I wasn't expecting much Joy this weekend given the terrible weather as it is really hard to even see anything through the binoculars when its tipping down with rain and blowing a gail! but this really is the best time to get out to Llandegfedd because birds do get blown in from the coast! This weekends weather has been perfect for off shore birds turning up around our coastal line and this is a perfect example of how weather can effect migratory sea birds. 

I firstly set out to Llandegfedd to for-fill a few tasks with the Bird feeder project that I'm running this winter. Welsh Water kindly cleared the feeding station for me so now it's just a matter of topping the feeders up which I'm going to be doing myself. Having done that and got soaked in the process, I hopped back in the car and headed over to the visitors centre so that I could carry on my birding from the comfort of the centre. Had a Hot Chocolate (Highly recommended) and around 13:00pm I spotted a Great Northern Diver! I got the word out as quick as I could and a few birders joined me around 14:00 and come 15:00 another turned up out of nowhere! 

Weather was still pretty bad at this point and they were out in the middle of the Res but this is a personal first for me at Llandegfedd and possibly even a first for Gwent! 

Prior to all this excitement, while I was heading over to the visitors centre, I spotted an Otter crossing the road in the country lanes heading away from Llandegfedd up the main stream that runs into it. I'll be keeping an eye on that particular section of the road from now on! 

I also flushed a Waterail from the North end while putting some food outside of 'Hide 1' left of fishermans car park. 

So overall, despite the horrific weather, not a bad day at all!!