Eight members of the U3a Natural History group gathered on the morning of Thursday, March 5th at the Channel View Leisure Centre and walked around a section of Cardiff Bay, ably led by Linda and Rob Nottage. The weather was bright and mild, with no wind and good visibility, and it was interesting to explore what for most of us was a less frequented corner of Cardiff’s waterfront. By strolling and sharing our observations we were rewarded with a variety of birdlife, and at long last Spring was in the air.
Cormorants and herons were hunting the fish in the broad river Taff as we crossed the Clarence Road bridge. We made our way through Hamadryad Park, with its unusually large flock of magpies, down to the reed beds of the wetlands. An elusive Cetti’s warbler was singing loudly. There was a flock of goosander, tufted ducks, swans and one moorhen, coots and great crested grebes were pairing and displaying, black headed gulls were in varying stages of plumage, sparrows were enjoying a dust bath. We saw efforts to encourage wildflowers in the no-mow grasslands, and several vessels on the river were clearing branches and debris. In the residential areas, we enjoyed the scent of winter sweet and camellias and magnolias in their full glory. We had been told of sightings of scaup and a little gull, but those who searched for these were disappointed. Others found the coffee stop at St David’s hotel a welcome break. All in all, this proved to be a very pleasant morning.
Betty Alden