March Highlights

Bird of the Month was yet another Graham Smith find, a Bonaparte's Gull along the River Taff viewed from either Channel View or Hamadryad Park. Something of a Cardiff speciality, this was the fifth city record since 1986, 4 of which have made it into the bay! A nice ad Little Gull performed well along side the Bonaparte's whilst the Lesser Scaup continued to show distantly from the boardwalk at CBWR. Other long stayers included several Iceland & Glaucous Gulls and the Hendre Lake Bittern. A Sand Martin at Hendre Lake on St David's Day was the earliest ever East Glam record whilst a second Bittern, found dead here turned out to have been ringed in Finland.

1st - Lesser Scaup Cardiff Bay. Juv Iceland Gull & 2nd w Glaucous Gull Port Talbot. 28 Purple Sandpipers Ogmore. Bittern & Sand Martin Hendre Lake. Iceland Gull Cosmeston.
2nd - 2w Ring-billed Gull Lamby Lake. Bittern Hendre Lake. Lesser Scaup Cardiff Bay.
5th - Sand Martin Cardiff Bay.
6th - Lesser Scaup & Slavonian Grebe Cardiff Bay. Med Gull Cosmeston. 2w Ring-billed Gull Lamby Lake. Iceland Gull Portobello Island.
7th - Juv Glaucous Gull Aberthaw.
8th - Juv Glaucous Gull Aberthaw. Bonaparte's Gull & Little Gull off Hamadryad Park.
9th - Bonaparte's Gull & Little Gull, 2 Med Gull Hamadryad Park. Bittern Hendre Lake.
10th - Bonaparte's Gull & Little Gull Hamadryad Park. Slavonian Grebe Cardiff Bay.
11th - Short-eared Owl & Bittern (picked up dead) Hendre Lake. Bonaparte's Gull & Little Gull Hamadyad Park.
12th - Bittern Hendre Lake.
13th - Bonaparte's Gull Hamadryad Park.Lesser Scaup Cardiff Bay. Bittern Hendre Lake. Iceland Gull Portobello Island.
14th - Bittern Hendre Lake. Bonaparte's Gull Hamadryad Park and Lesser Scaup Cardiff Bay.
15th - Bonaparte's Gull, Little Gull & 3 Med Gull Hamadryad Park and Lesser Scaup Cardiff Bay. Bittern Hendre Lake. Iceland Gull Portobello Island.
16th - Lesser Scaup Cardiff Bay. Bonaparte's Gull Hamadryad Park. Iceland Gull Cosmeston.
17th - Bonaparte's Gull Hamadryad Park. Iceland Gull Cosmeston. Lesser Scaup Cardiff Bay.
18th - Iceland Gull Portobello Island.
19th - Bonaparte's Gull Hamadryad Park. Lesser Scaup Cardiff Bay. Iceland Gull Cosmeston. 2 male & 1 female Garganey Cors Crychydd Reen. Little Ringed Plover Portobello Island.
20th - Iceland Gull Kenfig Pool. Water Pipit Llwyn Onn. Bonaparte's Gull Hamadryad Park.
21st - Black Redstart Flat Holm & Aberthaw. 2nd w Glaucous Gull & 2 Med Gulls Rhymney Estuary. Bonaparte's Gull & Med Gull Hamadryad Park. Iceland Gull Ogmore by Sea. Water Pipit Portobello Island.
22nd - Glaucous Gull Lamby Tip. Bonaparte's Gull Hamadryad Park. Osprey Masteg Golf Course. Lesser Spotted Woodpecker Forest Farm.
24th - Glaucous Gull Lamby Tip.
25th - Iceland Gull & Little Ringed Plover Ogmore Estaury.
26th - Cardiff Bay Bonaparte's & Little Gull, 3 Scaup.
27th - Swallow River Ely. Water Pipit Ogmore Estuary.
29th - Iceland Gull & 29 Purple Sandpipers Ogmore by Sea. Glaucous Gull Lamby Tip.
30th - 2 Brent Gesse Barry Dock. Lesser Scaup Cardiff Bay.
31st - Whimbrel Rumney Great Wharf. Lesser Scaup and Little Gull Cardiff Bay.

