in from the west. Totals today included a Porthcawl high of 59 European Storm Petrels off Porthcawl, along with 275 Manx Shearwaters, five Northern Gannets, nine Common Scoter, seven Northern Fulmar and a Black-legged Kittiwake. On the 3rd sea watching from Port Eynon produced 500 Manx Shearwaters, three Arctic Skuas, thirty Northern Gannets, thirty Black-legged Kittiwakes and a European Storm Petrel. A Lesser Whitethroat was at the point and fourteen Red-billed Choughs were at Mewslade. Six Mediterranean Gulls were at Wernffrwd, along with 54 Common Gulls and 930 Herring Gulls, 150 Eurasian Curlew, fifteen Little Egrets and sixty Common Shelduck. The 4th saw the first Yellow-legged Gull of the autumn at Crofty, where a Bar-tailed Godwit, two Common Sandpiper, three Whimbrel, nine Sandwich Terns and an excellent early autumn count of ten Mediterranean Gulls. Fourteen European Storm Petrels were off Porthcawl, along with sixteen Northern Gannets, five Northern Fulmars, twelve Common Scoter, 122 Manx Shearwaters and fourteen Eurasian Curlews, while a Common Sandpiper and Little Ringed Plover were at Kenfig Pool. The Little Ringed Plover remained at Kenfig Pool on 5th, where there were also four Common Sandpipers. Yet more sea watching, in much lighter winds today at Porthcawl produced twenty European Storm Petrels, 17 Manx Shearwaters, six Common Scoter and a Northern Fulmar. Four Common Crossbills and two Spotted Flycatchers were in forestry near Bridgend. The 6th was again blessed with gale force winds and counts at Porthcawl of twelve Northern Fulmar, nine European Storm Petrels, five Eurasian Curlew, 175 Manx Shearwaters, nine Common Scoter, twenty Northern Gannets and a Black-legged Kittiwake. The moulting adult Little Ringed Plover remained at Kenfig Pool and a Eurasian Hobby was in the Vale of Glamorgan. On the 7th, 27 European Storm Petrels were at Porthcawl along with a Sandwich Tern and a Little Egret and seventeen Black-headed Gulls were typical seasonal migrants at Kenfig Pool. The 8th produced a Green Sandpiper at Tir Founder Fields and a Grasshopper Warbler at Lliw Reservoir, Swansea. Signs of autumn at Kenfig on 10th when eight Common Pochard were on the pool and 42 Common Swifts, 21 Sand Martins, ten Barn Swallows, three Sedge Warblers, a Little Egret and 130 Black-headed Gulls passed over going north west. Two Mediterranean Gulls were at Oxwich Bay on the 12th and a Green Sandpiper was an early migrant at Ogmore Estuary. Eighteen Tufted Ducks were back on Kenfig Pool on 13th while the 14th produced a summer plumaged Black Tern at Porthcawl, along with 307 Manx Shearwaters, four European Storm Petrels, ten Northern Gannets, five Northern Fulmars, to Black-legged Kittiwakes and eight Common Scoter. The 15th produced a Honey Buzzard near the usual breeding area. On the 16th, the sun shone and North Gower was the place to be with two newly arrived Ruddy Shelduck present at Wernffrwd. Also present were fifty Little Egrets, six Mediterranean Gull, twenty Dunlin, 735 Eurasian Curlew, 1050 European Oystercatcher, thirteen Whimbrel, three Bar-tailed Godwit and a Peregrine. A Black-tailed Godwit and two Dunlin were at Kenfig Pool. The 18th produced a Grasshopper Warbler and a Whinchat at Caerau, Maesteg and a Blackcap and tow Great Spotted Woodpeckers were early migrants at Kenfig Pool. On the 19th, a Common Cuckoo was at Colwinston near Bridgend, along with several Yellowhammers. A family party of Barn Owls were at Llanilid and a Yellow-legged Gull was at Crofty. Two Common Greenshank and 23 Common Sandpiper were at Penclawdd. A further eleven Common Sandpipers and ten Sand Martins were at Kenfig Pool. On the 20th, twelve Common Eider were back at Whitford NNR and a Green Sandpiper was at Llanilid. The 21st produced a Black Tern at Porthcawl, along with 107 Manx Shearwaters and the 22nd saw another Green Sandpiper at Ogmore Estuary and three Dunlin at Kenfig Pool, while three Little Egrets were in Cardiff Bay. On the 23rd, four European Nightjars were near Swansea and 33 Mediterranean Gulls were at Blackpill. Eleven Common Sandpipers and two Dunlin were at Ogmore Estuary. The 24th produced family parties of Red-billed Chough at Nash Point and nearby Southerndown and 56 Eurasian Curlews at Porthcawl. On the 25th, single Black-tailed Godwit, Dunlin and Common Sandpiper were at Kenfig Pool, where Tufted Duck numbers had risen to 29 and Common Pochard to fourteen. Sea watching at Port Eynon produced forty European Storm Petrels in two hours on 26th. The 27th produced a Mediterranean Gull bonanza with 116 counted in Swansea Bay including 83 at Blackpill alone! Also there were seven Whimbrel and a Common Tern, while the adult Yellow-legged Gull was again at Loughor Bridge. Eleven European Storm Petrels and 61 Manx Shearwaters went past Porthcawl, a Honey Buzzard was at an unnamed location and 48 Common Ravens were at Mynydd Eglwysilian. On the 29th, a Eurasian Hobby and a fall of Spotted Flycatchers and Willow Warblers were at Llanilid and a Northern Wheatear was at Kenfig Pool. The 30th saw two Common Crossbills over Penylan, Cardiff and a Little Egret, Kingfisher and Sandwich Tern were in Cardiff Bay. A Coal Tit and Great Spotted Woodpecker at Kenfig Pool were early passerine migrants. On the 31st, a churring Eurasian Nightjar was an unusually late singer at Llanwonno Forest, while two Common Sandpipers were at Kenfig Pool, where passerines included two Lesser Whitethroats, Garden Warbler and four Sedge Warblers.

