There’s nothing like a bit of sea air to freshen up the day. The rain almost ruined it for me, with several trips back to the car, ready to pack it in, but I hung in there as I had a mission. I’ve had Turnstone on my photography list for quite some time, not just because they look great, but because they are often quite approachable when feeding. These birds can be found all over the British coastline, and they are becoming quite confiding in areas where their desired habitat comes into contact with regular human activity. England generally has better examples of this, but Barry and Porthcawl are becoming great places to observe this behaviour. They’re starting to feed amongst the Pigeons and Starlings, sometimes really close to people, even feeding between peoples feet as they sit on coastal benches. One thing they do not like though, and that’s Dogs, so timing my arrival early, I hoped to be there before the early Dog Walkers. That plan didn’t work as well as I thought, as by the time I located them feeding, there were lots of people around. I got in the car ready to go home quite a few times but glad I got back out for more, as my last sitting with them, laying on my belly, they came really close - Sometimes too close for the camera to even focus! Not much else going on the sea, besides some very distant ducks that I couldn’t even work out with the scope. Probably Scoter. Plenty of Rock Pipits though.
Before heading home, I thought i’d stop off at Margam Country Park. I’ve only been once before, having been introduced to the site by Mike Warburton. It was getting late in the day so only a few Fallow up on the peak, with most of the Reds tucked up in the lower levels.
