John Wilson

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

Glad it went well. Nice one with the WTE!

We Can Make an Impact. Oppose the Faroe Islands hosting the 2027 Island Games

This annual slaughter of Dolphins & Pilot Whales takes place in the Faroes annually, as a 'tradition', know as the Grind. They are set to host the 2027 Island Games. Please sign this petition to stop that hosting unless this needless slaughter ends.
c.org/N9kkXvDRjj

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

Are there actual pools there now? Shd be after the recent rain!

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

Speckled Wood

Autumn Ladies Tresses

Volucella zonaria

Volucella zonaria

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

juv Common Whitethroat

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...

Green Woodpecker juv

Green Woodpecker ad male

Little Grebe juv

Great Crested Grebe imm

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

Our Common Kingfisher is quite small, although not as small as some of the pygmy kingfishers in e.g. S. America. Others are pretty large such as your Belted KF, Ringed KF in S. America, and lots in Africa.

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

It initially flew into view and I thought Spawk, but then the pointed wings and shallow wingbeats said "cuckoo".

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

That's good count! Have hardly seen any by us (halfway down Westbourne Rd). Do you record observations? E.g. Birdtrack? If not, may I record it, noting you as obs?

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

4-spotted Chaser

Grass Snake

Scarce Chaser

Red-eyed Damselfly pair

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

An update. I mis-ID'd the 'skimmer' dragonfly. It is in fact a male Scarce Chaser. Unfortunately I can't edit the ALT text.