January 17t
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My first day off of the week saw the area encased in thick fog so the plan of Porthcawl yesterday and Gloucestershire today got shifted to Porthcawl today and Gloucestershire sometime or other.
Reached Newton point a little too late for high tide so waders were very dispersed and the dog walkers were there in force. Quite a few common year ticks but nothing that I wont see multiple times this winter. I was spared a probably futile look for purple sandpipers in porthcawl itself by the lack of parking so headed to the next bay where Med Gulls are very reliable on the football pitch just in from the sea. Sure enough two there.
Kenfig pool eventually gave up the American Wigeon I saw a few weeks ago for last years list. Took a while to find it and quite distant for photos but you could see the plumage coming on from my last visit. Nice to pick out a pair of common gull, not that common around us, and some goldeneye.
Back in Cardiff I gave another go to firecrests in Bute park, they have been very mobile along a small stream but been seen a lot in one clump of rodedenrons. I'd tried before but been too mobile myself and this time I just waited in the one place. Constant turnover of small groups of goldcrest gave credence to the circular feeding route ideas our whatsapp had been having, Eventually a firecrest popped out of the bushes, showed twice and then was gone again.
Very bad photos today, definitely record shots.




94 Oystercatcher
95 Turnstone
96 Sanderling
97 Linnet
98 Ringed Plover
99 Mediterannean Gull
100 Goldeneye
101 Common Gull
102 American Wigeon
103 Treecreeper
104 Firecrest
Birds 104 Photographed 49
h
My first day off of the week saw the area encased in thick fog so the plan of Porthcawl yesterday and Gloucestershire today got shifted to Porthcawl today and Gloucestershire sometime or other.
Reached Newton point a little too late for high tide so waders were very dispersed and the dog walkers were there in force. Quite a few common year ticks but nothing that I wont see multiple times this winter. I was spared a probably futile look for purple sandpipers in porthcawl itself by the lack of parking so headed to the next bay where Med Gulls are very reliable on the football pitch just in from the sea. Sure enough two there.
Kenfig pool eventually gave up the American Wigeon I saw a few weeks ago for last years list. Took a while to find it and quite distant for photos but you could see the plumage coming on from my last visit. Nice to pick out a pair of common gull, not that common around us, and some goldeneye.
Back in Cardiff I gave another go to firecrests in Bute park, they have been very mobile along a small stream but been seen a lot in one clump of rodedenrons. I'd tried before but been too mobile myself and this time I just waited in the one place. Constant turnover of small groups of goldcrest gave credence to the circular feeding route ideas our whatsapp had been having, Eventually a firecrest popped out of the bushes, showed twice and then was gone again.
Very bad photos today, definitely record shots.




94 Oystercatcher
95 Turnstone
96 Sanderling
97 Linnet
98 Ringed Plover
99 Mediterannean Gull
100 Goldeneye
101 Common Gull
102 American Wigeon
103 Treecreeper
104 Firecrest
Birds 104 Photographed 49