" 5p if we don't find the Purple Sandpipers"

Lured to Kenfig to see if the previous day's Alpine Swift had reappeared (of course it hadn't), Dan and I spent a fair while loitering with Neil Donaghy, Paul Roberts and Dean Bolt in case the Yellow Browed Warbler reappeared (of course it didn't-until we were home). In an effort to find some birds (any birds), we popped to the Watermill (dull), and Portobello ( drake Goosander). Roo Perkins appeared, and asked for info on the Ogmore Purple Sandpipers, which he had always dipped. Dan nobly offered his services, and as I usually dip on them there, I was happy to watch the Purple Sandpipermeister in action. Dan said he'd never dipped on them there and offered me 5p if he couldn't find them, but I owed him 5p, if we did see them. This was going to be good! We scrambled our way over the rocks, pausing only to admire a Guillimot close in. Dan's expression changed from relaxed confidence to edginess, as we walked along "I've usually seen them by now", he said. 5p came closer... Soon Dan turned back towards the car park, leaving Roo and I behind. As he neared the cars, Dan suddenly waved us over, and sure enough, there were at least 5 of the little beauties. 5p disappeared...... As I pondered my fiscal foolishness I glanced up, and saw some sleek dark birds flying low over the sea, heading east, and close in. I put the bins up and was astonished to see 7 drake Velvet Scoters! I shouted some gibberish about white wing panels, and fortunately the others found them immediately. Nice! High fives between Dan and myself left Roo puzzled. He used to live on the East coast of Scotland and had 3 species of scoter regularly. Anyway, the tide approached, and flushed the Purple Sandpipers (15 of them) off the rocks. Time to go home. Roo texted me as I got home, he'd seen the Yellow Browed Warbler. Still I'm not complaining...Oh, and Dan let me off the 5p for finding the scoters....

Raptor Rapture

As the year ends it's become obvious that my raptor count is letting me down badly. At the beginning of the week I hadn't managed to see Barn, Short-eared or Tawny Owl, Hen Harrier or Goshawk in Glamorgan this year. Something had to be done. The Dowlais Barn Owls looked promising and I went looking for them on Sunday night. Unfortunately I drew a blank. I'm either going to have to go up there by 0530 a.m. or have a shot at the Mardy Lane bird. On Monday I had a bit of luck at KNNR. I managed to connect briefly with one of the Short-eared Owls present. Just as I got on to it the heavens opened and it wisely fled for cover. I decided to follow suite and in my rush to get back to the car I almost stepped on it! Up it shot in the air right in front of me. By the time I got back to the car I was absolutely drenched. Today (spot the out-of-work-birder) I went up to Mynydd Eglwysilan for the third time to try and get a Hen Harrier. On the two previous occasions I've been up there it was on beautiful, sunny, windless days. Today was windy, cloudy and spitting rain. I gloomily trudged up the hill expecting to dip again. But, only two minutes walk away from the car a beautiful male Hen Harrier appeared in front of me, it flew along the contour of the hill and then disappeared from view. Magic! The SEO and Harrier bring up the 175 for Glamorgan and 170 for East Glamorgan for 2007. Anybody got any hot tips for Goshawk and Tawny Owl??!?

Another "Plastic" duck? Green Winged Teal

Loitering with several hundred ordinary Teal at Slimbridge, was this Yank. So why is this wild, whilst the American Wigeon and Wood Duck in Cardiff aren't? Other highlights included 70 odd European White-Fronts, 1 Tundra Bean Goose, 100s of Golden Plover and Lapwings, 1 Spotshank, 1 Ruff, 2 Peregrines, Kingfisher, and a grey "Siberian" Chiffchaff.

Twitching Madness!

This morning I dived into my car and drove helter skelter to Lisvane Reservoir to twitch a . . . female Ruddy Duck. What's happening to me? Do you think I need psychiatric help? Anyway, I'm glad to say that this mega-rarity was successfully ticked and is now residing on my pathetic 2006 Glamorgan Year List.

Journey to the Frozen North (well Teesside)

We had a wedding party to attend on Saturday night on Teesside, and decided to have a few days up there visiting friends of mine and sightseeing, with a spot of birding also. On a bright, but typically breezy Sunday morning, we visited my former local patch of South Gare, and immediately found about 12 Turnstones and 5 Purple Sandpipers. Rock Pipits were present, and when we reached the end of the breakwater, a Guillimot was bobbing about. A juv Red Throated Diver was feeding quite close in and a female Common Scoter flew past. All these were typical sightings for the time of year. However, a small bird bobbing and diving close in was a surprise. It was my second Little Auk, 8 years almost to the day since my previous one, which had been only about 200 yards west of where we saw this one. A flock of 43 Red Legged Partridges were seen a couple of miles inland, very impressive. On a very windy Tuesday, we headed into the northern Pennines to look for Black Grouse. Sadly, none were found at any of their favoured sites between Middleton and Alston or St Johns Chapel. Last time I was there (June 2002), I found 22 males in one field! 2 Red Grouse showed well next to the road at one point.

Snow joke at Witches Point

On a glorious, but cold, Wednesday morning I decided to look for the Snow Bunting that had been reported from Witches Point, Dunraven. After wandering along the path for a while, I was beginning to think that the clear skies had encouraged the bird to move on. Suddenly it landed about 40 feet from me in full sunshine, and promptly scuttled into the grass. After a few minutes I had cracking scope views of it, before it suddenly flew out to sea, calling, and was lost to view. I was driving away shortly afterwards, when Dan texted me about a Whooper Swan at the Watermill, which was still there when I arrived. Soon we had to head off, Dan for parental duties, and I had a driving lesson to give. This evening, whilst browsing the net, I discovered that there is a comet in the constellation of Hercules. I popped outside and found it with my bins. What is it called? Comet Swan.......