Cardiff City Centre flock

[teasel2001]

Hi
I saw a large flock of small birds roosting in Cardiff city centre last week. They are smaller than starlings, about sparrow size. As it was getting dark and they were quite noisy and active I couldn't make out any distinguishing features, but they may have had longish tails?
Anyone have any ideas?
Cheers!

[Wild-Woman]

Maybe Pied Wagtails?

[rogpow]

Originally Posted by Wild-Woman

Maybe Pied Wagtails?

That was my thought. There's a tree in the middle of a town near me where pied wagtails roost in the winter and are very noisy and active as they settle down.
I seem to remember Bill Oddie on the TV a few years back filming at a pied wagtail roost in a city centre.

Rog

[teasel2001]

Thanks! I didn't know that about pied wagtails. I'll try and have a better look if I go into the centre again soon.

[Shrike]

could well be pied wagtails but the first bird that sprang to my mind when you mentioned "noisy" was Goldfinches.

[tigertom]

Originally Posted by Shrike

could well be pied wagtails but the first bird that sprang to my mind when you mentioned "noisy" was Goldfinches.

Most likely pied wagtails very noisy when going to roost want to hear the ones that roost under police stn car park roof at halton lea (Large shopping centre) can be over 100 there most winters have noticed as well very few cars get parked in that part of car park at night
MIKE

[RoyW]

Sounds very much like Pied Wagtails. I have a roost of a couple of hundred near me, they use a small evergreen tree (some sort of oak I think) in a supermarket car park, and can be seen lining up on the supermarket roof before going in to roost.