Waldo stone nr Maenclochog

Short Eared Owl 1 flew around 7 15 pm
Kestrel pair
Buzzard 3
Stonechat 10+
Swallow 7
Raven 10

The Gann

An injured / sick / knackered Gannet at the far end of the lagoon, thought about picking it up but problematical - fading light, car too far away to get something to cover it, 2 dogs with me & that dagger of a beak - decided to let nature sort it out.
3 Grey Plover, 1 Kingfisher, 3-4 Barwits.

Angle Harbour

In addition to the birds on the Rhoscrowther shore of Angle Bay this afternoon, there was a Curlew Sandpiper on the spit in Angle Harbour - in a mixed flock of c.100 Dunlins and 30+ Ringed Plovers.

Angle Bay

At Kilpaison, Angle Bay, this afternoon 7 Grey Plover, 1 Knot, 110 Dunlin and just 2 Ringed Plover on the tideline as the tide came up. Also 200+ Wigeon and 9 Mute Swans. 3 Wheatear were amongst the rocks at the top of the beach.

Med Gull

From Josh Maynard - An adult Mediterranean gull was feeding on the Milford United football pitch - marble hall road at lunchtime today.

Castlemartin Corse

Female marsh harrier still present. Cetti's singing from scrub in centre of reedbed 150m N of hide. Fen meadow now much wetter and holding more snipe. Skylarks and swallows all over the site....and no fewer than 12 stonechats inc. 4 ad. males along a short section of fence by the bridleway, with linnets and meadow pipits. A single golden plover called.

Gann

Gann late afternoon: 12 Ringed plover, 12 Dunlin, 6 Grey plover, 6 Bar-tailed godwit, 3 Redshank. 10 Teal, 4-5 Little grebe, single Brent, 2 Wheatear and Kingfisher. Airfield: 2 Chiffchaff and a Goldcrest on track up. Single Wheatear and 8 Snipe. Noticeable movement of Swallows heading eastward all the time I was out.

That April colour-ringed osprey on Milford Haven Waterway

Back in mid-April a colour-ringed osprey was photographed with a fish on Milford Haven waterway, near Neyland (photos in the April Blog report had been forwarded by Lynne Houlston). This bird had been ringed as nestling on 2nd July 2008 at Loch Ard Forest, Stirling, Scotland.

Back in mid April, was this adult still on its way back to Scotland at the time, or was it likely to be breeding somewhere else?

Much more recently in Sept, a colour-ringed juvenile black-headed Gull was recorded at Pembroke Millpond (reported on the Blog a week or so ago). The origin of this bird is still to be determined but two of the digits on the ring are similar to those on colour-rings recorded on two adults at the Millpond a couple or so years ago. So, most likely the Millpond juv will have been ringed (like the other two were) in Poland - awaiting confirmation.

Turtle Dove in Marloes

This picture was taken in a garden in Marloes on the 22nd September. This is not a particularly unusual occurrence - there was one long staying bird in October 2011 - but I would be curious to know where on earth they are going to or coming from!

Teifi Waders

Late afternoon at the Webley.     Dunlin and Ringed Plover much the same as yesterday, but with the addition of a numbered-colour-ringed Dunlin that I failed to read properly.

2 Curlew Sandpipers, 2 Little Stints, and a fly-by flock of 28 Bar-tailed Godwits.

Curlew Sandpiper

Little Stints

and one of these.

The Gann

11 Grey plover this afternoon (8+3) 1 Greenshank, 1 Brent Goose, masses of Gulls at the rivermouth.

Skomer

It had been a while since we updated the sightings page on the island blog but Jason and I spent the last few days updating and uploading a few images, good and bad, when we could. Some decent migrants - yellow-browed, Lapland Bunting, Wrynecks, icterine, Little Stints etc. and a few Risso's, Common Dolphins all seen in the last week or so.

Migration

A group of five Pintails passed over Rudbaxton heading swiftly southwards mid afternoon..

Dinnas Island

Chough 4
Gannet 25
Guilimot 5
Oystercatcher 25
Kittiwakes 100
Fulmar 10
Rock Pipit 4
Great Spotted Woodpecker 2
Stonechat 6+
An enjoyable walk around until the rain came

Newport am

Upstream from the bridge 3 redhead Goosanders & a Kingfisher.
With the gulls 2 ad Meds, 2 of the local Gloucester landfill ringed Herring Gulls, & a 1st W Herring Gull (tho I suspect I will be told it's a LBB) Blue F:544 probably ringed on Flat Holm Island in the Bristol Channel.
1 Greenshank, & on the roost c40 Curlews & a Little Egret.

