19TH - 25TH NOVEMBER 2007

A cold day on the 19th saw two Firecrest, a Brambling and a Dartford Warbler at Pant Norton and a Little Egret and seven Common Chiffchaff were at Kenfig Pool including the very pale Siberian race bird. A Common Sandpiper and Common Greenshank were at Penclawdd and a Greater Scaup was at Cosmeston Lakes. The Spotted Sandpiper remained at Lisvane Reservoir, six Velvet Scoter were in Swansea Bay and an astonishing count by local standards of 878 Common Guillemots went past Mumbles Head. A Eurasian Woodcock was at Kenfig Pool on 20th when ten Brambling, forty Common Crossbill and an Egyptian Goose were at Rheola, Neath and a Great Northern and three Red-throated Divers were off Worms Head, along with a Pomarine Skua, nine Purple Sandpipers, 65 Black-legged Kittiwake and 141 Common Scoter. A Firecrest was again at Bute Park. The 21st saw a Yellow-browed Warbler, two Green Sandpipers and a Dartford Warbler at Ogmore Estuary. The Snow Bunting was again at Nash Point, the Spotted Sandpiper was at Lisvane Reservoir and a Firecrest was at Kenfig Pool. On the 22nd, the Siberian Chiffchaff was at Kenfig Pool and a drake Red Crested Pochard, two Mediterranean Gulls and two Dartford Warblers were at the Ogmore Estuary. The Spotted Sandpiper was again at Lisvane Reservoir. A Great Bittern showed very well from the south pool hide at Kenfig Pool on the 23rd, two Little Egrets and two Mediterranean Gulls were at Ogmore Estuary and two Red-billed Chough were at Porthcawl. Six Red-billed Chough were at Dunraven on 24th, a Great Bittern was again at Kenfig Pool and a drake Long-tailed Duck was at Penclawdd. The Spotted Sandpiper was at Lisvane Reservoir, along with five Goosander and a Peregrine. The 25th saw the Spotted Sandpiper again at Lisvane Reservoir and a drake Red Crested Pochard at Kenfig Pool. A Brambling was in a Swansea garden, three Dartford Warblers and a Peregrine were at Ogmore Down and a female Blackcap was in a Cardiff garden.

12TH - 18TH NOVEMBER 2007

On the 12th, a Hen Harrier and 1000 European Golden Plover were at Llanrhidian and a Barn Owl was at Llancadle. The Long-tailed Duck was again at Parc Cwm Darren, a Great Grey Shrike was near Swansea Airport and a Green Sandpiper and nine Common Goldeneye were at Ogmore Estuary. The Spotted Sandpiper was again at Lisvane Reservoir, a Jack Snipe and 120 Reed Bunting were in Gorseinon and a Yellow-browed Warbler was in Maesteg. The Great Grey Shrike, Long-tailed Duck and Snow Bunting were at Swansea Airport Parc Cwm Darren and Nash Point respectively on the 13th and six Velvet Scoter and nineteen Common Scoter were in Oxwich Bay. A Bohemian Waxwing was briefly at Kenfig birch wood and three Little Auk were briefly on the sea off Port Talbot Docks, where there were also three Velvet Scoter. On the 14th, the Snow Bunting was again at Nash Point, along with eight Red-throated Diver, a Brambling and a Merlin. Fourteen Red-throated Diver, 160 Common Pochard, a female Red-breasted Merganser, two Peregrine and a female Merlin were at Kenfig National Nature Reserve. A Water Pipit was at Castell Ddu on Gower and another was at Rhymney Great Wharf along with 24 Grey Plover, seventy Northern Pintail, 35 Dunlin and five Little Egret. A cold, but gloriously sunny day on the 15th saw a mini influx of wildfowl to Kenfig Pool with 36 Common Teal, 31 Northern Shoveler and a drake Northern Pintail the most notable, while two Common Chiffchaff included a singing bird! The Long-tailed Duck was still at Parc Cwm Darren and a Grey Phalarope and thirteen Purple Sandpipers were at Ogmore-by-Sea, while the Snow Bunting was again at Nash Point along with a Peregrine and a Brambling. On the 16th, a Great Bittern showed superbly at Kenfig Pool, where there was also a female Dartford Warbler and a very unusual migrant in the form of Ruddy Turnstone on the east pool shore. A Black Redstart was in Swansea City Centre and a Firecrest was in Bute Park, Cardiff. The Snow Bunting was still present at Nash Point on 17th, the Spotted Sandpiper was at Lisvane Reservoir and a very late Sandwich Tern was at Cardiff Bay. A first winter Little Gull and a Dartford Warbler were at Kenfig Pool and the Ruddy Turnstone was still present on the east pool shore. Two adult Mediterranean Gulls, five Little Egret and five Goosander were at Ogmore Estuary. Rhymney Great Wharf produced good counts of 1500 Dunlin, 500 Common Redshank, 232 Northern Pintail, 640 Common Shelduck, a Jack Snipe and two Green Sandpiper. A Long-tailed Duck was at Penclawdd. On the 18th, Newton Farm, Gower produced a male Hen Harrier, five Tree Sparrows and a Green Sandpiper. The Spotted Sandpiper was again at Lisvane Reservoir and a Great Bittern, Northern Pintail, Cetti’s Warbler and a male Brambling were at Kenfig Pool. The Snow Bunting was at Nash Point, a Slavonian Grebe, 450 Northern Pintail and 1300 Red Knot were at Wernffrwd and a Firecrest was nearby.

GOA

Our exciting new tour to Goa has been rescheduled from December 2008 to the new dates of 27th January - 10th February 2009. Several places have already been booked, so if you do wish to join this wonderful and great value tour, please book soon to avoid disappointment.

