Led a Glamorgan Bird Club walk around Cosmeston this morning. Bloomin' cold!! 43 species seen incl Siskin, Fieldfare, many Redwing, feeding flock comprising Long-tailed, Coal, Blue and Great Tits, Chiffchaff, Goldcrest, Treecreeper and Yellow-browed Wblr [unfortunately only seen by me 🙄] .....

Turnstone [one of eight] and preening Grey Wagtail near the Norwegian Church, Cardiff Bay, on Saturday 15th. #birdingWales #ukbirding #birds

Caught up with the Red-throated Diver off the Cardiff Bay Barrage this morning. Never very close but just close enough on our return walk after coffee for some half decent. cropped pix. #birdingWales #ukbirding

Couple of imm Kestrels having a bit of a dog fight at Cosmeston Lakes CP this morning in v poor light. Photos are huge crops as they were quite high. Nice to watch tho'. The 1st Kes alighted on the W paddock hedge and was then flushed by the 2nd. I wasn't ready for that! #birdingWales #ukbirding

An arboreal Black-headed Gull at Cosmeston this morning. #birdingWales #ukbirding

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Cosmeston a.m. Hobby flew over my head from golf course and landed in tree by E lake [with its back to me!]. Immed chased off by Crow Then saw it later v high over W lake and then E paddock. Rubbish photos but v nice to see. Flight pic is a HUGE crop #birdingWales #ukbirding #cosmeston

Recovering from a v nasty fluey cold & cough so v brief slow walk round #Cosmeston this morning. Best was this juv Kestrel hovering over W paddock. There are plenty of Ivy Bees and still good nos. of Migrant Hawkers. The pristine Speckled Wood was near the dipping pond. #birdingWales #ukbirding

Led a GBC trip to Pembrey Dock, Kidwelly, WWT Llanelli on Sun 28th w 21 folk. 64 species! Grey Phal at Kidwelly was the star among 15 spp of wader overall, including Curlew Sands, Ruff, Spotted Redshank & Greenshank. #birdingWales Full rept & link to list here: glamorganbirds.org.uk/category/tri...

My first Clouded Yellow of the autumn at Lavernock NR this morning. I don't rise early enough for vis mig but a small flock of c.10 Siskin flew over as I arrived. Around 40 Goldfinch were feeding in trees by the 1st field. #birdingWales #ukbirding #nature #butterflies

At Cosmeston late a.m.. A Migrant Hawker, a good number of Ivy Bees on Ivy flowers, and the hornet mimic hoverfly Volucella zonaria. Not much bird wise - 2 Chiffies nr the dipping pond, 3 circling Buzzards, 1 fem Sparrowhawk and a flyover Grey Heron from the cafe. #birdingWales #wildlife

Cosmeston . A Wheatear was in the upper Dovecote field, there were 4 or 5 Stonechats around the plantation, plus 1 male Blackcap and 2 Reed Bunts. A Grey Wag was in Sully Brook by the Medieval Village. I got some decent flight pix of a Migrant Hawker by the dipping pond. #birdingWales #ukbirding

There were 4 Stonechats in the grazing area at the far end of W paddock, Cosmeton, on Fri 19th. Yesterday, 21st, there were 2 Wheatear on the outer barrage rocks at Cardiff Bay, and a very flighty Common Sandpiper was along the R. Ely embankment by Penarth Marina. #birdingWales #ukbirding

Found a few butterflies on Buddlehia last week whilst on a weeks break in N. Wales. Quite like this head-on shot of a Painted Lady. #wildlife #butterflys #insects #photography

Nice to find this Migrant Hawker at rest this morning, by the Mile Road at Cosmeston. #wildlife #dragonflies #cosmeston

At Cosmeston this morning. Couple of shots of a juv Dunnock, and 2 big crops of one of 2 Spotted Flycatchers along the W. paddock hedge. There were 22 Canada Geese on W lake and 8 Tufted Ducks. #birdingWales #UKBirding

Four random pix taken at Cosmeston recently. A lone, very small spike of Autumn Ladies Tresses near the play area, my first Volucella zonaria hoverfly this year, in E. paddock, and a smart Speckled Wood. #wildlife #photography

I led a Glamorgan Bird Club trip to Nash Pt & environs this a.m. There were 11 attendees. 39 spp logged including 2 obliging Chough that posed on the roof of a lighthouse building. Also seen, Red Kite, juv Whitethroats, Stonechat fam groups. Full list here: drive.google.com/file/d/1Gy7r...

