Marloes peninsula

Early start in the hope of a few waders on what's left of the mere (hopefully it'll have a bit of a top up soon). A snipe the only one. 6 yellow wagtail including some very bright birds. 10 teal, 2 shoveler. An arrival of willow warblers with around a dozen in the withies and hedgerows, 2 chiffchaff. The thistles were full of young goldfinch. Tree pipit flew over nearing Martin's Haven. Three sightings of marsh harrier (looked like 2 birds) a dark juv and a slightly lighter female-type, which flew over Jack Sound out to Skomer. Young peregrine spooking the jackdaws. 3 chough and 4 young wheatear on Wooltack Point. Golden plover flew east over the Deer Park and whilst scanning the rough ground for migrants I noticed a resting Short-eared owl. Couple of clouded yellow among the many small white and a female Southern migrant hawker.

West Williamston

Very quiet on the river, about 6 little egrets, a few swans, the black swan. A few curlews and oystercatchers. A couple of days ago there were 4 whimbrel. A family of spotted flycatchers by the car park. 

Rosebush Resr

1 ringed plover, 3 green and 6 common sandpipers, 7 teal and a male tufted duck on Rosebush res. Yesterday evening, even 'dabbling' dabchicks - the excellent, huge muddy margins are that shallow! 3 snipe this morning. The NE end shallows are now mostly visible from the path at that end (Den Vaughan)

Wheatears on the move

 At St. Govan’s this morning a minimum of 21 Wheatears between the car park and New Quay beach via Trevallen Downs. Also singles of Whimbrel and White Wagtail. To the west of the car park a further 11 Wheatears.

A huge surge of White Butterflies was evident with thousands all along the coast and on the vegetation just inland. Likely a mass synchronised emergence. Mainly Small Whites but many Large too.

Wilson's petrel, Strumble Head

Not the most dynamic seawatch at Strumble earlier but a bit of quality when Luke Gravett and Mark Hipkin called out a Wilson's petrel around 8:20. Most of the assembled managed excellent views (apart from yours truly, until Mark generously gave me a peek through his scope, thanks mate). 3-4 storm petrel (none that I connected with), 2 adult Sabine's gulls, Balaeric shearwater, Little gull, 6 Arctic skua and a Bonxie. Plus a steady trickle of Common, Arctic and Sandwich terns and a mix of waders including dunlin, whimbrel, redshank and turnstone. 2-3 sunfish and a handful of common dolphin.

Gulls

From Mike B: Large number of Gulls with some Oystercatchers by the flag poles at Goodwick 16 44 this evening.

 

Manorbier

Yellow Wagtails and Tree Pipits are a near daily occurrence at the moment, most flying east in the mornings but a few Yellow Wagtails have stuck around to feed in the cut fields (at least one still present yesterday). 

Waders passage has been particularly noticeable over the last week or so with Green Sandpiper, Greenshank, Redshank, Snipe and Ring Plover all seen flying over Skrinkle Haven in the mornings.

Small flurries of warblers are also passing through including 15 Willow Warblers in the valley by the castle yesterday morning, a couple of Spotted Flycatchers, and Sedge Warbler and Reed Warbler elsewhere along the coast. 

Sparrowhawk

From Mike B: Just had a Sparrowhawk try twice to fly through my closed kitchen window in Puncheston. He then flew off seemingly unhurt.

Baird's Sandpiper

At Dale Airfield yesterday. Report and picture by Damon Hart. 

LATE SUMMER WALK AROUND MANORBIER 30 AUGUST 2026

Painted Ladies

I know it is a birds website but I thought some might like to know that two days ago I had approx 30+ painted lady butterflies in my garden. 

Regards, Mike B.

Sparrow Plague in Mathry.

Yep agree with Roger, I havenot seen a Blackbird for some time probably due to the drought, although they were raising young here earlier in the year. What I do see here in Mathry, is literally hundreds of House Sparrows! At least three pairs breed in the eaves of our house and seem to raise young throughout the year. They also congregate in a large sycamore clearly visible from our bedroom window, about two hundred metres away. As i say, maybe a couple of hundred of them, or more. We have been getting through 25 kilo's of sunflower hearts a month, so not only are we giving them a place to stay but also full board and lodgings! I should point out all our feeders are thoroughly cleaned regularly. We also supply fresh water every day in a clean container. We have recently started feeding them only every two days not every day, to encourage them to find food elsewhere. Green Finches, Goldfinches, Chaffinches, Blue and Great Tits along with occasional G.S. Woodpeckers, also take advantage of our largesse. Collared Doves, Dunnocks and Robins clear up whatever drops to the ground before any rats can also take advantage. We are surrounded by green/now sun baked brown desert that offers little natural food. And so despite the warnings of so called experts, will continue to supplement the diets of our visiting and resident avifauna and would encourage others to do so with the proviso that they use hanging feeders NOT bird tables, and thoroughly clean feeders before refilling. Our garden is small but full of insect friendly plants and trees, so these also provide more natural food. As for the pesky Sparrows, if anyone wants to catch a few dozen and transport them to places where they are scarce, I would have no objection, as they have destroyed or usurped all of our local House Martins nests!

Carew castle

 Little egret 4

Grey heron 3

Dunlin 5

Ringed plover 1

Swallow 10