Crundale Hirundine Spectacular

For the last hour or so there have been several hundred hirundines over and around Crundale feeding low over the roads and gardens. Mainly swallows, but many house martins and even a small number of swifts. The largest gathering we have seen all year. It was difficult to tell whether they were passing over or whether they were the same birds going round the village. A wonderful and cheering sight, but slightly sad as they were obviously on their way. Garden birdwatching again!

Greylags

Thanks Jane for that. Last night some of them were flying back over the house at 2100 - while a tawny owl called in the garden....

The Teifi...

Waders were on the move all day, the highest totals at any one time were, 40 Ringed Plover, 52 Dunlin, 4 Sanderling, 18 Redshank, 5 Black-tailed Godwits, 1 Whimbrel, 3 Turnstone, 1 Green Sandpiper, 43 Oystercatcher and 63 Curlew.
A couple of hours from dawn at Mallard pond produced Blackcap, Common Whitethroat and Chiffchaffs, good feeding for migrants in the reedbed and the same species were found moving through Poppit and Patch scrub.
Little Egrets hit a season peak of 13 with 3 arriving of the sea.
Geese were spectacular - if unwanted ! But 2 Bar-headed, 7 Greylag, 13 Barnacle amongst c550 Canada Geese.
(Wendy J, Gary R, Rich D)

Newport Again

A bit later than Karen. Similar number of Ringed Plovers, but I only found 5 Dunlin & no Sanderling. But there were single Greenshank, Kingfisher, Redshank, Whimbrel, juv Goosander & Little Egret. There seemed to be just one remaining juv Shelduck (odd that they don't leave together).
& the real point of this post - a Lesser Black Back with a blue ring from Iceland.

Greylag Geese in Pembs

Please tell Richard that his Carew Greylags are up at Landshipping: there’s a big stubble field there that’s been supporting 100+ mixed geese. This is now a regular annual event, last year there were over 100 Greylag at one stage.
(Jane Herbert)

Gann this morning

No sign of Derek's Otter but plenty of waders on the falling tide. Good numbers of Oystercatchers, Curlew and Whimbrel, about 25 Black-tailed Godwits, a small flock of Ringed Plovers with a few Dunlin, a few Redshank and abut 5 Little Egrets. 2 Dabchick on the pools.

Newport

Nice to see the Linnet numbers increasing on the salt marsh, I seen 50 earlier. Also on the mud were 43 Dunlin, 38 Ringed Plover and a lone Sanderling.

Skokholm

A second Balearic Shearwater went west this afternoon. Totals from a great day now on the Skok blog.

Canaston Woods Yesterday

From Andy and Helen Bookless - A wonderful morning at Canaston Woods yesterday with great views of both a Willow Tit and a Marsh Tit - both were calling, so not hard to identify. 

Other birds included a Spotted Flycatcher, Nuthatch. Treecreeper, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Willow Warbler and plenty of Goldcrest.

Skokholm

Brilliant views of a Great Shearwater just after 0800 this morning as it headed west off the Light. Also a Balearic Shearwater, two plus Arctic Tern, two Sandwich Tern and four Common Dolphin. Wood Sandpiper still here. Feels like there could be more today.

Teifi last 3 days - Arctic Skua

The wind has meant early morning sea watching, a change from ringing migrants in the Teifi Marsh reed bed until the weather calms down.
Thursday was a day of Kittiwakes and a large number of Gannets streaming past Cardigan Island and Cemaes Head. 20 Scoter. Unusually, one moulting Kittiwake was resting on the beach.

Yesterday was another day with a lot of Kittiwakes moving. One light phase Arctic Skua, the first of the autumn that we have seen here. 150 Fulmar, 27 Scoter and 400 Gannets in a 70 minute watch. Bottlenose Dolphins too.
Last night in a howling gale with 46 mph gusts it was hard to hold the scope still but 78 small waders were feeding undisturbed on a deserted Poppit beach. Manx Shearwaters were passing at 60+ per minute.
This morning the wind was lower than forecast and numbers out at sea were far less than yesterday. Only 74 Gannets, 182 Manx Shearwaters, 3 Fulmars and 19 Scoter in a watch for an hour. 6 Redshank, 38 Dunlin and 18 Ringed Plover were by The Webley.

The Gann close encounter

Started well with a Water Rail then a Kingfisher, I spied some Blacktailed Godwits when up popped this Otter 15 metres in front of me, I watched it fishing on the shoreline - seemed to be looking for something in the rocks - though I couldn`t see what. I watched it for 10mins or so & it was quite comfortable with me looking down upon it, interesting "finger print" on the tip of it`s nose Never did count the Blackwits!

Skokholm

A Wood Sandpiper today for a second day.

Angle Bay

At a very windblown Kilpaison early afternoon  - 31 Ringed Plover, 12 Dunlin, 5 Turnstone, 1 Barwit, 12 Curlew.
Earlier at Freshwater West a Raven was feeding on the remains of a juvenile Common Dolphin on the tideline at the back of the beach.

Newport Estuary

Whimbrel  1
Greenshank  1
Ringed Plover 49
Dunlin  59
Little Egret  1

West Williamston osprey

10 days earlier than my first in 2016 - an osprey was perched on a tall post in the river channel about 500m upstream of the nature reserve gate onto the saltmarsh. After about 20 minutes it flew, made a couple of unsuccessful dives and disappeared upstream. Worth looking out for from Carew Mill, possibly.

A couple of whimbrel got up from the salt marsh.

Carew greylags

For a while now, a flock of around 27 greylags has been flying over the Carew/Milton area twice a day in V formation - SE>NW in the morning, the reverse in the evening. Where are they feeding and roosting?

Melodious Warbler

A Melodious Warbler on Skomer today according to Birdguides.

Eider - Newport

An eclipse male Eider off cliffs 500m west of Newport at 1500 today.
(Peter Harris)

Rhoscrowther

Just been down to Rhoscrowther and  Freshwater West with the dog. At Rhoscrowther group of 25+ small waders; Ringed plover,  2 Sanderling and Dunlin, also several Meadow pipits and Linnets on the foreshore. At Freshwater West coming up the hill away from the main carpark about a dozen wheatear on either side of the road.

Hunting Hobby - Teifi

Great to see a young Hobby hunting hirundines over the Teifi Marshes last night c9-920pm.
c300 Swallows were the main species with a few Sand Martins and 2 Swifts. A group of 10 Swifts were around in the morning.
Dunlin reached a season high of 52 though Ringed Plover were down to 12. A couple of Black-tailed Godwits and Whimbrel are seen daily and 2 new juvenile Redshank arrived making 5 Redshank yesterday. Slightly out of county but 6 Turnstones spent the day on Cardigan Island.
(sev obs)

Newport

Very busy with holidaymakers in boats and with dogs causing a lot of disturbance to birds present.1 Greenshank, 1 Common Sandpiper, 1 Med Gull, 2 Goosander, 35 Dunlin and 12 Ringed Plover this morning.