SOUTH WALES 7TH - 12TH FEBRUARY 2009

OUR SOUTH WALES SECRETS OF THE SALTMARSH TOUR 7TH – 12TH FEBRUARY 2009 once again provided our group with some excellent winter birding. DAY ONE was spent on North Gower where highlights included a superb male Hen Harrier, hunting Barn Owl and good numbers of Slavonian Grebe, Dark-bellied Brent Goose, Northern Pintail, Common Eider and Red Knot as well as a few Red-breasted Merganser and Little Egret. DAY TWO was spent in and around Cardiff and produced some real quality birds in the form of Marsh Tit, Ring-billed, Iceland and Glaucous Gulls, Barn Owl, Slavonian Grebe and Water Rail. Heading back west, three Bohemian Waxwing in Bridgend rounded off another excellent day despite it being really cold and sometimes wet. On DAY THREE torrential rain all day hampered our progress, but we still managed to see another Glaucous Gull, a Common Scoter and Harbour Porpoise at Margam Breakwater, a drake Greater Scaup and fourteen Common Snipe at Kenfig Pool and a female Greater Scaup, fifteen Common Goldeneye and three Goosander at Eglwys Nunydd Reservoir and a drake Mandarin Duck at Margam Abbey Pond. DAY FOUR was spent in the Vale of Glamorgan in much better weather. We enjoyed excellent views of Little Owl, nineteen Purple Sandpiper, another Iceland Gull, a drake Goosander and four Mediterranean Gull in the Ogmore area and fifty Reed Bunting, twenty five Yellowhammer and two Grey Partridge at Tyn-y-Caeau Farm. Four Stock Dove and a pair of Dipper rounded off another enjoyable day. DAY FIVE was quieter, but was spent in glorious sunshine on South Gower. Several Red-throated Divers, Common Guillemot, European Shag, Northern Fulmar and a pair of Red-billed Chough were the highlights. Twenty Mediterranean Gulls were also noted, along with Harbour Porpoise. DAY SIX produced six Grey Plover, three hundred European Golden Plover and a European Shag at Sker and nine Yellowhammer and three Bullfinch in the southern dunes at Kenfig NNR to round off a very enjoyable tour.