Little Bunting Forest Farm Glamorgan

I picked up the Jims at 5am this morning  and headed off around the M25 picking up the M4 and crossing the bridge into Wales arriving at Forest Farm in Glamorgan at around 7.30am. After a short walk around we eventually found the hide next to the centre and as we entered the Little Bunting was showing a few feet in front of the hide feeding on seed supplied thanks to the "friends of forest farm" (a group of 300 members who's donations pay for the feeders to be topped up continuously by the rangers) Over the next few hours the bird came and went and entertained the small gathering in the hide along with four Bullfinch, a couple of Nuthatch, Coal Tits, Reed Bunting etc etc. This is a terrific little site and one I'm sure I'll revisit at some point.
The hide set up is particularly good for photography and Im told gives good views of Woodpecker and Kingfisher in Spring.

Little Bunting

Little Bunting

Little Bunting

Bullfinch

Bullfinch

Bullfinch

Robin

Reed Bunting

Reed Bunting

Nuthatch

Satisfied with the Little Bunting and the life tick it brought for all three of us we moved on and within a couple of miles we had pulled into the car park at the Wetland Centre in Cardiff Bay. A brisk walk along the footpath and then the boardwalk and we very quickly located the Lesser Scaup in the distance amongst the flock of Tufted. Our next stop was at the other end of the bay parking in Rover Road we walked through the cycle gate and along the side of the bay between the Heliport and Sewage works (very pleasant.....not!)

We scanned the Black Headed Gulls in the company of Geoff ( a fellow Bubo Lister, nice to meet you Geoff) but failed to find the gull. Clock watching we moved on only for the gull to be reported soon after we'd all left.

Cormorant in Cardiff Bay

Our final destination was the Forest of Dean some 40 miles away but edging closer to home.

A Two-barred Crossbill had been reported but we opted instead to visit Parkend Church where we found a single male Common Crossbill before moving on to New Fancy watchpoint. My first visit here and I can see why it's so popular as the views are very impressive....I'll be back in a couple of weeks with any luck in search of Goshawk.

Common Crossbill at Parkend

A very pleasant day and lifer number two for 2015 in the bag.

Year list now 148
Life list now 353