Western Reef Heron

 

Kingfisher buzzed by just as I'd pressed the shutter button, heron looks a bit startled. What a cracking bird.

Western Reef Heron @ Sandy Haven - it's back!

Following the sighting of this 1st for Britain at Sandy Haven back on 13th May, and it's presence in North Wales from 5th to 20th June, today it reappeared at Sandy Haven!  After speaking to a local resident it transpires she saw it yesterday, let's hope it stays for a while so that everyone can enjoy this special visitor to our County.

The bird can range anywhere from Sandy Haven beach up to the top end at Rickeston, subject to tide and disturbance.  There are VERY limited places to park along the west side of the pill, the best place to view from is the creek at Aenon Baptist Chapel where perhaps half a dozen cars can be parked safely on the wide side of the bend at the chapel wall.  The largest car park is on the east side at Sandy Haven Beach, accessed from Herbrandston, but across the high tide period you cannot access the pill itself much beyond the stepping stones opposite the caravan park (the crossing was cut off today over 3 hours before high tide).

Please do park considerately and good luck!  For anyone trying on Saturday please note there is a large cycling event passing through the area, details here.

More on Spotted Flycatchers

From Maggie Bissmire: Spotted flycatchers have returned to an old mossy nest in a trellis  on an outbuilding in our garden in Henry’s Moat.  There are at least 4 fledglings there this morning.   Last year they had 2 broods (4 and 2 eggs) but no chicks made it to adulthood from the second clutch.

Quail

From Matt Sutton: At least 3 quail singing on Castlemartin Range today

Marloes Mere

Female Marsh harrier around the mere this evening, attracted by the moorhen and coot chicks that are only just appearing. (unless I've completely missed earlier broods), Little grebe also have two young. 2 groups of well grown mallard ducklings. Large flock of around 400 young starling as well. 100s of Painted Ladies,  counted 50 along the track and the surrounding fields were bursting with them. Single Lesser emperor, couple of bright red, male red-veined darters and a ruddy darter. Black-tailed skimmers the most abundant.

Young Great Green Bush cricket

 

Ruddy darter (female)

 

Manxies?

From Vicky Pearson: 

We were out last night (Sunday) to watch the solstice sunset from Carn Ingli.  We sat for a the actual sunset on a big rock not far from the Bedd Morris car park.  Out a sea, on the east side of Dinas Mountain, not far off the coast, we could see a huge raft of birds, so close together it was just a dark mass, with dots of outliers.  (Between 9.15 & 9.45pm).  They were moving around, with the ‘dark mass’ dispersing and reforming, flying low over the sea.  It looked like a feeding frenzy on a fish ball.  

They didn’t ‘feel’ like gulls in behaviour and I guess they could be guillemots and razorbills from Needle Rock, but my feeling was Shearwaters.   Having seen Chris Peirpoint’s post about Manxies in Fishguard Bay the same evening, I’m hopefully someone can confirm that….

Breeding lesser whitethroats! Carew Millpond

Exactly where I saw a singing male lesser whitethroat on 26.04 (see blog) today a singing male was moving along the roadside hedgerows in Butts Lane by the entrance to the north car park. As far as I could make out a  brood was moving about - only brief views as they were keeping below the shrub canopy...(consults book)...says here they can have two broods? 

Breeding common sandpiper?

 Kayaking along the bottom of the woods at Goultrop Roads, little haven, I saw a pair of common sandpiper. The time is right for breeding as is the habitat (if a bit atypical)! The pair were behaving just like I've seen them when around nests in the lake district. Unconfirmed but interesting.

Preselis by horse

 On a ride up into the hills from Llandilo on a perfect day we recorded nesting House Martins at Ty Mawr (so close to home but they are only occasional flyovers at home). 2 adult Great Spotted Woodpeckers, singing Whitethroat, Reed Bunting, Grasshopper Warbler, Stonechat and Skylark, juvenile Mistle and Song Thrushes and Pied Wagtails and song flighting Meadow Pipits all along the edge of Coed Glyn Aeron. Also here was a singing Greenfinch which was a treat. Then across to Pantmaenog where several flyover Lesser Redpolls and Siskins were heard and juv Coal Tits in the trees. No Redstarts along the quarry track (used to be a cert in bird race days), Moorhen heard on the pond in Rosebush caravan park, 4 Swifts in Maenclochog village then back to our stable where our Great Tits have just fledged. 

Hobby - Dowrog

 At lunchtime today a Hobby was, briefly, hawking insects around the pools on the Dowrog. Also, a Cuckoo was being chased off the Dowrog by a Meadow Pipit.

Great Egret - Eastern Cleddau

 On Saturday, a Great Egret in its summer finery by the Eastern Cleddau at Slebech. This area also seems to be acting as a creche for Canada Geese in particular and also other waterfowl.

Manxies Fishguard Bay

There was cacophonous calling from Manx shearwaters, below and to both sides of my tent at Crincoed Point last night, from 00:30-02:15.  There must have been a substantial raft of birds down there.  Some very close fly-bys too.  They arrived in the dark and had left by dawn.  Magic!

Quail

Quail calling in fields near Talbenny on 20th at 5pm.

Chris and Karen Hatch 

Blackbird

From Steve: So glad that this juvenile Blackbird in Thomas Chapel had the white ring around the back of its neck otherwise I would have been thinking juvenile Ring Ouzel. I forgot to send it on the 9th sorry for the delay.

A great day in Pembrokeshire

From Samuel Levy: A great day in Pembrokeshire today. We had a few random things and some more expected. 

• Lots of Swifts on the move heading North along the coast from the Marloes peninsula potentially in the region or 100 to 200 N during the middle of the day so likely many more passed. 
• We had a Lesser Redpoll briefly at Martin's Haven sat on the walk of the gangway to get on the skomer boats. 
• 2 Yellow Wagtail were in the field next to Marloes Mere car park.
• Finally the Gann had lots of life today with 75+ Curlew, 40+ Oystercatcher, 3 Redshank, 4 Sanderling and a minimum of 1 Common Ringed Plover but likely more.

Hobby, Martin’s Haven

A Hobby came over the Deer Park from the direction of Skomer this afternoon at about 1630. It was jinking around, but not obviously chasing any of the Swifts and Swallows also present, so maybe after insects?

Last night, in the mist and fog (!), hundreds of Manx Shearwaters over the valley. Most were remarkably quiet, but we could hear their wingbeats as the swooped low around the cottage.

Pembrokeshire Bird Group Event- Storm Petrel Ringing

 

Strumble - Storm Petrels

Last night we were at Strumble Head ringing and monitoring Storm Petrel movements.   The Pembs Bird Group and intern students from Sea Trust joined us for a couple of hours as we processed and released the birds.

A successful night involved a  Storm Petrel ringed on Bardsey last July and  birds we had ringed at Strumble in 2024 and 2025 amongst the 23 birds handled.

Many thanks to Mike Hayes for arranging the guests.

Click here for ...   A summary of our  movement studies in 2025..

Teifi Ringing Group