7TH - 13TH JANUARY 2008

In poor weather on the 7th, a Little Owl was at Southerndown Farm, a Grey Phalarope was an excellent find on Kenfig Pool, where a Great Bittern and Siberian Chiffchaff were also present and a Red Kite was over Maesteg. The Spotted Sandpiper was at Lisvane Reservoir. A Short-eared Owl was present again at Llanilid on the 8th and a Black Redstart was at Cardiff University. The Grey Phalarope and two Great Bittern and a Hen Harrier were again at Kenfig Pool, four Purple Sandpipers, five Little Egret, five Red-billed Chough and two Brent Geese were at Ogmore Estuary. Two Pomarine Skuas and a Red-throated Diver were off Mumbles Head, along with 358 Common Guillemot, 121 Black-legged Kittiwake and 35 Mediterranean Gulls, while 850 Brambling came in to roost at Tair Onnen. Three Greater Scaup were at Cosmeston Lakes on 9th, while a cracking morning at Kenfig Pool produced Great Bittern, Hen Harrier, Great Northern Diver, Siberian Chiffchaff and seven Black-legged Kittiwake. Another Great Northern Diver and a Pomarine Skua were off Mumbles Head. An adult Mediterranean Gull and a Green Sandpiper were at Ogmore Estuary. On the 10th, a Great Northern and a Black-throated Diver were in Swansea Docks, a first winter Glaucous Gull at Kenfig Pool was the first at that site for many years and a Northern Pintail, Mediterranean Gull and four Great Bittern were present, a Little Gull was at Loughor Bridge and an excellent count of seventeen Goosander was at Eglwys Nunydd Reservoir. Both Great and Pomarine Skuas were seen off Rhymney Estuary, where there were also 7500 Red Knot. On the 11th a Purple Sandpiper and a Peregrine were at Sker and a Barn Owl was near Bridgend. A Short-eared Owl was at Llanilid again. A very busy day on the 12th produced a cracking male Hawfinch at Tair Onnen, 150 Brambling at Castell Coch, the Spotted Sandpiper at Lisvane Reservoir and eight Mediterranean Gull, seven Grey Plover and four Purple Sandpipers in Porthcawl. Two pairs of Dipper, twenty Eurasian Siskin and a Common Kingfisher were at Miskin, while seventeen Purple Sandpiper and a Green Sandpiper were at Ogmore Estuary. A Bar-tailed Godwit and a Red-throated Diver were off Kenfig Sands, sixteen Greylag Geese were on Kenfig Pool and four Dartford Warbler were at Llanilid. A male Blackcap, male Merlin, 4000 Herring Gull, 600 Common Gull, 36 Black-legged Kittiwake and a Common Sandpiper were in Port Talbot Harbour. A male Hen Harrier was in the Swansea Valley, along with two Common Crossbill and a Eurasian Woodcock, three Greater Scaup were at Cosmeston Lakes and a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker and Jack Snipe were in Maesteg. In very difficult conditions on the 13th, four Red-throated Divers were at Mumbles Head, an adult Yellow-legged Gull was at Kenfig Pool, along with a Great Bittern and four Mediterranean Gulls were at Porthcawl and another at Sker. A Little Gull was at Port Eynon and a Firecrest was in Cardiff city centre.