ICELAND

Our fact finding tour/family holiday to Iceland from 20th - 27th July 2007 was an awe inspiring trip for many reasons. Those who have been there will know what I mean, as the dramatic scenery that encompasses you wherever you go, cannot fail to bring out a sense of wonder at nature's beauty as well as a reminder that it can be cruel and harsh too. As for birding, I managed to see 53 species without really trying very hard with the undoubted highlights being up to 20 Harlequin Ducks, six Barrow's Goldeneye, a family party of hunting Merlin, Glaucous & Iceland Gulls, Brunnich's Guillemot, Arctic and Great Skuas, a pre -migratory flock of approximately 2500 Red-necked Phalaropes at Rif on a pool on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula and countless flocks of Arctic Terns Common Eiders, Greater Scaup, Atlantic Puffins,Whimbrel, Black-tailed Godwits and a Snow Bunting. We also saw Minke Whales and White-beaked Dophin from a boat in Faxafloi Bay off Reykjavik and were delighted to see that whale watching is rapidly becoming more economically important than whale hunting and will no doubt in the future be seen as the more important of the two. We couldn't go to Iceland and not go bathing in the Blue Lagoon, which was a surreal and very enjoyable experience. We were fortuntate to have good friend Andy Jones and his wife Gudrun with us for a couple of days and we had a great time with them visiting the black beach and seabird cliffs at Vik, stunning waterfalls at Gullfoss and Skagerfoss, the unmissable Strokkur Geysir and volcanoes Hellid and Hekla. Andy is great company and has an incredible knowledge of the geology and geography of Iceland that is second to none - he also speaks fluent Icelandic and showed incredible generosity to us during our stay. There is no doubt that Iceland is expensive, but in my opinion it is worth every penny and I do believe that an organised tour is probably the most economical way of seeing it, as car hire, accommodation and meals take up a large part of the budget. We are delighted to announce that we will be offering a ten day tour in June/July 2009 with Andy as principal guide based on our experiences, but with additional whale watching trips and longer visits to Snaefellsness for White-tailed Eagles and Lake Myvatn for larger numbers of wildfowl and Gyr Falcons. Why not pre-register now for this unmissable experience as places will be very limited and available on a first come first served basis.

THE BOSPHOROS

If you are looking for a bird-filled, short autumn break with a difference, why not join us for our first visit to the raptor highway that is The Bosphoros. Our mini tour runs from 13th - 17th September and as well as watching the migration of many species of raptor that are passing into Asia, we will spend time looking at some of the more interesting cultural sites in the exciting and stimulating city that is Istanbul. There are just three places remaining at an inclusive cost of £650.00 per person plus £100.00 single room supplement.

Book Now to avoid disappointment!

NORFOLK JULY 2007

Our 6th – 9th JULY 2007 tour was very successful with the highlight being a male Golden Oriole feeding a chick that we saw fledge – an amazing moment! Barn, Tawny and Little Owls, Eurasian Hobby, Eurasian Woodcock, five Stone Curlews, Spotted Flycatcher and superb views of Eurasian Nightjar completed day one… Day Two produced Spotted Redshank, Little and Arctic Terns, Little Gull, Dartford Warbler, Ruff, Little Ringed Plover, more Eurasian Hobbies, Green Sandpiper and Greenshank. The final day produced excellent views of Bearded Tits, Corn Buntings, Grey Partridge, Turtle Doves and Common Scoters as well as a calling Quail and more shorebirds.

APOLOGIES

I'm sorry if anyone has been trying to acess the site over the past few weeks. We suffered a major probem with the server and this was compounded by the fact that Chris was away in Italy at the time, so we were unable to load the back up copy. Hopefully now, normal service has been resumed and the next brochure will be loaded on schedule at soem point in August. The brochure is with the printers so of you require adavance itineraries for any of the 2008 tours, please drop me a line or give me a call.

Hapy Birding!