Gann-ness monster?

Activity at or just below the surface of the lagoon for a few minutes had me intrigued - then this Otter appeared. It looked at me from "periscope depth" for a second or two before submerging & vanishing, I never saw it again. Same animal as last week? Birdwise quiet given the windy conditions.

The Gann

Last night around 6pm eleven Mute Swans flew over our house East - West, this morning they were at the Gann. Part of the fabric of the UK`s waterscape & familiar to everyone, what surprised me however was the adults had managed to successfully rear & keep nine Cygnets.

Martins Haven Choughs

From Mike B - This morning I was able to watch a group of eight chough at Renney Slip, Martins Haven. Attached a couple of photos but could not get them all as a group.

Teifi Waders

Webley mudbanks, 14:15 - 15:15, high water 14:35 but only 3.7m, so lots of mud exposed.

Dunlin 137, Oystercatcher 99, Ringed Plover 72, Bar-tailed Godwit 6, Curlew Sandpiper 3, Little Stint 2, Grey Plover 2, Knot 1, Curlew 1.

Gann.... after work

New arrivals this afternoon, 8 Wigeon, Brent still there, met an ex Gann patch birder - John Lloyd visiting from Shropshire - who had 8 Grey Plover & a colour ringed Curlew, he told me the number but my memory is now a forgetory,, though I think he indicated he would email it to this blog.
Also at least 7 Barwits.

Gann

Good variety first light inc a Derek just migrating to work. Birdwise - 20 Teal, 4 Little grebe, a Kingfisher and 3 Chough on grassy area. The 11 Brent still here, spoke to a lady who'd seen some at Sandy Haven recently. 8 Little egret. 10 Ringed plover, 7 Grey plover, 3 Barwits, 3 Dunlin, 2 Knot, 2 Snipe, 2 Redshank, a Greenshank, a Sanderling and a 1st winter Med gull. Couple of Wheatear among the 50+ Alba wagtails. Chiffchaff and Long tailed tit flock. Airfield: Robins everywhere today, Single Ringed plover and a wheatear.

bits and pieces

A bit of retrospective stuff.

Last Sunday on the upper reaches of the Gann over 300 Curlew and 7 Common sandpipers.

Yesterday at Tenby Golf course a mobile group of 13 Ringed Plover feeding on the fairways and up to 6 Chough still present regularly. 

Newport Estuary yesterday

Little Egret 1
Greenshank 2
Ringed Plover 10
Dunlin 10
Sandling 1
Red Kite 2
Buzzard 3
Kingfisher 2
Great Spotted Woodpecker 2
an enjoyable walk with Karen

Gann

11 Brents still present and all looked to be unringed when I was there between 6-7pm this evening.  Also 18 Teal, 3 Little Grebe, 4 Little Egret, 9 Grey Heron (all looked like immatures, very vocal and roaming widely), 2 Ringed Plover, 1 Dunlin, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit, and 4 Wheatear.  Oh, and a Lesser Spotted Paddy Jenks!

Teifi Waders

Only Dunlin (146) and Ringos (39) at the Webley on a low high tide today. Some distant godwits and more Dunlin among the 150+ Curlew opposite St Dogs Quay.

I could see at least 6 ringed Dunlin, which suggests that they are staying put for a while, rather than passing through with new ones taking their place.  Having said that, last night we recorded one from Sweden, so the rings we're seeing aren't necessarily all ours. (Teifi Ringing Group).

Gann, New arrivals

11 Brent this evening, all swimming - would like to have seen their legs though.

Teifi Waders, and...

There seems to have been a bit of an exodus over the last few days. Today at the Webley, 10:30 - 12:00 (HW 11:35, 4.7m) there were 96 Dunlin, 6 Ringed Plover, 1 Knot, 1 Sanderling, and 1 Little Stint.

I could see maybe 60 or 70 assorted Dunlin and Little Plover roosting over on Patch as well though.

While I was scoping the waders, a drake Mandarin drifted briefly into my field of view, before just as quickly flying off upstream.

Freshwater West

This intriguing photo was taken by Rob Lewis near the loos at Freshwater West on Monday evening. No sign of the possible owner the next morning.