First Wheatears of the Year

A quiet Sunday with Wayne away and everyone else staying close to home saw me head down to Bryngarw Country Park in hope of the L S Woodpecker that's been seen from time to time.

A good walk through the grounds brought me to the area of beeches where the 'pecker has usually been seen but to no avail although there was a G S Woodpecker calling and drumming but prooving equally elusive to see.

There were good numbers of woodland birds about and I heard 7 different Chiff-Chaff singing with good views of 3.

Great,Blue,Coal and LT Tits also flitted around and I also saw 2 Nuthatch who were calling loudly,a Common Buzzard glided over and a Dipper hurtled down the river calling as it went.

With some time to spare I thoght of popping into Parc Slip but decided instead to pop down to Ogmore By Sea to try and pick up a first Wheatear of the year,they've been arriving for a few weeks so I was pretty hopeful.

A short walk from the main car park soon had me looking at a splendid male which was joined by another flitting around on the rocks and short grass.

Although very bright and sunny the was a fair old breeze and as the birds were quite mobile digi-scoping was a little difficult but I was quite happy with a couple of half tidy photos.

The most difficult aspect of taking photos this morning was the way certain members of the public always seem to wander between camera and bird and stop to talk aimlessly before they suddenly realise what they are doing !!

I wandered a little further east along the coastal path in the hope of a Chough but they must have been even further east over towards Southerndown,a few Rock Pipits hopped around on the rocks and a male Sparrowhawk glided past.

A quick call in to a deserted Watermill where only a male Pied Wagtail picked it's way through rapidly drying out flood saw an end to a pretty quiet and uneventfull day.