Skokholm

A late Arctic Tern was in Broad Sound and a Ring Ouzel was on Ann's Knoll

Bits & pieces

The gorgeous family part of 6 Whooper Swans still in their favoured field at Sandy Haven this morning.

An enjoyable couple of hours with Leo at the Gann late morning included the long-staying Spotted Redshank and a green-ringed Herring Gull that wasn't from Skomer - details awaited.

Lisa and I had a good search of Dale Airfield in the hope that the recent Killdeer might be lurking there somewhere.  Several parts look superb but alas no luck.  At least 19 Snipe seen, along with around 30 Lapwing and 4 Golden Plover.

St David's, Dowrog and Wiseman's Bridge Yesterday

 Two records sent in via email for yesterday - apologies for the late posting.

From Gary and Sarah Manning - 

On a long weekend in Pembs so  took a trip to St David's Head this afternoon.  Peregrine kestrel and  2 very obliging Merlin. 2 chough and a small pod of dolphins ( probably Common) which looked to be  2 mother's and 2 calves.

From there to Dowrog and sparrowhawk and kestrel kept us entertained initially.  A cettis warbler was calling as the light faded. Then a male Hen harrier landed after a brief look around. A ringtail bird then arrived, and about 5 minutes later a second(?) Male hen harrier appeared and for the next 10 -15 minutes seemed to fall up settle,flap up again until we lost it as the light failed.

 

From Steve Thomas - 4 crossbill in the conifers opposite the Wiseman’s Bridge Inn.  

 

Skokholm

Two Sooty Shearwater were off the Quarry this morning

Steve Sutcliffe

Steve had a remarkable and lasting impact on the conservation of (at least) four Pembrokeshire islands: Skomer, Skokholm, Caldey and St Margaret’s. Two pictures that capture his incredible dedication to, and love of, our islands: 

1) Carrying the figurehead of the Alice Williams ashore at Dale, having brought her off Skokholm for repainting and restoration. She is now back in the Wheelhouse on Skokholm.

2) Steve and Anna on Caldey in July of this year, checking one of the arrays of nearly one hundred newly-dug Manx Shearwater nest boxes. As typical with Steve, he had the amazing vision to restore the breeding colonies on the island, and then cajoled friends, contacts, the authorities, and funders until the boxes were paid for and made. And the work parties to install them, and the sound systems that have already lured birds back to the area. 

Mike Alexander left us last week and now Steve Sutcliffe

It’s been a bad several days! 

Two giants in the world of Nature Conservation, especially for their huge input to the management of the Pembrokeshire Islands (Skomer and Skokholm in particular)  have left us: Mike Alexander last week, and now Steve Sutcliffe.

I had known them both for many years. I first became aware of Mike who, at a very young age, had been warden at the Calf of Man Bird Observatory back in 1967 (where I was to work several years later). Mike did an excellent job, getting the work of the Observatory back on track after a difficult period. Some time later of course, Mike (like Steve a bit later on) made a considerable mark on Skomer. Much later, when working for the Countryside Council for Wales, Mike was instrumental in the development of the Countryside Management System (CMS). This computerized planning and recording system (aimed at nature reserve managers like myself back then) was way ahead of the game, not only at a UK level but also at an international level!  

I first met Steve at a BTO Ringers Conference at Swanwick in Derbyshire probably in about 1970. At that time I was a keen trainee ringer, living in the West Midlands. It was some years later, that I got to know Steve and Mike much better when I moved to Pembs. in 1984.

Steve, a very keen ringer, a passionate and excellent golfer, had a considerable interest in the islands of course. His contributions to the development and work of the “Friends”, and his passion for seabirds (notably his very long-established ringing studies of cormorants and large gulls on Caldey and St Margarets Islands) are all legendary!

More recently Steve, with Anna and others, had started a new and exciting project aimed at encouraging Manx Shearwaters and Storm Petrels to breed on a now "rat-free" Caldey Island - a place Steve had been involved with since his teenage days (possibly earlier). It is such a great pity that he will not see how the efforts of his labours come to fruition in the years to come.  

So much more could, and will be said about Steve and about Mike. There just isn’t enough space here. 

Annie and I are so pleased to have had the privilege of knowing them both…. RIP!

Bob

Porthclais and St Davids airfield

3 firecrest in Porthclais, 2 by the caravan and one opposite the house. Pair of blackcaps and a few redwings. Good to bump into Huw and share a firecrest.

Met Paul at the airfield to see if any harriers roosted. Just a female hen harrier which headed over the bug farm towards the Dowrog around 4pm. A few redwing and couple of fieldfare, 300 lapwing flying over, c100 chaffinch in maize field stubbles. Barn owl over the road on the way home. 

Manorbier late afternoon.

3 Firecrest and a Chiffchaff with the mixed tit flocks in the woods behind the castle on a short walk this afternoon.

Manorbier

 A meander around the woods by Manorbier Castle with Richard Ellis this morning started off well with 3 Blackcaps (2 males and a female type) in the trees at the back of the car park. Another male Blackcap was seen in the woods on the north side of the castle. Otherwise the woods were pretty quiet apart from plenty of Long Tailed Tits, a few Goldcrests, Blue and Great Tits and a couple of G S Woodpeckers. In the fields between Jamestown and Manorbier there was a large flock of Skylarks - 200+. A group of berry laden Hawthorn trees held 20 or more Redwings and with them a couple of Greenfinches and some Chaffinches.

