Starting the New Year in the valleys

After a last minute change to birding  New Years day I decided to stuck local and see how many species I could get in the Cynon Valley and a little bit of the Merthyr Valley . I opened my front door at 7.00am and the clock started and my first bird of the New year was Jackdaw and you could hear them calling from Aberdare Park near by and straight after they were followed by Robin and Song Thrush and three birds before I had got to the car. My first port of call was Peace Park or Pwll Waun Cynon and I got there about 7.20 am and you could see the Moon and two planets showing in the dawn sky and I think one got to be Venus and it was real bright  . As walked across in the dark and made my way to the Local Nature Reserve and I made myself comfortable by seating on the stile by the river and I was waited for  it to get light and it was great to hear the wildfowl calling from the Pond and this is my list from this site and in order has I saw them.

 

 4 Moorhen.

5 Mallard.

6 Teal I had 7 in total.

7 Tawny Owl . Was Heard only and two called for fair period off time and one was in Duffryn woods and the other one was towards Cwmbach.

8 Coot  . There was only single bird present .

9 Canada Geese . There was a flock of  20 birds  present and they took off first and I could see the splash when they came back down.

10 Blackbird.

11 Carrion Crow .

12 Woodcock . I had two birds flying over just has it was getting light and they were both together.

13 Dunnock.

14 Kingfisher.

15 Wren.

16 Great Tit.

17 Raven .

18 Blue Tit.

19 Tree Creeper.

20 Dipper .

21 Nuthatch.

22 Coal Tit.

23 Cormorant .

24 Grey Heron.

25 Goshawk I picked up a big bird in the Distant and has it got closer I was Quietly surprised as most of the forestry has been cut down and this pretty big Female flew right over me and soon disappeared again.

26  Water Rail .

27 Magpie.

28 Goosander . I had four flying over and I found the same bird  later at Abercwmboi Lake.

29 Jay .

30 Collard Dove . Were at the bottom of Fernhill Estate.

31 Herring Gull . Was the only Gull seen all day.

32 House Sparrow.

33 Starling .

Next stop was Abercwmboi Lake and has I got there I could here the Swans taking off and when I got to the water edge , I was surprised to see there was only 5 birds present and I had two bags of seed and two loafs of bread for them.

34 Mute Swan.

35 Grey Wagtail was heard only .

36 Greylag Goose .

37 Little Grebe.

38 Jackdaw .

39 Goldcrest.

40 Great White Egret . After searching for ten minutes I found it at the top of the lake in  the reed bed and I was just starting to think it had gone before the New Year.

The Next  site was Tir Founder Fields.

41 Goldfinch  and only a single seen all day.

42 Reed Bunting.

43 Common Snipe .After seeing loads of signs at Peace Park it was a relief to find a single bird and it was the only one seen all day.

44 Jack Snipe. After flushing the common Snipe I found  small tracks and I thought they got to be jack and I looked a bit hard and I found a single bird.

45 Lesser Redpoll.

46 Bullfinch.

47 Siskin.

48 Mistle Thrush.

49 Green Finch.

50 Long Tailed Tit.

Next site was Cwm Cadlan and has I was passing Aberdare  town centre ,I had one more bird.

51 Feral Pigeon.

52 Red Kite.

54 Great Grey Shrike.

55 Common Crossbill  and I had two flocks and twenty in total.

56 Common Buzzard .

Next stop was Llwyn on Reservoir and it was dead and I only  had one new bird.

57 Pied Wagtail. It was on the spillway and no sign of the Grey Wagtail or Water Pipit.

Next stop was Garwnant

58 Fieldfare . After failing to find Martin or Mike  flock of winter thrush at Cwm Cadlan and when I found this small flock it was a bonus and one I thought I had lost my chance of for the day.

59 Great Spotted Woodpecker.

60 Kestrel  .

61 Chaffinch was the last bird of the day.

I Put food on the feeding tables at Garwnant and I had load of chaffinches and Nuthatch and three species of Tit and sadly no Willow Tit showed up.The car park was  pretty full and there was loads of people and I think it was just to busy for them. I did have a brief view of a Tit on the road coming down and it looked right but it never called and I could not find it again and also I had a Brief snatch of song which sound like Green woodpecker and it never called again. I also checked Cantref Reservoir and there was only four Mallard on there and Becons Reservoir was dead and no birds . The last place I stopped  was the 4059 road over to Hirwaun and the chance  of any Owls or Harriers being out were slim and it was windy and drizzling and not the best condition. I also had a nice surprise in the Mammal department and my first Mammal for 2019 was a Female Otter and Second was a Mink and I did not see one last year at all and I think this will be my new  goal for the New Year day of the Future .

 I  also found three Muscovy ducks on the canal and the third one was jumping the fence when I was there and maybe new bird for the Valleys one day.