Sightings

Main sighting: Sand Martins

2 Sand Martins over Rhymney River. 2 male and 1 female Bullfinch and a Swallow nr Britannia.

Main sighting: Great White Egret

Great White Egret on Coity Pond. On the mountain: Wheatear (8), Stonechat (13), Willow Warbler (3), Raven (5) and Peregrine. Also dozens of Skylark and Meadow Pipit.

Main sighting: Wood Warbler

Wood Warbler trilling and observed in mixed woodland in Trellech Common.

Main sighting: Spotted Redshank

Evening visit, Two Spotted Redshank in breeding plumage.

Main sighting: Out of County - American wigeon

The five long stay drake American wigeon still present downstream of Ogmore castle. From Junction 35 M4 go south 4 miles then left to Ewenny and right to Ogmore, park beyond Pelican Inn.
Also two chough on clifftop walks east of Ogmore by Sea.

Main sighting: Goosanders

Pair of Goosander on the Rhymney River along with usual Dippers, Grey Wagtails and Mallards. Sparrowhawk hunting over gorse bushes.

Main sighting: Migration

Car park – hide: Wrens, song thrushes, woodpigeons, starlings, blue tiy, herring gulls, pheasant, blackcap, swallows, crows, moorhen, blackbirds, magpies, great tit, mistle thrush, goldfinches, chaffinch, dunnock, linnets, 2 whitethroats and mallards. Hide 1: Skylarks, lesser black-backed gulls, 76 shelduck, 74 avocet, Canada geese, 21 teal, 12 redshanks, 9 shoveler, 2 lapwing, 6 graylags, 2 swans and the spotted redshank finally coming into breeding plumage. Willow warbler en-route to next hide. Hide 2: Coot, 5 ringed plovers, 2 cormorants and 2 oystercatchers. Snipe platform: little grebe and male pochard. En-route back, sedge warbler singing and cettis calling. Back just before car park: Chiffchaff with nesting material, long tailed tit and female marsh harrier over.

Main sighting: Whitethroat

Common Whitethroat on hedge near Rose Farm, The Narth. Willow Warbler singing near The Observatory, Trellech Common woods.

Main sighting: Common Whitethroat

Common Whitethroat 1 Blackcap Chiffchaff Sparrowhawk male, Treecreeper Stock dove 4 Goosander Kingfisher Dipper 2 Buzzard 4 Raven 1

Main sighting: Honey Buzzard

What looked to be a honey buzzard drifting over, heading west (possibly direction of Swansea Valley where they frequent but cant of course be confirmed from the sighting). Flying on flat wings if anything slightly drooped, long neck / head, tail quite long, pattern right. By the time I got my binoculars from indoors and got back into the garden I could not re-locate it. Very good candidate and giz for a HB but due to not having a closer look with bins I am remaining not quite 100%. If anyone has a birding contact in Resolven / Swansea area and one turned up this afternoon or this evening then it could be what I saw, please do get in touch if so. Appreciate it is still early in April and they tend to get reported a week or so from now. Thank you.

Main sighting: Little Tern

1 Little Tern fishing and roosting with wader roost for over an hour
1 Spoonbill feeding with 8 little Egret
Redshank 250
Dunlin 10
Curlew 40
Oystercatcher 30
Teal 10
Shelduck 100

Main sighting: Spotted Redshank

Canada Goose 35; Greylag Goose 6; Mute Swan; Shelduck 149; Shoveler 28; Gadwall; Mallard 8; Teal 28; Pochard; Pheasant; Stock Dove; Woodpigeon 5; Coot 10; Little Grebe 3: Oystercatcher 10; Avocet 135; Ringed Plover 6; Lapwing 20; Curlew10; Black Tailed Godwit 120; Redshank 29; Spotted Redshank (winter); Dunlin 4; Black Headed Gull; Herring Gull; Great Black Backed Gull; Lesser Black Backed Gull 4; Cormorant 3; Grey Heron 4; Marsh Harrier (fem): Buzzard; Magpie; Jackdaw; Carrion Crow; Blue Tit; Great Tit; Skylark 2; Cetti’s Warbler 2; Chiffchaff 3; Goldcrest; Wren; Starling 2; Song Thrush; Mistle Thrush 2; Blackbird; Robin; Stonechat 2; Pied Wagtail; Reed Bunting.