Lesser and Greater Scaup at Cosmeston...

Great-crested grebe

I presume most of you and hopefully all of you that either follow, or read my blog know that I am going for a yearlist of 300 this year in Britain!! This hopefully will be achieved.. Don't forget to take into account that I 'do not' drive and all birds have been seen via car, train, bus, taxi or walking.. The car section relates to someone else driving.. a bit of obvious really!!

Anyway, enough of my ranting on.. You'll all know with a target like that I can't afford to miss out on a rarity, so that is exactly what I did on the 2oth March..

There has been a Drake Lesser Scaup down in Glamorgan at Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, just south of Penarth near Cardiff.. The bird has been present for the last 2 winters and it was still there when I had the day off.. So... the night before I set about planning the trip down there.. An early start, 2 trains there and 2 trains back.. 2 mile walk from Penarth - easy!

{Lesser Scaup}

{Greater Scaup}

- Woke up early on the saturday morning at 4am,

- Left Bangor at 4:57 am

- Arrived at Cardiff central at 9:22

- Left Cardiff central at 9:31

- Arrived at Penarth at 9:46

Fantastic train journey... I then had to walk just under 2 miles to Cosmeston Lakes Country Park which took me 15 minutes or so from Penarth... at 10:20am I was watching the Drake Lesser scaup alongside a Drake Greater Scaup.. Bingo and job done!!!! Snap snap and about 100 pictures taken of which half a dozen were mega!! I was back in Bangor that night at 8pm... Cracking day!!!

{Lesser Scaup}


{Lesser Scaup - right hand bird + Greater Scaup - Left hand bird}

{Lesser Scaup}

{Lesser Scaup}

Other birds seen included: 2 Green woodpeckers and 6 Chiffchaffs.. A mega day with very little hassle..

Below are the pictures to prove it!! Cheers