Neil

JUNE 2007

June started very quietly as Neil took a couple of days off from guiding to complete the 2008 brochure. A Common Cuckoo was at Kenfig Pool on 3rd and a pair of Tufted Ducks was a new arrival there the same day. On the 4th, eight Cetti’s Warblers ten Sanderling and fourteen Grey Herons were at Kenfig Rivermouth. The 5th saw a very elusive singing Golden Oriole arrive at Kenfig Pool and a Turtle Dove was at Cosmeston Lakes. Today also produced a very showy male Eurasian Nightjar at Ogmore Forest, where there were also seven Lesser Redpolls and seven Tree Pipits in display flights. On the 6th, the Golden Oriole was heard but not seen at Kenfig Pool, where a lesser Whitethroat was feeding young. Pairs of Grey Partridges were seen at both Lan and Tyn-y-Caeau Farms. On the 7th, Dartford Warblers were showing well at the usual site and a couple of male Yellowhammers were also present there. A Common Cuckoo and Common Redstart were at Gelligaer and a Dipper was in Bridgend Town Centre. On the 8th, glorious weather at Worms Head produced fantastic views of a pod of fifteen Common Dolphins, 100 Manx Shearwaters and large numbers of Northern Gannets, Common Guillemots and Razorbills, as well as a couple of Northern Fulmars, Black-legged Kittiwakes and Atlantic Grey Seals. Back on land, a pair of Red-billed Chough were at Pennard, while a woodland walk in Clydach produced fantastic views of a pair of Pied Flycatchers, a Wood Warbler gathering food, a male Common Redstart and a very active Spotted Flycatcher. A Honey Buzzard at the usual site on the 9th was the highlight, but three Red Kites were also there. A new Little Ringed Plover nest was found at Llanilid. An Osprey was a very late migrant at Kenfig Pool on 10th, but was soon chased off by a flock of gulls. The 11th saw pairs of Grey Partridges at Tyn-y-Caeau and Lan Farms, as well as good numbers of Yellowhammers and Linnets, while four Tree Sparrows and a Little Owl were at The Monktons Farm. Two Little Ringed Plovers were at Llanilid and a Red Kite was over Penarth. On the 12th, sea watching produced 100 Manx Shearwaters, two Razorbills, five Northern Gannets and two Black-headed Gulls off Porthcawl, while Kenfig Rivermouth held a Little, a Common and nine Sandwich Terns, a breeding plumaged Mediterranean Gull, a Common Cuckoo and nine Sanderling. A Northern Goshawk was at the usual raptor watch point. Two Eurasian Hobbies were at Bonvilston on 13th when 400 Manx Shearwaters were off Porthcawl. On the 15th, an Egyptian Goose was on the River Neath, while on the 17th, seven Red-billed Choughs near Bridgend included four newly fledged juveniles – terrific news! Over 500 Common Swifts were in Cardiff Bay on 18th and breeding pairs of Common Redstarts and Pied Flycatchers were at Parc Cwm Darren in Caerphilly. On the 19th, fifty Manx Shearwaters, five European Storm Petrels, two Northern Fulmars and three Northern Gannets were all seen close inshore off Porthcawl, despite the wind coming from the NE which is offshore there! An excellent count of 2500 Common Swifts were at Aberthaw Power Station on 20th, a Little Tern was again at Kenfig Sands, where three Northern Gannets, a Northern Fulmar, eleven European Storm Petrels and 130 Manx Shearwaters. A Eurasian Hobby was at Coychurch, Bridgend. Sea watching was again the main focus on 21st when 225 Manx Shearwaters and seven European Storm Petrels were the highlights of a short morning stint at the shelter. On the 22nd, a female Common Redstart at Lan Farm was most unexpected, while three Grey Partridges were at Tyn-y- Caeau Farm. On the 23rd 214 Black-legged Kittiwakes were at the colony on Swansea Pier including 103 chicks. Surprisingly, a Common Tern was also there. A Sandwich Tern was at Kenfig Sands, an unseasonal female Merlin was in the north of the county and good numbers of Whinchat were found during a breeding survey. A Common Cuckoo was at Llanilid on 24th during another day of heavy rain. Yet more rain on 25th produced 1000 Common Swifts and 100 House Martins in Cardiff Bay, as well a two returning Black-headed Gulls. Twenty four European Storm Petrels and 62 Manx Shearwaters were off Porthcawl and a European Storm Petrel and a Northern Fulmar were at Sker Point. More sea watching on 27th produced seven European Storm Petrels, forty Manx Shearwaters and four Northern Gannets off Porthcawl and a Common Redshank was on the east pool shore at Kenfig, where a Dartford Warbler was in the west pool. A Sandwich Tern was in Cardiff Bay and three Common Sandpipers were back at Ogmore Estuary. Bird of the day though was a Eurasian Hobby watched for fifteen minutes at a suspected breeding site in the Vale of Glamorgan. On the 28th, further signs of the coming autumn were noted with two Little Ringed Plovers at Ogmore Estuary and a Sandwich Tern was again in Cardiff Bay. Fifteen Manx Shearwaters were off Porthcawl. Sea watching on 29th produced six European Storm Petrels, four Common Scoter, a Common Guillemot, ten Northern Gannets and 350 Manx Shearwaters off Porthcawl. The 30th produced five Little Egrets at Ogmore Estuary and twelve Common Scoters off Porthcawl.