White Stork

From Ian Kedie: On fields, amongst working tractors, near Clarbeston road, 3pm today.

Marloes Peninsular - Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Osprey etc.

I arrived at the airfield early this morning to find Jack watching the Buff-breasted Sandpiper doing circuits around the runway and adjacent fields. After briefly landing in the field next to the runway ponds, it disappeared towards the ploughed field at the far end of the runway. Impatience eventually got the better of us and we followed to scan the ploughed field. What at first sight looked barren, through the scope turned into a field full of Ringed Plovers (40+), few Dunlins and a Curlew Sandpiper. A Green Sandpiper also appeared as a fly-over.

Later, at The Gann, a juvenile, unringed Osprey did a circuit of bay as I arrived but, being mobbed by crows near the road, flew back to land in the bushes next to the pools. It stayed there for 5 minutes before disappearing upstream towards Mullock bridge. A Common Sandpiper was on what were otherwise quiet pools. 

Dale airfield waders

From Cheryl Hewitt: I spent a few pleasant hours on Monday afternoon at Dale Airfield with John Whitehurst . A few fellow birders were  all pleased to see the Buff breasted sandpiper and Ruff, amongst the cows. Unfortunately we didn’t see the Baird's sandpiper. 
I managed to get shots of the 4 ruff in flight and a the BB sandpiper through the fence .  

Unusual Goldfinch

From Trevor Theobald: Striking plumage variant visiting my Spittal garden this weekend  

Strumble and Buff-breasted sandpiper, Dale airfield

A promising looking forecast didn't quite deliver what was anticipated for the 25-30 assembled Strumblers. However there were still some cracking birds on the move including a Cory's shearwater, 6 Sooty  shearwater, 6 adult Sabine's gull, adult Little gull, a Pomarine and c20 Arctic skua.

News then broke of a Buff-breasted sandpiper in the company of a group of ruff up on the airfield. Which is having a pretty good run of decent waders. The b-b sandpiper was in the field behind the trough runway pools but didn't seem very settled and had a couple of fly arounds in the company of the ruff and some snipe. It returned to the field a couple of times but then took a longer trip and appeared to dropped down in the ploughed field at the top of the runway towards Marloes end. Nice to bump in to a couple of nice guys George Reed (ticking off the buff-breast for his Big Year and currently top of eBird 2026) and Trevor Ellery who'd made the trip from Milton Keynes for some Welsh rarities. Trevors back of the camera image below of the buff-breast and a snipe.

Dale Airfield - Buff-breasted Sandpiper

 A trip to Dale Airfield this morning in the hope of seeing the Baird's Sandpiper (at the fourth attempt) turned out out to be unfruitful in that way, but still very worthwhile.

Having had several brief glimpses of a smallish wader on the runway beyond the water trough, myself and a visiting birder finally managed to see it more clearly and identify it as a Wood Sandpiper. After getting reasonable views of it, we then did a circuit of the airfield, spotting 3 Whinchat during that time.

Having failed to find the Baird's Sandpiper, and then spent some time at the Gann, where a decent selection of waders were present. I was about to return home, when news came through that a Buff-breasted Sandpiper had been spotted in a field with cows in near to the famous trough. It was great to catch up with it there, along with 4 Ruff, before returning home.  

Skokholm

Wryneck and Balearic Shearwater today

White Stork

From Gethin Jenkins: 

White Stork spotted circling in the area between Maenclochog and Llys y fran today, likely the same one spotted in Woodstock yesterday as its only 3-4 miles as the stork flies!

Skokholm

Wryneck and the lingering Melodious Warbler today. 

Baird's sandpiper still at Dale airfield

 

The Baird's sandpiper was in the regular spot by the trough runway pools at 9am. Unfortunately just as I'd spotted it, a couple of snipe spotted me, causing a ripple of leaving waders! At least 12 snipe, 11 ringed plover, 4 ruff (1 reeve), a redshank and a green sandpiper, and 3 teal. All appeared to head over the field behind the trough apart from the green sandpiper that headed for the pond. Heavy rain arrived so I moved away in the hope of finding some shelter which is never easy here. Another group of ringed plover on the stoney field otherwise no more waders on the other runways. Approaching the blackthorn scrub the terr, terr, terr of a very vocal Dartford warbler could be heard but despite it calling for 5-10minutes I only got a couple of fleeting views. The frustration continued with a silent willow-type warbler that refused to call or show well. Just whitethroats and stonechat the only other birds in the scrub. 100s of pipits and wagtails, a yellow wagtail called but couldn't see it. 2-3 whinchat, 4 young wheatear. Kestrel and buzzard hunting around. There were no waders on the pools on my return, the ruff were in the damp field behind the pools and I could hear ringed plover calling somewhere close by, it turned out these were on the out of bounds section of the runway with the big tyres that heads in the direction of the farm, whilst scanning the plovers the Baird's came in to view all looked quite settled as they scuttled around the runway.

