Castlemartin Corse

I spent a couple of hours part way down the Corse today. Farmer was turning a field of cut grass which had brought the buzzards in for a look. A total of 4 birds in the area though most were seen off by one individual!

Buzzard 

A small flock of Golden Plover flew along Corse and off towards angle totalling 43 birds. Sadly out of the survey window of the 17^th and 18^th for the BTO Golden Plover Census count.

Three Snipe were flushed from the reed bed at one point. One Grey Heron lifted briefly from the reed bed. 

A brief sighting on a Marsh Harrier. Interestingly when it got a bit closer it was a young male. Excuse poor quality image, I had knocked setting on camera so my ISO was too high and so image is grainy. 

Marsh Harrier 

 A Kestrel showed a couple of times initially seen over the relict dune / slack section behind Freshwater West and then in region of Starmans.

Kestrel being given a hard time by the Jackdaw

While sitting quietly on a mound part way along a Sparrowhawk bombed past me close to the ground along the track. No images, just enjoyed watching it. 

Highlight of the visit though for me was a Ring tail Hen Harrier. Feels like it has been a while since I have seen one at the Corse! I know they are seen by others, but I always seem to miss them! 

Ring tail Hen Harrier 

The Gann - Glossy Ibis and Ruff

It is always worth taking a close look or counting the gulls. This time I was trying to get a picture of a ringed 1W Great Black-backed Gull (green BA25) in the lagoon roost that was obscured by an inconveniently positioned Herring Gull. After waiting a few minutes for them to move a bit, a subsequent scan of the rest of the group revealed a Glossy Ibis that had not been there earlier. It flew off north before I could move to a better position, heading north and away over Mullock farm.

Also around were a pair of Sandwich Terns that rested on a boulder or the beach with no attempts at fishing. A single Bar-tailed Godwit was on the river initially and later feeding on the beach with the Curlew and Redshanks. Greenshanks, Teal and Wigeon were up the river, but the only smallish wader seen was a single Turnstone. A/the Kingfisher was fishing off the favoured tree over the little bay on Crabhall side and on my way back to the car a male Ruff with a hint of the red ruff feathers showing.

Golden Plover

Taken from the Birdtrack Newsletter:

 

Bonaparte's gull, Goodwick

George has found an adult Bonaparte's gull at the Flagpoles this evening.

The Gann

 Short visit to the Gann late this morning as the tide was falling looking for the Spoonbill but sadly no signs. 7 little egret was a nice number to see among all the usual suspects.  Even shorter visit up to Dale Airfield due to the high winds, nothing much about.  Curlew and Meadow Pipit photos attached 

The Deer Park

I had a walk around a very windy Deer park late afternoon / early evening yesterday13th . 4 Chough, 1 Raven, 1 Kestrel. Male and female Stonechat and a few Gulls of various species were the only birds around. Not that I was surprised as it was that windy, I could hardly stand up at one point, it certainly blew the cobwebs off. 

Steve Smith

Fishguard & District 13/10/2026

 Goodwick flagpoles low tide. 1 Bar Tail, 1 Curlew, 6 Mallard, 12 Turnstones, 1 Pipit and various gulls. 

Newport Parrog. 1 Curlew, 1 Little Egret.  

Iron Bridge. 67 Mallard, 8 Moorhen, 1 Kingfisher, 1 Heron, 4 Canada Geese, 3 Little Grebe, 5 Goosander feeding in the pool below the bridge and 1 Green Shank.

 

Golden Plover

A large flock (150-200) sunning themselves S slope of Mynydd Dinas 1715 today.

Bethan Mary Evans 

Pembroke Castle Pond

From Paul Fraser: A small flock of approx 40 black tailed godwits near Monkton bridge on Sunday walk round the pond.  Regular visitors this time of the year, but normally less than 10 birds. All were gathered together probing the shallows. 

Porthclais and Rhosson

Yellow-browed warbler, Porthclais and an eastern looking Lesser whitethroat by Rhosson Ganol. George and Fiona.

Castlemartin Corse WeBS

Richard, Rob and I covered Castlemartin Corse WeBS today. Richard and I covered Upper section, Rob Lower section (and I did the bit in the middle too!). 

Rob also covered Broomhill Burrows WeBS. Area is dry so nothing was seen of note for WeBS. 

Castlemartin Corse is extremely dry. It does raise the question how much rain do we need to get any standing water down there? Even the river / mud crossing that prevented me linking Upper to Lower Corse last year was easy to cross. The count reflected the dry conditions of the Corse. 