Usual circuit of Cosmeston this morning. 3 nice juvvie birds posed - a nicely marked Green Woodpecker, with its dad in an adjacent tree, juv Little Grebe, close for once by the main bridge, and an ad sized imm Great Crested Grebe. Also there, was an ad Grey Heron in a tree. #birdingWales #ukbirding

Couple of Kingfishers at Cosmeston this morning, in v small bay of E lake by main bridge. Both have black bills so both male or full plumaged juvs? 2 ad males would be unexpected here. #birdingWales #ukbirding

Cosmeston. A surprise Cuckoo posed in a dead tree in the snipe enclosure this morning. A rubbish photo as it was about 75m away. The last one I saw there was Jun 2020 in the same area. More recently there was 1 at Sully in May 2021 and 1 at Lavernock reserve in June 2023. #birdingWales #ukbirding

Nice to see this nectaring in the garden last night - Old Lady (Mormo maura). Phone pic from back now camera. At Cosmeston today a Hummingbird Hawk Moth (No pic). #moths #wildlife #cosmeston

Nice trio of Pyramidal Orchids at a very humid & oppressive Cosmeston this morning. In E paddock. #cosmeston #Orchids #wildlife

More Cosmeston wildlife! The male Blackbird was 'sunning' in the Medieval Village grounds. I think the moth is a Riband Wave - it flew across the Mile Road between the 2 lakes this morning. Not seen one in fight during the day before. #birdingWales #moths #willdlife #photography #cosmeston

Green Woodies again - different birds. An ad and a juv on the big gate near the Swan sculpture at Cosmeston this morning. I've seen an ad in this location a few times recently so I reckon a pair bred in the copse nearby. #birdinguk #birdingWales #birding #cosmeston

Monday 9th at Cosmeston. A Green Woodpecker was foraging as they do, on the ground near the dragonfly pond. It flew up into a tree and I managed to creep out of view to behind a bush and got some nice shots. They're easily spooked.! #birdingWales #birdinguk #birding

Led a @glamorganbirdclub.bsky.social trip to Ham Wall on Sun 8th. 60 spp logged incl 6+ Hobby, plus Bittern Marsh Harrier , GWE, Blackwit, Redshank, Lapwing, circling White Stork [2 lucky obs]. Huge nos. of Odonata and a Grass Snake. Full bird list here drive.google.com/file/d/1yW0I... #birdingWales

Bad news re Cosmeston. The siting of. the Aquapark on E lake has been given OK'd. This was the huge installation that has been in Cardiff Bay for the prev 3 summers. It is due to open on Sat 5th July and will be there until mid Sep. There's a protest meeting there on Mon 9th June. #cosmeston >>

More Cosmeston wildlife. Pyramidal as well as Common Spotted Orchids out in E paddock, G-c Grebe pr with at least 1 chick on W lake, lots of Dog Rose. Good nos. of Dragonflies incl Emperor & Blk-tailed Skimmer. 4 Spot Chaser shown. #wildlife #cosmeston

Misc wildlife. at #cosmeston The Long-tailed Tit looks a bit tatty -poss raising a brood. The Coot juv was in W lake bay, surrounded by Water Bistort. The hoverfly is “The Footballer” [Helophilus pendulus], and the Four-spotted Chaser dragonfly was at the dipping pond. #birdinWales #wildlife

A new moth for me, albeit taken in France recently, in the middle of the day. V v active so most shots were pretty poor and this is the best of them. It turns out it's a Speckled Yellow, which is apparently quite common in the UK. #wildlife #moths #insects

Cosmeston this morning. No sign of yesterday's colour-ringed Night-heron.Quiet bird-wise all round. Nice to see 1st Comm Spotted Orchid in flower and also the male Broad-bodied Chaser. The Buzzard is a nicely marked bird. Cafe had been broken into overnight .. through the roof!! #wildlife #Cosmeston