Highlights for February

February will be remembered for some very cold weather and several heavy bouts of snow. No new big rares and for most people efforts were targetted at catching up with the Hendre Lake Bittern or one of the number of Iceland or Glaucous Gulls that lingered along the coast. The Bittern seemed to alternate between stunning views and no views depending on which day you visited but most people who perserved eventually got some sort of view. Some excellent flight shots can be found on weekendbirder.blogspot.com/

Oh, and the drake Lesser Scaup reappeared back at Cardiff Bay mid month, having gone missing for a period.


1st - 2nd w Ring-billed Gull Lamby Lake. Snow Bunting, Mynydd Eglwysilan.
2nd - Iceland Gulls , Swansea Marina and Ogmore Estuary.
3rd - Juv Iceland Gull, Rhymney Estuary. Ring-billed Gull, Lamby Lake.
4th - Iceland Gull & Dark-bellied Brent Goose Rhymney Estuary. Woodlark Rumney Great Wharf.
5th - Bittern, Hendre Lake. Iceland Gull & Water Pipit, Ogmore Estuary.
6th - Bittern, Hendre Lake.
7th - Bittern, Hendre Lake. Ring-billed Gull Lamby Lake. Ring-necked Parakeet, Insole Gardens. Water Pipit, Lwyn Onn.
8th - 3 Waxwings, Bridgend. 15 Redpoll Grangemoor Park. Slav Grebe, Cardiff Bay.
9th - 3 Waxwings, Bridgend. Juv Iceland Gull, Cardiff Heliport.
10th - Lesser Scaup, Cardiff Bay. Bittern, Hendre Lake. Juv Iceland Gull, Rhymney Estuary. Juv Iceland Gull, Penarth Seafront. Waxwings, Bridgend.
11th - Bittern, Hendre Lake.
12th - Ad Iceland Gull, Rhymney Estuary. Glaucous Gull, Port Talbot Docks. Bittern, Hendre Lake.
13th - Juv Iceland Gull, Llanishen/Lisvane Reservoir. Ad Iceland Gull, Rhymney Estuary.Ring-billed Gull, Lamby Lake. Lesser Scaup, Cardiff Bay. Barn Owl, 3 Short-eared Owl and 6 Woodcock Llanillid. Hen Harrier, Mynydd Eglwysilan.
14th - Bittern, Hendre Lake. Hen Harrier, Llangynwyd, Maesteg. 2 Hen Harriers, Mynydd Eglwysilan. Ring-billed Gull, Lamby Lake.
15th - Bittern, Hendre Lake. Hen Harrier, Mynydd Eglwysilan.
16th - Bittern, Hendre Lake. Ring-billedGull, Lamby Lake.
17th - Bittern, Hendre Lake. Hen Harrier, Mynydd Eglwysilan. Iceland Gull, Ogmore Estuary
18th - Bittern, Hendre Lake. Hen Harrier, Mynydd Eglwysilan. Iceland Gull, Ogmore Estuary.
19th - Iceland Gull, Ogmore Estuary.
20th - Bittern, Hendre Lake.
21th - Bittern, Hendre Lake. Lesser Scaup, Cardiff Bay.
22nd - Juv Iceland Gull, Cosmeston.
23rd - Lesser Scaup, Cardiff Bay. Juv Iceland Gull Port Talbot Docks. Yellow-legged Gull, Rhymney Estuary.
24th - Juv Iceland Gull, Cosmeston. Hen Harrier Llangynwyd,Maesteg. juv Iceland Gull and 2nd win Glaucous Gull, Port Talbot Docks.
26th - 5 Jack Snipe Rumney Great Wharf and Wentloog area. Juv Iceland Gull and 2nd w Glaucous Gull, Port Talbot Docks.
27th Bittern Hendre Lake.
28th Lesser Scaup and ad Little Gull Cardiff Bay . 2nd w Glaucous Gull & juv Iceland Gull Port Talbot. 3 Purple Sandpipers Nell's Point.