Egrets at Quoits Mill

From Melanie Felton: Have 23 little egret on Quoits Mill Pill at 14.20 , largest number I have seen here for a few years. 

Llys-y-fran

I did my gulls WeBS this evening. Arriving late around 4pm there were scattered groups of gulls with the biggest concentrations towards the top half as is often the way. I'd passed a few hundred LBB lifting off the fields just east of Llys-y-fran heading towards the dam on my way. With the recent wet weather it was no surprise to see around 1500 gulls in the field to the north who were reluctant to come to roost. A count at 4:30pm gave 5,200 LBBs, 445 BH gulls, c40 Herring gull, 10 Common gull, 3 adult Yellow-legged gulls and a single adult Mediterranean. The failing light and drizzle had me packing up around 4:45pm with a big wave of large gulls arriving from the east. Looking across from near the boat house gulls were 10 deep and the length of the reservoir and into the western arm. 50 Greylag geese flew in noisily from the south as I left at 4:55pm did a u-turn and headed back the way they'd come presumably back to the Cleddau.

Ringed GBB Gull

A ringed GBB juvenile seen at Mackerel Quay Milford Haven this afternoon, 10/11.25 approx 15 30. Red W479. Update on 12/11 -  DB has had a reply from the Skokholm warden. W479 was ringed near the lighthouse in June and last seen in July. 

Dave Butler 

WeBS at Fishguard Harbour

 Three Great Northern Diver in the harbour on this mornings WeBS, and also 19 Ringed Plover, a good number for this site.

There were a couple of colour-ringed gulls:

Black-headed gull (J0852) ringed under a Norwegian scheme, and a  Med Gull (PYT8) ringed under a Polish scheme, awaiting details on both.

Whooper Swans

 Family of six look like they're firmly esconsed in the field above Sandyhaven chapel. Two weeks now.

Another Black Redstart

Black redstart, Johnston.  Sunday pm.    Dave Butler 

Black Redstarts

Hello, on Thursday a Black Redstart at The Hookses, Dale airfield and also one at the cottages at St Anne's Head.

Mike Duckham.

Other news

Some excellent birds reported on other platforms include. The Pallid harrier briefly at the Dowrog on Friday, a Pallid swift at Carreg wastad, Goodwick, same day. Pallas warbler and Dusky warbler, both Porthclais on Saturday by Steve Jones and George Mee. 3 Glossy ibis, by Lisa in the feld above Mullock bridge on Saturday.

North Pembs

Two Snow Bunting over Foel Eryr and a female Scaup on Rosebush res this morning. (Den Vaughan)

Three new Firecrests on the Teifi Marshes this morning...also 3 adult Whooper Swans and 9 Goosander on the river..

Dale

A good look around the airfield, dozen or so blackbird on the track up, a few chaffinch, a chiffchaff, a blackcap and goldcrests. 110 lapwing in the old potato field did a fly around. Flocks of starling collectively numbered around 1,000. Lots of pipit, skylark and a mixed flock of 75 linnet and goldfinch. Only 7 snipe on a walk through the inner triangle. A swallow at Marloes Sands end. No sign of Lisa's ibis at Mullock, bumped into Andy B who informed me they'd flown northwards. I wandered up the road back towards the Slate Mill to get a view of the fields towards St Brides, 100 wood pigeon, small flock of redwing, 2 red kite, 5 jays and 2 mistle thrush passing down the valley. Back for a look up Mullock marsh, chiffchaff in the reeds by Crabhall, but quiet until a young peregrine flushed the spotted redshank from one of the creeks.

WeBS Castlemartin Corse

Thanks to Richard for joining me and to Adam who contributed to the count when we happened to be in the hide at the same time as each other.

The recent rain means a nice lot of water currently present on the Corse. I wonder how well the water will hold this winter after recent required drainage work. Most of the birds counted were from upper corse farmland section. 

We had a flock of 548 lapwing which later started to move from upper corse to feeding on the fields opposite the hide. A small flock of 38 Golden Plover were also present. We recorded 5 Curlew, 3 from upper corse and 2 over hide area. A flock of 24 Graylag and a little egret was also present on upper corse.

We had 160 Black Headed gulls on the upper corse along with a handful of Lesser Black Back and Herring Gull to finish the gull species off.

As for ducks we totalled 92 Mallard, 17 Shoveller, 29 Wigeon, 43 Teal and 4 Pintail. 

The 2 Grey herons and a lone Moorhen were added when we met Adam.

Think the highlight again was the female Kingfisher who kindly flew about in front of hide but she then flew to a fence post a little too far away for an image.

As Richard and I started to walk back a sparrowhawk flew past us which was the first raptor of the day. 

I walked the ‘snipe’ field which added to the at that time single figure count to total 49 birds. On the way back across the field I picked up on a kestrel which was hovering over adjacent field. 

The Marsh Harriers decided to be shy today and did not make the count but know there were 2 there a week ago. No water rail were heard today, yet there were a few shouting at each other from within the reeds last time I was there! 

WEBS at the Gann

Nothing particulalry exciting apart from two Bar-tailed Godwits, but the whole area was simply hopping with assorted pipits and wagtails. Nice to see so many small birds about. 

Rosemary Royle 

Male pochard at Penberi

 A male pochard was a nice surprise at Penberi earlier this morning. 

Ring-tail hen harrier and 3 jack snipe were the highlights of an early WeBS on Dowrog