Little Bunting & lesser Scaup in Wales.

We meet up with Brian at 5 am & arrive in Glamorgan around 7.30am, the target bird is the Little Bunting seen at Forest farm in Cardiff.
On arrival we park up & start to look for the hide, a fellow birder pulls up at the same time as us & thinks he knows where to go,so we blindly follow him & bingo he takes us the wrong way, still it's not to big a deal & we track back & find the hide next to the centre.
Once inside the Bunting is seen feeding just a few yards away, a cracking little bird to give all three of us a lifer, it's mine & Jimmy's first lifer this year & the second for Brian.
As you walk to the other side of the hide it is set up with feeders & it is very busy with plenty of Tits & a Nuthatch shows on & off for the whole time we are here also 2 male Bullfinch & a female show very well, this is a  great little place to sit & watch & to get some good photos if you have some idea what to do with your camera, (note to myself must try harder to find out what this bridge camera can do.)
Off now to Cardiff Bay to find the wetland centre for a chance to spot the Lesser Scaup in the bay.
Not far from the car park we find the boardwalk & pick out the Scaup within minutes, it's a long way off but easy to pick out as it swims with a group of Tufted Duck through the scope.
Some people with us are heading off to look for a Bonaparte's Gull only a couple of miles away at Rover's way near the heliport. we meet up again with Geoff a birder from Leicester while here but the signs are not good & we don't spend to much time looking for the Gull.
As it usually happens a couple of hours later it comes up on the pager as being there now.
A 40 mile drive takes us to the Forest of dean, a two barred Crossbill has been seen there, we decide to head to Parkend church instead as a Crossbill is reported.
A good decession as we get another year tick within a very short time.
One last place to visit while here as we are close to the New fancy watch point we have to give it a look. None of us have been here before & we will certainly be back when we have more time to give to it. No luck with any Goshawk this time as the weather not the best for them to show but what a nice place to watch for them.
On the way home a few Red kite seen for a year tick for Jimmy & myself,so 1 lifer & 4 ticks in all for a very nice day.

Little Bunting

Nuthatch on one of the feeders

Bullfinch