Skokholm

Our second Melodious Warbler of the year today

Lesser Black-backed Gulls, Marloes Mere

At the mere a few days back were a couple of colour-ringed Lesser Black-backed Gulls:

The first, with white lettering AU on a dark green ring, appears to have been ringed on Skomer so it hadn't travelled far.

The second, with black lettering 069:C on an orange ring, has been a little more adventurous with these details given by the ringer;

'Orange 069:C was ringed as a chick on the 1st July 2023 at the Copeland Bird Observatory on Old Lighthouse Island, off Co. Down, Northern Ireland (54.693501, -5.526227). This is its first resighting.'

Cartlet Lady surveys

 Monday 11th sold out but a couple of places on Sundays survey!😃

Sea Trust Cartlett Lady Surveys.

 

We have been surveying our Pembrokeshire waters for more than two decades.As far away as the smalls and beyond to the Celtic Deep  and out into the outer Bristol Channel up to Lundy, recording cetaceans and also seabirds.

We do not go out in weather that is marginal, as that would defeat the ultimate purpose of being able to spot ceatceans at distance and record them.Which is why i spend most of the summer looking for weather windows that will allow us to complete our surveys. It also works for our paying passengers who finance the trips 

It has been increasingly difficult in recent years as the weather has become so much more volatile, and despite all the forecasters tech and skills things change within hours. As such I am looking at widening our possibilities by making the Cartlett Lady potentially availale on Sunday 10th and Monday11th if the current forecasts are correct. If you are available for either day or both, please email me (seatrustwales@gmail.com) with your contacts email + mobile + mobile for next of kin. I will confirm sailings on the previous day. These are 8+ hour trips, we have not raised our prices this year to try and keep them affordable as possible.

C L survey trip info

Sea Trust survey trips are not just wildlife watching jollies. The data we have collected from these trips since 2003 have contributed over 90% of the verified offshore records of cetaceans (and other marine creatures) for West Wales which we have submitted to the West Wales Biodiversity Records Centre and also the National Biodiversity Network. Basically, it’s conservation being funded by the public. Local people helping us to look after our marine wildlife!

We could not have done this without all the hundreds of people, (probably thousands) who over the years who have paid to come along on our research trips.

Sadly, fuel cost increases, marina charges etc, we are having to charge £125 pp this

year. To avoid complication and booking fees, please bring cash (£125 pp). The Cartlett Lady is a privately owned sport fishing vessel (Lochin 42) skippered by Andrew Rickard. Both skipper and vessel are fully licenced for private charter. She has toilet facilities, indoor seating and is fully kitted out with safety equipment. Her powerful engines allow us to cruise out up to 30 nautical miles offshore and if necessary, get back home quickly.

We meet at Neyland Marina normally at 09.30 for a 10.00 departure. If you are running late call me on the number below. We differ our routes but normally in the early season we will visit one or two of the islands to see the seabirds, Puffins etc. then go out in search of Cetaceans. Later on, our main focus will be the Celtic Deep on the lookout for things such as Whales and other cetaceans Leatherback Turtles, Sharks and Bluefin Tuna. Nothing is guaranteed, no two trips are alike, but most are pretty amazing!

We only go out when the forecast is for calm weather as this gives the best spotting conditions. You need to bring food, drink and sun protection, as well as appropriate clothing. It can get chilly!  if you want to book space /spaces please add mobile no. to your reply and full names and address

We are also looking at offering some shorter trips this year for more info:

seatrustwales@gmail.com.

Allthingsgood, cliff. Mob no: 07516454581

Leucistic Herring Gull?

 Caught my eye at Llanstadwell this morning.

Photo by Alan Brown.

 

Hook Peninsular

Some waders and wildfowl now starting to show, mainly at the mouth to Sprinkle Pill. Good numbers of Curlew (109), 6 Whimbrel, 4 Redshanks. Small flocks of Canada and Greylag Geese, Mallard and Shelducks. Highlight of visit, a Yellow-legged Gull on the shingle spit north of Fowborough Point. This is the fifth year in a row that one has appeared at around this time at this location. I guess it is the same bird.

Strumble cont.

Just adding to Brian's report, results of a further couple of hours watch. 2 more Arctic Skuas, 2 Great Skuas and a couple of Storm Petrels the highlight of a pretty spectacular bird-fest with many feeding flocks in view.

Cory's at Strumble

Paul and I had a first visit for the season. Following a bit of a slow start it turned out pretty good. Luke was already there when we arrived, Chris arrived soon after and David arrived later but timed his arrival perfectly, both Luke and David and others remained after we left at midday.

After a few terns and half dozen storm petrels it really got going at 8am when a visiting birder called out a Cory's sheawater, fairly close as well and in perfect light, giving everyone leisurely views as it lumbered by, superb. Lots of waders moving today especially Whimbrel as they seem to do this time of year, with several flocks of 25 passing, totals reaching in excess of 150. c60 Ringed plover, c25 Black-tailed godwits, 4 Dunlin and a Sanderling. Manx shearwaters and kittiwakes were passing all morning, a few gathering in loose feeding flocks along with some gulls. It's always worth checking these aggregations as they do draw in passing birds. Luke then announced he'd found a Cory's among a feeding flock and as we homed in soon realised there was a second bird in the feeding group. For over 30 minutes we were able to watch these constantly repositioning themselves with arcing swoops to rejoin the main area of feeding activity as whatever they were attracted to drifted in the tidal flow. A Sooty shearwater splashed down to see what the attraction was before continuing on and then a sparkling adult Sabine's gull came by, this was soon followed by 2 more adult Sabs in a closer feeding group. The only Arctic skua of the morning flew through to add to the variety. And to put the icing on the cake a 4th Cory's appeared just as we were heading off. Magic. Common dolphin showing regularly with occasional porpoises.

