Cold weather birds

Last couple of days has seen the temperature drop to -4c and a covering of snow which isn't melting above 300 metres. So I've been around a few places making notes of what birds are about.

Caerau (01 Feb) - untagged Red Kite (late news)

Caerau (31 Jan) - A Red Kite has been around Tudor Woods and it has an orange wing-tag on the right wing meaning it was tagged as a nestling in 2014, but the left wing tag was missing (or at least I couldn't see it) meaning you couldn't tell where it was from. A Sparrowhawk swooped through the street after starlings but was unsuccessful. A Stock Dove at Foel-y-Dyffryn is also unusual, not seen too many over the years here. Lots of LBB/Herring gulls in the air too. Garden feeder highlights were 8 Long-tailed Tit and 2 Collared Dove. Grey Heron over the church another unusual sighting.

Caerau Forest (30 Jan) - Another Red Kite, this one untagged otherwise fairly quiet besides 6 Bullfinch (3male, 3 female) dotted around, A male Stonechat was high up around Darren-y-Bannau cliffs, odd in itself but it also had a bright rosy-pink rump but nothing else to suggest a rarer species. Good numbers of Coal, Blue, Great Tit, Chaffinch along the forestry edge accompanied by a Great-spotted Woodpecker.

Mynydd Ty-Talwyn (29 Jan) - Another untagged Red Kite along with 13 Buzzard (12 in one field worming), 7 Raven and 35 Starling. A flock of 57 Lapwing was flushed from Mynydd Baeden by a light aircraft overhead, while loose flocks of 48 Fieldfare were feeding on what berries were left and finally 2 Great Black-backed Gull were in attendance on a sheep carcass above Cwm Nant Gwyn.

 Raven perched at Darren-y-Bannau

 Robin at Caerau forestry

These 200 foot wind turbines really are monsters when up close, the photo is from 600 yards away to get it all in. They make quite a loud whirring noise too.