Osprey on the Cleddau

An osprey was patrolling the far bank of the Cleddau opposite Rudders Boatyard yesterday.

Dawn Nelmes Hobby Pic'

Yesterdays Young Hobby taken by Dawn with her phone from her garden overlooking Stena port. Goodwick

White Stork

From Michael Williams: I believe I may have spotted a White stork on our farm near Woodstock, Pembs. 

It had a ring on its leg I think but I was unable to get close enough to see for sure.

Marloes peninsula

4 whinchat and a spotted flycatcher the pick of tonights circuit. Some great looking weedy fields between Trehill farm and Martin's Haven, with some nice flocks of linnet to keep me scanning and a lot more meadow pipits than of late. 4-5 robin were new in. 5 buzzard, a kestrel and a sparrowhawk. Only dragonfly was a hawker sp. at 8pm but not enough light to ID.

 

A grand day out!

A nice birding day with Stevo! Highlights included a Common Sandpiper and Greenshank, at the Parrog! Around 12 to15 Sandwich Terns came into the harbour after a brief shower, but star bird of the day was a Hobby seen hawking insects along the railway line opposite Stena customs shed, which was photographed and videoed by Dawn Nelmes, who lives above the line!

Ortolan bunting, near Porthgain quarry

From Steve Jones. Pied Fly, Spotted flycatcher, Tree Pipit, Blackcaps etc. Didn't know which way to look! Ortolan was the first bird i clapped eyes on. 

Dale Airfield & The Gann

A decent selection of birds at the Gann late afternoon yesterday (27/8) including a Ruff, 20 Ringed Plover and 9 Dunlin.  At least 17 Mediterranean Gulls amongst a decent flock of Black-headed, as well as my first Wigeon (3) and Teal (4) of the autumn here.

On to Dale Airfield where I bumped into Dave O, Huw & Anne Lewis, and could see a distant Roger & Helen.  No sign of the Baird's Sandpiper, but as Dave mentioned 2 lovely Ruff (what a size difference!) and 6 Dunlin.  I decided to check the gulls in the field in the north-west corner of the airfield and was pleased to find a Caspian Gull amongst a large flock (c.240) of Lesser Black-backed Gulls (the vast majority of 80 or so Great Black-backed Gulls decided to sod off, as the tend to, before I got anywhere near them!).  A single Skomer-ringed Lesser (green LJ) was the only colour-ring I could find.

The spectre of hybrids clouds the identification of Caspian Gull, but this one looked good to me

I passed Dave O again on my way to the car, he off to try and find the Casp, me off to get back to cook dinner (mission not accomplished, sorry Lisa). I stopped to admire a large flock of hirundines low over the eastern runway, a nice mix of Barn Swallow and Sand Martin, when amongst all the chattering I thought I heard the Baird's Sandpiper call. And again.  And again.  But I couldn't see it, so decided to walk back to the wet patch and check it for a third and final time.  There was the Baird's!  I put the news out on the Pembrokeshire Rare Birds WhatsApp group and was soon joined by Dave, and then Huw, and we enjoyed the bird together before dinner called.

Dale Airfield - Baird's Sandpiper, Ruff and Reeve

The Baird's Sandpiper dropped into the flooded runway late in the afternoon. Thanks to Dave A for detecting it and guiding me on to it as I was at the other end of the runway when it appeared. What a stunning bird it is. 

Earlier in the afternoon a juvenile pair of Ruff and Reeve were pottering around in the now more extensive water and mud on the runway, in the company of 6 Dunlins.

Lots of White and Pied Wagtails and Wheatears also present.

Skokholm

Melodious Warbler still, Montagu's Harrier headed for Marloes at 0930, a Quail was around the Obs and more migrants included three Pied and 16 Spotted Flycatcher, six each of Tree Pipit and Yellow Wagtail

Skokholm

A remarkable day with full totals as always on the Skok blog. Highlights were a colour ringed juvenile Montagu's Harrier, a juvenile Long-tailed Skua overhead and a Melodious Warbler. 

Flagpoles Fishguard

 Sandwich tern 3 juv

Med gull 6 ads 2 juv

Whimbrel 2 

Greenshank 1

Redshank 2

Oystercatcher 10

Turnstone 15

A Suffolk Kestrel in Pembrokeshire

On 14th July Richard Rees discovered the remains of a bird of prey on Glen Beach, Saundersfoot.  It was ringed, including yellow colour-ring FJ.  He sent me the details and I managed to track down the ringing scheme through the magic of European Colour-ring Birding.  The bird was a Common Kestrel, ringed as one of a brood of five on 16th June at RSPB Lakenheath Fen in Suffolk.  Quite how it came to be on a beach in Saundersfoot just four weeks later is obviously a bit of a mystery, but I would think at the very least it got to the Bristol Channel somehow. The ringers are pretty amazed at this recovery.  Let's hope the fortunes of the other four chicks have been more positive