Some details of a LBB Gull sporting a blue ring that was at Marloes Mere a few days ago. Although the ring is broken and slightly abraded on the side in view there is sufficient to confirm it as being of the form
F:XXX, in this case F:09?.
This narrows it down to being one of 10 birds ringed in 2014 on Flat Holm Island near Cardiff.
If anyone sees it and can read the full number on other side of the ring the ringers will be very pleased to hear confirmation of it.
An old saying often used to guide newcomers to birding is "A rook on his own is a Crow, a Crow in a crowd is a Rook" Of course as with anything in the natural world, there are often exceptions, but generally this holds true.
For birders with any experience of course, there is no difficulty separating the two, but what about the birds themselves?
This year in Sutton, the Rookery has definitely increased in size with the nest count likely to top 100, but among the raucous clamour, there is a persistent 3 or 4 note call, yes, a Carrion Crow seems to have decided to become a member of the family, and he is very determined, been here with the same pair of Rooks (who are not best pleased) since February. Every now and then they try and see him off, and on one occasion it developed into a right old scrap, but the Crow had the upper hand (Beak?) and so won his seat.
We have over the years had some odd occurances at the rookery, it was displaced by Ravens from an earlier location, the chicks were predated on for about 3 years by an opportunistic Buzzard and later again by a Raven, the Crow who would be a Rook is just the latest episode in the drama.
I thought it was unusual enough to make a post about though.
3 at Westfield Pill this morning.In a lifetime of birding in the county, my only other sightings were at Mathry and Llysyfran in the late 70's,early 80's.Potential county tick for some, if not disturbed by dog walkers.
Two Greylag Geese, a gander and goose, were seen yesterday (30/3/26) on the pond just before the railway bridge on the back road between the A40 and Mathry, where in 2024 also 2025, goslings were raised.
Swallows were passing by Strumble Head as were Manx Shearwaters. Today a single partially moulted Turnstone, and a single Wheatear were on the Green Breakwater, Fishguard Harbour. Also in the harbour, three winter plumaged Great Northern Divers and a Black Guillimot were also present
Rob Davies from Llanunwas managed to get an unusual flight-angle photo of a fine, and apparently very obliging, male ring ouzel at Morfa Common yesterday. He noted some wheatears there too.
Down in the south, we had a walk around Penally yesterday and Manobier to Lydstep this afternoon. It was good to see rooks busy in a wooded area at Penally that they have been mostly absent from for the last few years, and at a possible new small rookery at Skrinkle.
A few swallows were passing along the coast yesterday and also today. A male was back in a breeding territory near Skrinkle – visiting a likely nest site and singing on a nearby fence. There were no obvious females in the area though.
Like Rosemary's observation, a bit early here too but not especially so. Having noted passage in North Pembs in the first few days of March, presumably they have been arriving earlier in some other places too.
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| This male swallow spent several minutes singing on a fence near a building it also visited this afternoon, where there has been evidence of breeding in previous years |
Kestrels were back in likely breeding areas; an adult female/immature male noted at Penally yesterday and a fine adult male at Manorbier this afternoon.
It was also good to see a few starlings at likely usual breeding locations at Manorbier. Their breeding populations are quite scattered in Pembs. but, in south Pembs, the area between Manorbier Newton/Jameston to Tenby and to Pentlepoir seems to be a regular breeding zone.
Choughs seem to be settling in too at most expected places in south Pembs. At this time of year, we often see courtship feeding, where the female will sometimes call a bit like a recently fledged juvenile, and raise and quiver her open wings, to encourage her partner to feed her.
We've been observing some pairs doing this at a few places in recent days, but at one location yesterday a lone
individual (probably a female) was behaving this way with no obvious male
around at all. This very approachable bird landed in front of one of us (Bob)
and, from only a few feet away, started to call and wing-quiver as if it was
expecting to be fed! Whilst I probably do know the choughs quite well along
the south Pembs coast, having been observing them regularly during the breeding season
for more than 40-years, this is possibly the first time that I seem to have been singled out
and solicited by one of them!
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| This chough definitely seemed to want my attention from only a few feet away! |
Watching this bird as it came closer to me, I had immediate recollections of similar chough behaviour on Islay, in the Hebrides, from some photos sent to me by Eric Bignal who monitors choughs there. He used to regularly feed (possibly still does) a small flock at a winter-feeding station. They waited for him and started wing-quivering as soon as he got out of his vehicle. I wondered if this bird was also used to being fed by someone. Future visits will hopefully reveal if it does have a feathered partner somewhere. If not, with any luck it will have one soon. Choughs are very intelligent birds and their individual behaviour is sometimes unpredictable but always fascinating to watch!
