# Birdwatching in Cardiff/Wales



## Brockway (Jul 17, 2010)

Between Blackweir bridge and town I have recently seen: a little egret, grey heron, goosander, kingfishers, grey wagtail, and cormorants. Not bad for the central area of a city. Along the Paddock Walk (Western Ave to Blackweir along the Taff)  I have seen redpoll, goldfinch, and long tailed tit, as well as the more common birds. 

Anyway, apart from the Taff Trail, Forest Farm, and the Wenallt, where are the best places to go birdwatching in Cardiff (or further afield)? What's that new wetland reserve like down the docks behind the St David's Hotel? Anyone been? Or are none of you in touch with nature like what I am...


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## Col_Buendia (Jul 18, 2010)

I've regularly spotted some Great Tits on St Mary's Street at closing time.

<I'll get my coat.>


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## Gavin Bl (Jul 21, 2010)

They had a curlew down at the reserve by Forest Farm, over the winter, which apparently was a big deal. Do you know about the old railway lin that is parallel to the canal by FF? (continues on out of the city from Coryton station) is often home to some pretty big hawk type thing - I saw one up very close when out running on the weekend.

How about the nature reserve on Ipswich road (by the David Lloyd Centre) - is it the 'Howardian'? Mixture of woodland and marsh, so presumably would be pretty good. There's a couple of plum trees there n'all if you are going the right time of year.


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## Clair De Lune (Jul 21, 2010)

I don't really but I saw a pair of birds the other day that I have never seen before and wonder if you know what they are?
They had orange crowns and then a goldy brown body, they were slightly larger than blackbirds. They both had similar markings so I assume they were both males but they looked like they were flirting


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## pauld (Aug 1, 2010)

Gavin Bl said:


> They had a curlew down at the reserve by Forest Farm, over the winter, which apparently was a big deal....



It was a bittern down at Forest Farm, which is very big news for birders. Harsh continental winter meant a lot more UK sightings than usual.







http://www.glamorganbirds.org.uk/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1262621633/2

Haven't been yet but the wetlands at Newport are supposed to be top notch.

http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/n/newportwetlands/index.aspx

Just come back from a tidy holiday in Croatia where I spotted this little beauty:






Now that's a bird!


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## Brockway (Aug 2, 2010)

Hoopoes are in my list of birds with proper punk hairdoes.

When they flooded Cardiff Bay, we got about 10 hectares of wetland reserve as compensation and Newport got about 400+ hectares. Basically, Newport have stolen all of our waders.


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## Gavin Bl (Aug 10, 2010)

we just saw a Little Egret down on the Taff - we were on that bridge between Forest Farm and Radyr station. I thought it was a heron for a min, but it was white and too small - got the identification of it from a guy sitting intently with binoculars. The Egret was hunting away, jabbing at the water with its beak.

Fairly unusual round here apparently.


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## Mrs Magpie (Aug 10, 2010)

I saw a pair in Hampshire last year and apparently it's a newish thing there too. They really suffered at the turn of the last century because they were in huge demand for the millinery trade.


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## Mrs Magpie (Aug 10, 2010)

By the way, nowhere near Cardiff but Oxwich bay is brilliant for Ravens (amongst other things).


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## Brockway (Aug 13, 2010)

Saw 3 little egrets in close proximity about a month back near Blackweir bridge. There was a grey heron with them, too. It _is_ rare to see them along the Taff. Local twitchers have been getting quite excited, apparently.

There are some goosander near Blackweir at the moment, which is odd as you usually only see them on the Taff in December.


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