Pectoral sandpiper, Dale airfield

Walking on to the airfield from Marloes village side around 7:30am, a short-eared owl passed over heading in the general direction of the mere, followed by 2 golden plovers 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 Little 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.

WeBS and Stackpole

Richard and I covered Castlemartin Corse, while Rob covered Broomhill Burrows today for WeBS. Very quiet on the WeBS front with one Grey Heron, 58 Herring Gull and a few Water rail heard. 

Understandably the area is very dry at the moment. 

Richard had a Peregrine bomb past on the upper section and I saw one later on the lower, assume to be the same bird. I had Kestrel hovering over fields D7 and D8 (and seen perching on fence post) and one female Marsh Harrier was seen being mobbed by the Carrion Crow. We got four calling Cetti warbler between us.  

On way up a pair of chough were seen moving along the Gupton side of the area and later five birds were feeding on the slacks / dune area. 

Two wheatear were seen on the lower section one at Starmans and the other on the dune/slacks area. There seemed to be quite a lot of Stonechat about. 

Rob had 4 Jay across Broomhill Burrows.  

Kestrel at distance perching 

The rear end of the Peregrine as it shot through

Poor image of the Marsh Harrier 

Wheatear at Starmans

Three of the five chough seen 

Later on I decided to walk up onto headland at Stackpole. On the Warren two Spotted Flycatchers were seen in a tree. Only one pair of chough seen on my headland walk, they were catching flies as well as getting grubs out of the ground.  

Pair of Chough 

One of the Spotted Flycatcher 

Pembroke BIRD GROUP WALK

Goodwick Beach

From Mike B: Attached some photos taken by the flag poles at Goodwick beach at approx 16.30 on 9th Sept 2026. 

Buff-breasted sandpiper, Dale airfield

A pre-work visit turned up a Buff-breasted sandpiper at 7:50am, it was in the ploughed field at the top NW corner towards Marloes village side. SM 79288 07004. The sandpiper was in the company of a mixed wader flock including c10 golden plover, 6+ ringed plover, couple of dunlin and a sanderling. Easy to miss as they spent most of the time out of sight roosting or pecking around in the hollows. One of the golden plovers looked a bit plain but never clear views and checking my photos all I can see on them are golden plovers. A buzzard drifted across the field and flushed the waders in to the ploughed field just to the east but I expect they'll be back in the original field at some stage. After yesterdays heavy rain there was surprisingly very little standing water. A few wheatear and a whinchat only other birds of note.

 

Castlemartin Corse and an Osprey.

Went on a pre WeBS potter today along part of the Corse. Very quiet down there today. Highlight was a pair of chough feeding in a field off Starman's track, a buzzard and a very distant kestrel being mobbed by corvids. A few small birds in the hedges including a whitethroat. 

Reed bunting feeding along track 

Whitethroat 

Grey Heron 

Buzzard 

Though realise its borderline being Pembrokeshire....  yesterday a friend took me to Teifi marshes for a change of scene. Again very quiet there though trip was made worthwhile by an Osprey (7H6 blue ring) flying past down the river. Have reported the sighting online. Looking on Avifauna and other sources this is a male bird ringed in Scotland (near Inverness) in 2022 and a regular visitor to the area.  

Osprey 7H6 

Saturday 5/9 Osprey and waders at the Gann

Following on from John Freeman's report and great pics of the Osprey and waders at the Gann on Saturday (hi John), the Osprey (the unringed Juv) eventually returned around mid-afternoon and settled on a bare tree by the river. After a good long think about it, it eventually decided to go fishing and caught a tiddler in the river!! Much flying around with this fish finger/goujon ensued! A Buzzard mobbed the Osprey at one point, but it held on to its snack and finally headed off up river.

As the tide receded a nice mixed flock of waders built up on the shoreline including c50 Ringed Plover, 20+ Dunlin, 9 Knot, which didn't stay long, and a smart Juv Curlew Sandpiper. There were 2 Whimbrel among the 50 or so Curlew. Oystercatchers numbered 70+. 

On the pools were about 25 Redshank, 3 Greenshank, and a Common Sandpiper, Also lots of nice views of Med Gulls (first and second years and adults) hawking insects high over the pools.

Of butterfly interest was a very pale Clouded Yellow. Could have been the pale female form (helice) of Common Clouded Yellow but as I watched it fly I got the impression that it had very little black on the upperside of the hindwings, which looks to be more indicative of Pale or Bergers Clouded Yellow? This compares to another very pale Clouded Yellow that was in our garden a week or so back that looked to  have obvious black markings on the hindwings.....tantalisingly inconclusive!

Nevertheless a very enjoyable afternoon of birding with our friends, meeting other birders, and seeing a good variety of birds in stunning surroundings.

Waldo stone area

 Hobby 1

Buzzard 2

Red kite 1

Stonechat 10

Rocky and I wander across the preselli hills every day and today we saw a Hobby hunting some swalows and martins for a good 20 mins unsuccessfully this has now made his life list upto 90 species 😀 

Skokholm

Two Sooty Shearwater this evening. 

West Williamston ospreys

Caught up at last with RC's two ospreys on the Carew River - Andy Strzelecki and I watched them  from the benches this afternoon. They were flying about together and interacting before they drifted away down river. Lots of painted ladies and clouded yellows - at least two dozen of latter. 

Miscellaneous swans

Osprey at the Gann 5/9

From John Freeman: A few photos taken this morning of the Osprey. Not long after I arrived, it headed towards Mullock and then I lost sight . Lovely to see a mixture of Waders around the pools, including this confiding pair on the shoreline. I left after a couple of hrs and it was nice to see Derek as I was heading back to the car.

Wryneck, Deer Park and wing tagged Marsh harrier

A wryneck on the Deer Park first thing this morning, likely same bird as found by Dave A yesterday. It was on the southside of the central path. Lots of hirundines passing on the southerly breeze, many it seemed were house martins. Pipits and wagtails passing as well.

The mere was quiet, the only wader was a single ringed plover flushed by a female sparrowhawk. 2 juvenile marsh harriers were having a play around Trehills fields (possibly a third harrier that appeared much closer but never more than two in view at any time). They flushed 100s of linnets/skylarks from the fields. One had yellow wingtags with ST (East Anglia bird ringed and tagged near Cantley, Norfolk on the 15 June this year and is a male). It was also reported on Skomer recently, thanks Adrian for passing the news of the Skomer bird on.

Skokholm

At least two Wryneck, a Turtle Dove and a Black Tern today. 

Llanstadwell.

10 Knot and a Curlew Sandpiper,40+Black Tail Godwit,and good number of Dunlin this morning.