Spring has sprung - 24/02/2014

Yet another day off using up annual leave today left me free to visit Parc Slip and Ogmore again to try for some target species. On arrival at Parc Slip the first things I saw were four Buzzards and a Red Kite circling above not far from the car park. On the feeders were Nuthatch, Blue Tits, Coal Tits and a few others, and from the hide were a few teal whistling noisily.

From the conservation fields where the highland cattle were grazing, there were 13 Lapwings in flight, which was great to see, evidently getting ready for the breeding season, fingers crossed they get a good one. A calling Reed Bunting was the first of 2014, and I popped to the hide a bit quickly, but there was no Bittern on show so I moved on and while my attention was caught by two bullfinch, both a female and a male, a few Lesser Redpoll came by, and luckily I took a few snaps because I had taken them to be Linnet -

 There was also a Goldfinch busy feeding on Teasel nearby -

At Ogmore the sea was surprisingly choppy, but I managed to find eight Purple Sandpipers which were trying to roost but were not having much luck, being constantly buffeted by the waves-

 On the river there was also plenty of Redshank and still 20+ Goldeneye that I could see. The Stonechat pair were also still present, presumably the same ones from a few weeks ago. That came to a total of seven new 2014 ticks, a great day's birding, and some top shots to go with it.