2 swallows on our electricity wires today!! If they are "our" breeding swallows then this is incredibly early - usually they arrive about 17th April.
Rosemary Royle
After days of cold wind it was, unexpectedly, warm enough to sit outside in the garden and I’m glad I took advantage. Early afternoon I looked up to see a large raptor soaring overhead and with binoculars to hand found it was a Goshawk. After being approached by a Crow it moved on and started displaying briefly with some slow wing beats. A second Gos then appeared chasing the first bird and they both flew off eastward.
A stunning drake Mandarin.3 drake, one female Gadwall,with signs of nest building taking place, and a very vocal Cetti's warbler.
A single bird flew across the road in front of me at Rickeston as I was returning from Milford about an hour ago.
Spent a bit of time around Mere and Deer Park today. Ran into Andy Sims on my way round, said to him I had not seen a swallow yet and just after we parted ways one flew past me, heading west across the headland! It must have heard what I had said! Shortly afterwards saw a buzzard getting harrassed by a herring gull over field to east of fort.
Saw 4 Tufted duck as well as a lone Pintail on the Mere. The highlight though being a lone Black Tailed Godwit. Various gulls had come in for a bit of a wash which included 2 Black Headed gull. Had one Swallow (different to the one above) and 6 Sand martins over the water.
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| Had to attempt to try and get an image of a Sand martin! |
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| Black Tailed Godwit |
Got out to sit on Wooltack Point just at the right moment today. I first saw a number of gannet coming past and then suddenly this turned into mass diving of birds. Amazing to watch, though I then forgot to count how many, would have been in excess of 40 birds. Moments later I realised it was all related to a pod of Common Dolphin that had come along the coast and then went into Jack Sound to feed. Lovely to watch how nature works together dolphin from below, gannets above. Also saw a couple of Kittiwake, a shag, 2 oystercatcher and a fulmar (alomg with the usual gulls). The Wheater are back in most of the normal locations around the Deer Park.
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| Some of the gannet after one of the mass dive sessions |
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| Due to wind some birds were passing close to the end of the point |
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Common Dolphin moving towards Wooltack Point |
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| Fulmar |
Made some effort recently to check the receding flooded field at the bottom of the small valley along Coal lane between Sageston and the Ridgeway.
The 5 Egyptian Geese (first seen at the end of February) were again there this evening along with 19 Greylag Geese. Yesterday evening a Green Sandpiper and a quick stop on Thursday afternoon produced a Jack snipe.
On the Stena side of the harbour this morning a group of 5 Great Northern Divers, a single Great Crested Grebe and a Sandwich Tern.
Like reports from other WeBS counters on here numbers of waterfowl were quite low, although there were still a group of 31 Teal. Was nice to see the 2 Green Sandpipers still present in the upper Pill reaches. There were 8 Redshank and a single Greenshank at the Pill mouth.
Flushed 4 Snipe from the field by the Pill and later a bonus Jack Snipe got up from about 2 feet from where I was walking, if only I had looked down a split second earlier! (thinking of Caroline Pickett's similar comment!)
I could see David O's flock of Black-tailed Godwits on the far bank of the main river although there is now 18 instead of 16!
Incubation at the mini Heronry is underway with what looked like 3 birds sitting, plus an apparently unoccupied nest.
It was nice to a pair of Skylarks over an arable field adjacent to the farm, which although winter sown may provide some nesting opportunities due to the uneven take up of the crop as a result of poor weather over the winter.
A visit to Minwear and Pickle woodlands this afternoon, to undertake some recording for the BTO Cudyll Cymru (Monitoring Raptors in Wales) project, produced target species, e.g. buzzards displaying.
Among numerous woodland residents seen and/or heard, at least a dozen or more blackcaps were singing in expected territory areas (based on where they have been recorded in previous annual BBS observations). Several chiffchaffs were also singing in the woodland, in usual/expected places.
A look over the Eastern Cleddau below the picnic site produced several swallows and others near Blackpool Mill. There must have been at least 20 or more feeding over the river but, surprisingly, no sand martins. A single dipper was seen in a usual territory zone near Blackpool Mill.
NB all species were identified (as usual) by trusted human eyes and ears only!
From Craig Nicholl: Walking down from the car park towards Runwayskiln a Hoopoe flew across the access road into the field on the left and sat on the hedge next to the telegraph pole. After a few moments it flew off in the direction of Marloes hopefully back to the Church it favours!