 Cory's shearwater ©Luke Gravett

Sandpipers

From Alan Seago: Castle Pill Monday 4th August

Common and Green Sandpiper seen from Blackbridge feeding together on the mud at 6.00pm. 

Nolton Sand Martins

 A Nolton local who walks his dog regularly  rang me this evening to add his observations...

Over the years he has seen Sand Martins at Nolton, but never in such numbers as this year. Maybe 30 holes and loves seeing them coming down to feed on the insects which are themselves feeding on the seaweed...

St Davids Sand Martins

 I have been very remis in not counting the Whitesands nests, but I can report that Sand Martins were an irregular sighting on the Golf Club until this year when they are a continuous sight. I am sure most of the displaced Newgale birds must be here!

A small murmuration of Starling on the course Saturday afternoon

Seawatching on the south coast

A few seawatching shifts around work today produced a few notable birds, the highlight being a distant Great Shearwater picked up in a Manx Shearwater feeding flock off Old Castle Head around lunchtime. Also moving past was 2 European Storm-petrel, 9 Sandwich Tern and a dark-phase adult Arctic Skua. 

This evening I spent a couple of hours at St Govan's Head. The wind had shifted WNW and strong light made viewing a little tricky but it was worth it with a nice close Balearic Shearwater past amongst 3,000+ Manx Shearwater.

More on Sand Martins

From Chris Grayell:

In answer to a blog entry concerning the Sand Martin colony at Newgale, I have watched them here for a number of years and this year they were present in smaller numbers which I believe can be attributed to a part collapse of the garden above and the soil cliff they were using, but they were definitely there until mid-July.

I believe there were greater numbers at Whitesands this summer - it would be nice to know whether the displaced Newgale birds made their way up the coast to this other colony.  I suspect they probably did.

Sand Martins

Hello all,

I'm a frequent visitor of Newgale Beach when we're on holiday in Pembrokeshire and share walks now and then with friends living in Roch, they walk their dog every day on the beach. They just asked me why they haven't seen any sand martins there, my observation too last June I now realize. Lots of swallows but no sand martins...

Does any of you know why? 

We hope the population has moved on, is it a food issue, or disturbance?

Cuckoo

From Mike Thornton: 

Hello, I was down Pembs last week and visited the Marloes Mere site and continued through a couple of fields heading towards Martin Haven when I came upon a Cuckoo feeding on a fence near the coastal path. It would fly down to the ground and come back up with a caterpillar, on checking the photo later it looks like the bird was feeding on Cinnabar moth caterpillars (poisonous). I knew they fed on caterpillars but not Cinnabars, so are they affected by the poison?

 

Admin: Apparently "Caterpillars and other insects such as beetles and ants form the major part of the Cuckoo's diet. Many of the caterpillars are the hairy or brightly coloured poisonous ones, but their digestive system is specially adapted to cope with the hairs and toxins." But I could only find info about adaptations for toxic hairs, not for general toxicity. 

 

Marloes Mere

2 Ringed plover, a snipe and a Green sandpiper this evening. A young dog fox was roaming around out on the mere flushing some of the duck including 2 young teal. 200 starling on the telegraph wires by Varna cottage.

Marloes Mere

Lots of farming activity tonight with the cereal fields being cut ahead of the change in the weather, 100s of swallows and sand martins, incuding lots of young birds, swooping over the freshly cut stubbles, feasting on the insects that have been disturbed. Been an excellent year for insects in general after the dire situation of 2024. Wall butterflies seem to be having a good year and plenty of dragonflies zipping around mostly black-tailed skimmers, a Red-veined darter was a new one for me here (it appears to be a newly emerged male so they must have recently colonised). Plenty of wagtails as well in the fields, at least 6 Yellow wagtails in and around the fields on the southside and later going to roost around the mere with some pieds. 

The rains will be very welcome with the big scrape drying out day by day, the 30-40 coot are just ankle deep at the moment. Something put up the gulls, duck and 2 Green sandpipers nothing that I could see so most likely a peregrine, and what I thought was a whimbrel flying in until it gave a curlew call, one of Skomers youngsters maybe. Interesting to see what the rain pushes in over the next few days.

Common Gull

From David Butler: Juvenile common gull at Carew, just keeping a short distance from the black headed gulls.

Marloes Mere and the Gann

The juvenile Wood Sandpiper was still at Marloes Mere mid-morning today. 

Over at the Gann, a reasonable selection of waders at high tide. Including 4 Greenshank, 33 Redshank, 1 Common Sandpiper, 1 Knot, 7 Dunlin, 2 Whimbrel, 50+ Curlew and 81 Oystercatcher. 2 Ringed Plover flew over towards Marloes.