A visit to the Black redstarts in Cardiff Bay yesterday paid off in spades. The male was there and, at first I thought just 1 female (pictured) but, from my photos, I'm now sure there were 2 different females. There were 5 Black redstarts at this location at one point last winter so these may be returning birds. And, fingers crossed, more may yet return ...
#UKBirding #BirdsUK #CardiffBayBirding #BirdsUK #BlackRedstart

A Whooper swan, a local rarity, appeared in Cardiff Bay back in July and had no option other than to remain while it was going through its moult. Perhaps surprisingly, even though it could now fly away, it has remained, feeding well at various locations around the Bay and, more recently, slightly upriver in the Taff. Unsurprisingly, I've taken a lot of photos of it - these are just a colour, one from September, one taken yesterday.
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Whoever designed the Cardiff Bay Barrage never considered how much vegetation and human detritus would get washed down the Rivers Ely and Taff and end up lodged all around the Bay. It is especially bad in winter, after heavy rain up country, and Cardiff Council makes virtually no effort to clear it away.
Birds like this Linnet forage for seeds amongst the detritus but I hate to think what else they're ingesting.
#UKBirding #BirdsUK #birding #CardiffBayBirding #Linnet

Though they can sometimes be seen by keen birders using 'scopes to watch birds passing along the coast, Kittwakes only rarely visit Cardiff Bay. So, when I heard this morning that this one was hanging out near the Barrage locks, I went for a look. And I was lucky - though the bird was sitting on one of the dolphins when I arrived, it flew off and disappeared soon afterwards. A lovely sighting and a tick for my 2022 patch birding list.
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#Kittiwake