Sparrowhawk

This impressive beast was seen at Camrose by Moira Jenkins - at first thought to be a Goshawk but then revised to Sparrowhawk. The prey was a wood pigeon.

Hardworking Osprey

From Peter Law: At least one Osprey still enjoying the delights of the Gann this morning, although a late breakfast proved elusive. After long glides against a blue sky and five attempts focused on the ponds, including one where it appeared to have a caught fish which was too heavy to carry away, it flew off towards the mouth of the Haven. 

It was joined at one point by a Red Kite and then two buzzards showed up, flushing a sizeable flock of Curlew.

A few Greenshank and Redshank on the ponds and Little Ringed Plover began arriving as the tide turned.

Wryneck, Martin's Haven

A wryneck the pick of a look around the Marloes peninsula this morning. After a thorough check of a blustery and damp Deer Park, Martin's Haven was much more sheltered with a few more birds inc blackcaps, a chiffchaff, linnets and stonechats to keep me lifting the binoculars. The wryneck flew along the upper slope from the jetty end and settled in a gorse on the ridge above the WC, it didn't stay long before it looped across over the WC towards Lockley Lodge and came down in the bracken out of sight.

Plenty of young linnets and goldfinch. A merlin, a kestrel and then a peregrine all on the prowl. Big flock of chough flying around between the mere and Martin's Haven, I did a quick count of 48 but lots of swirling around and changing places as they do to be 100% sure.

Later the osprey was fishing above the crossing at the Gann before drifting out into the bay. First couple of little grebe on the pools.

Turtle Dove - Milford

 A Turtle Dove in a Milford Haven garden this morning (Paul Warren)

Osprey performed well for over two hours at The Gann this morning.

Arthur & Marilyn Rivett regular visitors from Suffolk

 

Tregwynt and Abermawr

From Alan Seago: Firecrest at Melin Tregwynt bridge this afternoon. 1 chiffchaff still around but sand martins long gone. A pair of very vocal ravens and a kestrel being mobbed by corvids. A gannet out at sea and grey wagtail on the river. 

Withybush airfield

 Was surprised to see a juv Ringed Plover on the airfield accompanied by a female Wheatear.

A lot of swallows moving through and a kestrel hunting around

Strumble Head

A freshening 4-6 W- NW brought a handful of Strumblers and a good selection of passing birds. Highlights: 2 Leach's petrel, 1 storm petrel, min 6 Grey phalarope, a sooty shearwater, a balearic shearwater, 2 adult Sabines gull, 5 Little gull, 10 Arctic skua and 2 Bonxie, as well as c100 Scoter, 9 whimbrel, 4 barwit, 4 ringed plover and 2 dunlin. A trickle of commic terns. Good numbers of common dolphin showing most of the session, always hard to estimate true numbers but likely 50-100 individuals.

Gann Sept 16th

From Michael Thornton: Down visiting West again, I was down the Gann today 16th and saw the following - Osprey, Greenshank, Ringed Plover, Dunlin, Goshawk, Little Egret, Curlew, and a lot of Oyster catchers some with rings on (Orange ring on left leg with what looks like Black ring on right leg with yellow digits).

Llandilo

 Approx 140 Canada Geese, 39 Grey Lags, 9 Stock Doves and approx 30 Wood Pigeons on maize stubble near Llandilo this morning

American Golden Plover - Skomer

An American Golden Plover flew low east over a fog-bound Skomer Island early evening yesterday.  It called four times as it went, so perhaps was looking for somewhere to drop in.  Still foggy here this morning but we will do our best to find it!  Otherwise very quiet, a couple of Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler and a single Blackcap.  At least 2 Marsh Harriers have been around for a few weeks now.

Baird's sandpiper, Newport

Not content with the Pec sandpiper, George and Fiona only went and found a Baird's sandpiper at Newport yesterday, in the area of the boat club and Parrog but mobile depending on disturbance. That's the 2nd for Newport this autumn following the Baird's found by Paul G in August, and 3rd including the Dale airfield bird. Go check those beaches and ploughed fields more American waders yet to be found. And dotterel time as well. Never a better time to be out, plus the rain helps.

Pectoral sandpiper, Dale airfield

Walking on to the airfield via the lane from Marloes village around 7:30am, a short-eared owl passed over heading in the general direction of the mere, followed by 2 golden plover accompanied by a smaller straight billed sandpiper. It was very blustery with some drizzly showers, not ideal birding conditions for scanning the ploughed fields where yesterdays waders had been. Just a couple of ringed plover hunkered down and in the adjacent field c10 golden plover and 3 ringed plover, again everything was shaking so not easy to check but all looked like European goldies. Around 9am I spotted George and Fiona approaching from the direction of the water trough pools area so went to meet them, just as we were 25m apart George flushed a pectoral sandpiper (approx location SM 79501 06837) it took off giving its sharp trep, trep, trep call, as it went westward it seemed to bear around to the north over the stoney field but lost to view so may well have dropped down. Between us we checked the runways again but no sign. Other birds a peregrine and a kestrel having a spat. Flock of 50+ goldfinch A whinchat by Lower Marloes farm. A very vocal redstart in the withies by Lower Marloes farm, it turned out to be mobbing what appeared to be a sleeping pigeon with a couple of magpies. Chiffchaff and a very bright willow warbler only other migrants. Quite a few wall butterflies along the sheltered lanes and some common darters.

Hook WeBS - 11 Sept

The most unusual birds on a generally quiet WeBS count: a Curlew Sandpiper in the company of Dunlins and Ringed Plovers at Fowborough Point and a Manx Shearwater making its way up the Western Cleddau towards Haverfordwest. 2 Common Sandpipers on the Western Cleddau section also.

Great Crested Grebes (4) have now reappeared and there are still a decent number (55) of Curlews at the mouth of Sprinkle Pill. Teal (30) are starting to trickle in and there are quite a few Greenshanks (10) knocking about.