5TH - 11TH NOVEMBER 2007

A busy day on the 5th produced an initially brief, but then well seen Cattle Egret at Kenfig Pool [a county first found by Neil], where the White-rumped Sandpiper also remained and 56 Common Teal and four Water Rail were at the Kenfig River mouth. The pool also had an adult Mediterranean Gull, a female Northern Pintail, seven Common Chiffchaff and 24 Northern Lapwing. Sker had four Purple Sandpiper, 45 Ruddy Turnstone and 36 Red Knot. The Common Rosefinch was again at Mewslade and five Common Crossbill, twelve Lesser Redpoll and two Brambling were at Pant Norton, sixty Dark-bellied Brent Geese were on the sea near Nash Point. An amazing fall of thrushes at Lavernock Point included 12000 Redwing, 2000 Fieldfare, 100 Blackbirds and a Ring Ouzel as well as several Brambling and large numbers of Chaffinches. The Cattle Egret and White-rumped Sandpiper were both again at Kenfig Pool on the 6th and a female Ruddy Duck, a drake Goosander and an eastern race of Common Chiffchaff. On the 7th, the White-rumped Sandpiper remained at Kenfig Pool along with a Ruddy Duck and Common Shelduck, while 28 Common Scoter and an unprecedented number of at least 100 Common Guillemot were seen offshore. The Spotted Sandpiper remained at Lisvane Reservoir and a Long-tailed Duck was at the unlikely site of Parc Cwm Darren well inland at Caerphilly. A Black Redstart was at Nash Point. Another busy day on the 8th saw three Velvet Scoter at Kenfig Sands – the first since 1927 and another excellent find for Neil!! Also present were a record breaking 158 Common Guillemot, a Great Northern Diver and thirteen Common Scoter, while the White-rumped Sandpiper and nine Gadwall were at the pool. A Barn Owl was nearby at Mawdlam and another three were seen near Tondu. The Spotted Sandpiper was again at Lisvane Reservoir and a male Ring Ouzel was in a crab apple tree in Llanharran and the Long-tailed Duck was again at Parc Cwm Darren. A cold and very windy day on the 9th saw the White-rumped Sandpiper again present at Kenfig Pool, along with a Lapland Bunting, a Great Bittern, Little Egret and 320 Wood Pigeons, while Kenfig Sands had thirteen Black-legged Kittiwake, 26 Common Guillemot and 250 European Golden Plover. The Spotted Sandpiper was again at Lisvane Reservoir and a Black-tailed Godwit and two Little Egret were at Ogmore Estuary. The Long-tailed Duck was at Parc Cwm Darren, a Snow Bunting at Nash Point and a Hen Harrier and Jack Snipe were in Maesteg. The 10th produced excellent views of Great Bittern at Kenfig Pool and offshore at the sands there were two Razorbill, two Red-throated Diver, 82 Common Guillemot and a female Red-breasted Merganser. Eight Dark-bellied Brent Geese were at Ogmore Estuary, the Spotted Sandpiper was again at Lisvane Reservoir, along with a Little Gull and the Long-tailed Duck and a Ring Ouzel were at Parc Cwm Darren. The Snow Bunting was again at Nash Point and two Velvet Scoter, two Red-throated Diver and a Merlin were at Port Talbot Dock and a Common Sandpiper was on the River Afan in the town. Four Barn Swallow, a drake Goosander and two Common Snipe were at Cosmeston Lakes. Another windy day on the 11th saw another new record of 221 Common Guillemot off Kenfig Sands, along with three Red-throated and a Great Northern Diver and a Peregrine. A female Greater Scaup was new at the pool, where Gadwall numbers have risen to fifteen and three Short-eared Owls were in the southern dunes, while an astonishing 61 Water Rail were counted throughout the reserve. The Spotted Sandpiper was again at Lisvane Reservoir and the Snow Bunting at Nash Point and a Grey Phalarope, a Jack Snipe, 58 Eurasian Curlew, two Little Egret and eight Purple Sandpiper were at Ogmore Estuary.

1ST - 4TH NOVEMBER 2007

NOVEMBER began with the White-rumped Sandpiper present again at Kenfig Pool, where there were also two Mediterranean Gulls. The Spotted Sandpiper was again at Lisvane Reservoir. A Lesser Spotted Woodpecker was in Bute Park, Cardiff, five Red-billed Chough were in Porthcawl and three Common Greenshank and a Green Sandpiper were at Gowerton. On the 2nd, the Common Rosefinch was again at Mewslade, the White-rumped Sandpiper at Kenfig Pool and the Spotted Sandpiper at Lisvane Reservoir. A Red-throated Diver was off Sker Point and a Brambling was at Kenfig Pool. A Yellow-browed Warbler and a Wood Lark were also at Mewslade. A sunny day on the 3rd saw the White-rumped and Spotted Sandpipers at Kenfig Pool and Lisvane Reservoir respectively. Also at Kenfig were 129 Redwing, 401 Fieldfare, 1946 Wood Pigeon, a Lesser Redpoll and three Common Snipe. Twenty six Common Scoter and a Red-throated Diver were at Sker, two Brambling were in Mountain Ash and another Brambling, a Dartford Warbler and four Firecrest were in Pant Norton, Ogmore Estuary. On the 4th, five Red- billed Chough were at Ogmore-by-Sea and a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker and eight Eurasian Siskin were in Bute Park. The White-rumped Sandpiper was still at Kenfig Pool and the Spotted Sandpiper at Lisvane Reservoir. Two Brambling were also at Kenfig Pool, along with two Black-tailed Godwit. A Dartford Warbler was at Locks Common, Porthcawl and a Red-throated Diver and eight Dark-bellied Brent Geese were at Sker.