Back from a 2 week hol in western France. Not a birding trip specifically but 88 species wasn't bad. The last 2 days at Cosmeston were pretty quiet bird-wise so here's a a few non-birdy ones - [apart from the Buzzard which was circling over the Dovecote field]. #birdingWales

Cosmeston this morning - my 1st Lsr Whitethroat singing nr the dipping pond and a Common Whitethroat singing in the 'snipe paddock'. A Cetti's Wblr was showing briefly by the boardwalk adj the café. W. lake had 6 Sand Martins and a Swallow, and 2 Coot broods. #birdingWales #ukbirding

Inverts are starting to show. The Syrphus sp hoverfly was at Cosmeston the other day, and the Tawny Mining Bee was on Alexanders by the Sully coast path. Butterflies noted thus far - Orange-tip, Speckled Wood, Peacock, Brimstone and Comma. #wildlife #cosmeston #photography

The Water Voles are v active at Cosmeston atm, at the dipping pond, where the Moorhens have young chicks. The Buzzard was over Cogan Wood where a pair have been together in the air. There were c.20 Sand Martins inspecting holes at the old dock, Cardiff Bay, on Sat. #birdingWales #ukbirding #wildlife

Just back from a long w/e with my brother & his wife in Northampton. Visited 2 new locations. Summer Leys NR and Northampton washlands, both nr the city. The former produced 40 species with a selection of waders incl LRP. The latter [a R. Nene flood control area] had 14 Little Gulls! #ukbirding

At #Cosmeston in recently. Many Chiffchaff singing, Blackcaps, a brief Willow Warbler. A Gt Crested Grebe has a nest on W.lake and a Crow was nest building. A Water Vole showed well 2 days ago. On a patch of Primrose in E. paddock I remembered the cam for a shot of Dark-edged Bee-fly. #birdingWales

At #cosmeston this morning. Large patch of Primrose in E paddock had a couple of Dark-edged Bee-flies, some Cowslips were in flower, and my first Comma flew by the path adj the golf course.

CHuffed to see these at Cosmeston this morning, albeit by evesdropping on ranger Sharon with a pond dipping school group. Palmate and Common Newts. The extra bit at the rear of the Common Newt is another beastie. #wildlife #pondlife

Rye Harbour NR was outstanding. Yet to write up list but c50 Sandwich Tern was a little unexpected, plus 40 sum plum Golden Plo and c60 Avocet. Watch this space ...

A day off from family duties. In stubble fld nr campsite, c.50 Chaffinch with ... ad male breeding plum Brambling and 2 ad Yellowhammer. At Dungeness beach, 6 fly by Red-thr Diver & 2 Porpoise. At Dunge RSPB found an unreported L-t Duck. Now at Rye Hbr NR - lots of Avocet thus far. ##ukbirding

In Dorset today so did a circuit of Lodmoor RSPB. Highlights were Wheatear and LRP but no photos of those. I did get a nice couple of shots of a pair of Great Black-backed Gulls courtship feeding. #ukbirding

Hi folks. Please, please sign this petition against the introduction of the Aquaprk to Cosmeston. #birdingWales The link is here: chng.it/vPgM4FJtGv

Cosmeston Toad activity now subsided. Learnt today of horrendous proposal to relocate the summer Cardiff Bay Aquapark to East Lake Cosmeston! Much discussion on Facebook. Bird activity - Pochard wing stretch, Water Rail in Sully Brook by Med Village, and Mute Swan touchdown. #birdingWales ukbirding

The Toads were still at it at Cosmeston dipping pond today, but also on show was an obliging Water Vole near the small bridge. There was a large patch of Frog spawn but I also noted a string of Toad spawn. #cosmeston #nature #naturephotography

Great to see 20+ of these handsome Toads in the. dipping pond at Cosmeston. Present and very active this morning and still present late afternoon. #naturephotography #nature #photography #amphibians

2 Sand Martins flying above the old feeder dock, Cardiff Bay (where they usually nest). #birdingWales #ukbirding

Cardiff Bay/barrage. Non vocal Chiffchaff feeding in bay-side willows beyond swift tower. Greenfinch wheezing nearby. ##birdingWales #ukbirding

Mainly vocals at #Cosmeston this morning. 1, poss 2 Chiffchaff singing, Green 'Pecker calling and Little Grebe whinnying. #birdingWales #ukbirding