We had 2 Grey Heron that graced us by lifting and flying over the reed bed, a Water Rail was heard from the hide and another heard skulking in a ditch on walk back towards Upper Corse. Something lifted 2 Snipe from the reedbed off from the hide and a lone one was flushed from usual fields of D8-9 on walk back up Corse. I first heard a curlew before locating there were 2 in field D4.No Duck or Gull Species seen to count. 

Rob had a pair of Chough, a Great Spotted Woodpecker and flocks of Goldfinch and Linnet. Walk from Upper Corse to hide 6 Cetti warblers were identified. A Pied Wagtail was seen on way back (possibly linked to herd of cattle in one of the fields). It was noticeable that there were a number of Robin singing along the route, 4 Jay flew across the corse while Rob and I was in the hide, and as corse was quiet enjoyed watching some of the more common small bird species such as Reed Bunting (5), Stonechat (8) and a male Blackcap.

Raptor wise it was a quiet morning. One sub adult Marsh Harrier was seen along the Corse being mobbed by the crows and a Buzzard was seen on the Upper section.

Colby Woodland Gardens

From Steve Smith: Quick walk around Colby gardens this afternoon 

Large mixed tit flock Long tailed. Great. Blue with a few Coal tits contain one Goldcrest . At least five Tree creepers near the camp fire enclosure next to the Colby stream  sadly no Dippers or Grey Wagtails, Please find attached a couple of cropped photos.

 

Spoonbill @ the Gann

Nice to bump into Sarah and George at the Gann this afternoon.  Sarah thought she had seen a Spoonbill drop into one of the channels in the saltmarsh but it hadn't reappeared.  I crossed the footbridge and walked upstream and it soon appeared in the main channel, later moving to the lagoon.   Nice find Sarah!  Also 2 Cattle Egrets dropped in to the saltmarsh.

Marloes & vicinity: more Cattle Egrets etc

 From Peter Smithies: a flock of 10 Cattle Egrets around a week ago in one of the Philbeach Farm fields (9 here in his photo).

Also around a week ago, NCI Coastwatch noted a/the White-tailed Eagle around the Deer Park for several days before it was reported on Ramsey.

This weekend: female Marsh Harrier at West Hook, Water Rail in Martin’s Haven valley

West Angle Bay Saturday 10 Oct

Very Pleasant couple of hours birding with friends contributing to the Big October day organised by eBird, coinciding with World Migratory bird day....

A welcoming committee of about 25 House Sparrows greeted us at the car park. Then lovely views of a nice selection of waders including Oycs, Curlew, Bar-tailed Godwits, Redshanks and Greenshank, Turnstones, Dunlin and Knot. Good to see a party of 7 Pale bellied Brent Geese (no young amongst them though). 

Excitement when a female/imm Merlin dashed across the bay putting up some of the waders!

At least three Great Crested Grebes were out in the bay plus a 'bunch' * of 38 Wigeon along the bank......at least 12 Little Egrets, pair of Mute Swans, a juv Heron, plus Grey wag and 5 Rock Pipits on the pebbly shoreline.  

Thirty species in altogether..

Apparently a collective noun for a group of Wigeon!

Llys-y-fran

Water levels still very low, probably the lowest I've seen it so 2 juvenile Common scoter was a bit unexpected. About 3,500 LBB roosted many out on the far bank. 100 BH gulls and 50 herring gulls. 7 GC grebe, 5 little grebe. 

 

Cattle Egrets

Highlight of a late afternoon walk at the Gann today was 6 Cattle Egrets, started with 1 on the saltmarsh, then another 4 on the lagoon, then eventually 6 roosting in the trees next to the road below Crabhall. Also a single Grey Plover. (Dave & Lisa)

Strumble, Flagpoles, and Iron Bidge.

Very quiet for cetaceans at Strumble today but a reasonably close pass by a Great Skua was a bonus. At the flagpoles in Goodwick a Curlew feeding on Shore Crab, then at Iron Bridge Newport, a Heron, Green shank and Little Grebe rounded off my morning.

 

Dale airfield

Half dozen individual jays passing across the road between Haverfordwest and Dale. Felt birdy on the sheltered track up, a firecrest popping in and out of the ivy was one of the first birds to appear, 3 chiffchaff and a blackcap tuk, tuk, tuking. Clouded yellows and red admirals as well. Juvenile Marsh harrier cruising around the airfield before drifting towards Marloes. Dozen golden plover, 10 snipe, 4 lapwing and single ringed plover. 2 young wheatear, among the skylarks, pipits and linnets around the runways. Quite a few birds in the bracken and scrub overlooking Marloes Sands, a few goldcrest, dunnocks, robins, great tits and best of all another Dartford warbler. 200 starling gyrating but couldn't see what was alarming them.