Annie Irving

It was so gloomy/foggy/drizzly out today that birding/photography were tricky/difficult but I did manage to spot 1 of the female Black redstarts at Penarth Marina (not seen by me for a couple of weeks) & all 3 of the overwintering Common sandpipers were along the Ely embankment. #birdingWales

Petition: Stop the Guga Hunt Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to amend Section 16 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to remove the power to grant licences for taking Gannets on Sula Sgeir.

The link to sign:
petitions.parliament.scot/petitions/PE...

They certainly make a stunning display. :-)

It's beautiful but you rather surprised me as I've never thought of Clivia as a houseplant. They grow really well outdoors in NZ, my homeland. :-)

A meandering walk around the Bay and on in to Cardiff today took me past several Cormorants, both juvenile and adult, the latter looking particularly handsome now with their white head plumage. #birdingWales

Chilly in Cardiff Bay today: 2 Kingfishers in rubbish corner; many displaying Great crested grebes; hundreds of Black-headed gulls snacking on a huge number of midges, as well as 50+ Sand martins; a Grey heron. Good deed done: managed to find the Little gull for 2 visiting birders. #birdingWales

Cosmeston today. Too many dogs, too much dog poo for frequent visits. Hoped to check the tree plantation for Wheatear but it was being fenced - cattle being allowed in to eat the saplings perhaps?
Sand martins over west lake, lovely little Coal tit, Magpie sneaking the crows' food. #birdingWales

My 'Christmas' cactus is a bit confused, lovely but confused. 🎄🏜

Yesterday's booming Bittern at Parc Tredelerch had either gone quiet or left the vicinity today but the warm sunshine was welcome and my first Comma of the year a beautiful bonus. #SouthWalesButterflies #UKButterflies

A cool nor'easterly & grey skies for today's circuit of Cardiff Bay. Little gull still present but too distant for a photo but these beauties were much more obliging at the wetlands: 2 Great crested grebes, handsome in breeding plumage; a Coot with a gammy leg; & a lovely Reed bunting. #birdingWales

A lovely surprise from today's walk, my first Speckled wood of the year, 4 weeks earlier than I've ever seen one before.
#SouthWalesButterflies #UKButterflies

Thanks, Adam, and, yes, it certainly is. Another birder saw the Sand martins checking out nesting holes this afternoon, so they're not wasting any time. :-)

Saw my first Sand martins today, over one of the docks where they nest in Cardiff Bay. No photos of them - too zippy, but I did get some pics of 10 Turnstones foraging along the Ely embankment, twittering quietly as they went & looking handsome as they change to breeding plumage. #birdingWales

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The sun had gone by the time I got to the park railings today but their dark colour holds the heat, which was being enjoyed by two new-for-2026 shieldbugs: Hawthorn (Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale) & Hairy (Dolycoris baccarum), as well as one of the relatively large springtails Orchesella cincta.

A few more finds from this morning's walk: my first Colt's-foot flowers of the year; a lovely little Green shieldbug, still partly in its winter bronze colouration; & a Psychoides filicivora moth larva on Common polypody.

Thank you. Looking at my guidebook that does look right and it seems to be known in my area. :-)

For their sake, yes, but as they're protected under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 & it's a criminal offence to intentionally or recklessly disturb them when nesting, which also means photography, no one should be going anywhere near them if they do.

Noted, and thanks for your help. :-)
These panels p[rovide good basking spots for all manner of little creatures so I always take a look when I'm passing.

A little spider fest this morning on these building site fence panels. I think these are Pisaura mirabilis, Xysticus cristatus and maybe one of the Lycosidae? #arachnids @britishspiders.bsky.social

Thanks for the info. I'm heading down again in a couple of weeks so will look then. :-)

Nice! I kept looking for Snipe at Lodmoor but never spotted any.

The dipping pond at Cosmeston this morning was full of Toads, slithering and sliding, mating and producing their thousands of long strings of eggs. No sign of any frogs yet though. #SpringHasSprung

Osprey Project Nest Platforms and Cameras After such a successful Osprey season in 2025 with 2 nesting Osprey pairs on the south coast and 6(!) chicks fledged, we're looking ahead to build new nesting platforms and installing remote cameras! ...

Thanks so much to everyone who has supported our fundraiser so far, allowing us to install cameras and maintain these nests:
www.justgiving.com/campaign/osp...

It's been a glorious day and my butterfly year has begun, with four Brimstone seen during today's circuit of Cardiff Bay, two at the wetlands and these two in Hamadryad Park. 🦋💚 #UKButterflies

I photographed a similar pairing in Bute Park in November 2024 so perhaps these are the same birds. Apparently, they are known to interbreed.

On the periphery of the Bay this morning, the Peregrines were pair bonding by practising their food-passing technique, and the male Black redstart popped up briefly on the rocks.

The weather was wild this morning and Cardiff Bay was full of gulls but I managed to pick out the Little gull (a minor miracle!) and got some slightly better images when it flew a bit closer to The Sails, rather than staying out in mid bay. #birdingWales

Down to Cardiff Bay today, partly to enjoy the sunshine (!), partly for another look at the Little gull found by local birder Mat yesterday. Ms Scaup had flown in from Cosmeston for a visit so got some pics of her & think the speck with black underwings in last pic is the Little gull. #birdingWales

Thanks, Graham. Already wishing I was back in Dorset and planning my return ... :-)