Garden Birdwatch

Thought I would contribute to the RSPB Big Garden birdwatch today. 

Borrowed the parents garden!  

In the hour of watching I got the following:-  

Robin 1

Dunnock 2

Chaffinch 17 (think we had temporary influx while I did count as usually its in region of 9-10 birds) 

Goldfinch 10

Blue Tit 3

Great Tit 1

Coal Tit 2

Nuthatch 1

Long Tailed Tit 2

Carrion Crow 2

Jackdaw 1

Magpie 1

Blackcap 2(female) 

House Sparrow 2 (male) 

Collared Dove 3 

Woodpigeon 1

 

The fly over that obviously did not count:- 

Herring gull 1

 

Some numbers up or down 1 from the average I see in the garden.  

 

Was missing the Marsh Tit which was a shame, it is about most days at some point. 

Other species that have been seen occasionally recently, but were not about during todays count, were the male Great Spotted Woodpecker and a solo Greenfinch. 

 

What has been notable by their absence this autumn and winter are the blackbirds!   

Little Haven Point

From Carl Mitchell: 

11:30 23/01/2026

From Little Haven Point (SM855130)

95 Red-throated Diver

6 Great Northern Diver

14 Common Scoter

12 Gannet

Goodwick Beach

From Mike B: Attached a few photos taken around 10.00 this morning on the shingle at Goodwick Beach at high tide.

 

Yellowhammers

From David Meanwell: 

The first visit of 2026 of 5 females and 2 male Yellowhammers in a friend’s garden at White Hart crossroads on the Dale Road.

Green-winged Teal - Newport

The Newport Green-winged Teal still present today..

 

Stephen Hyam 

Fishguard Outer Breakwater - Sunday

A good turn out for our WTSWW wildlife watch on the northern breakwater at Goodwick today. Great weather, some fantastic species and wonderful company. 

I spotted Shag, Cormorant, Herring Gull, LBB Gull, Black Headed Gull, Gannet, Raven, Robin, Grey Wagtail, Rock Pipit, Pied Wagtail and Common Dolphin. I didn’t get down to the far end of the breakwater due to being on “gate duty”, but I heard that a few other species had been spotted including Great Northern Diver, Ringed Plover, Razorbill, Common Gull, Oystercatcher, Dunlin and Grey Seal. 

Here are some pics. Sorry, I don’t have a snazzy camera…

Krystal King (Pembs local group WTSWW)

Sandy Haven Pill / Gann

The 11 Whooper Swans still present in a field next to Sandy Haven Pill early afternoon (details sent to Annie).  Down on the pill there were lots of birds before they were disturbed by dogs off leads (during our 25 minutes there we observed 3 lots of dog walkers in the upper reaches of the pill totalling 6 dogs, all off leads...).  Highlights were 200+ Lapwing and a Kingfisher, and amongst the gulls a single 2CY Mediterranean Gull and 2 Skokholm ringed Great Black-backed Gulls.

Earlier at the Gann we managed to read 9 colour-rings: 2 Redshank (ringed at the Gann), 1 Oystercatcher (Gann), 5 Herring Gulls (Skomer & Skokholm) and 1 Great Black-backed Gull (Skokholm).  A female type Merlin zipped across the saltmarsh and east towards St Ishmaels, yesterday a male was perched on the hedge beside the road between St Ishmaels and Sandy Haven. (Dave & Lisa)

International Swan Census

Please could you all look out for Whooper and Bewick Swans this weekend.  Sorry I'm a bit late in mentioning this here.

The International Swan Census (ISC) estimates the size and distribution of Whooper and Bewick’s Swan populations in the UK and the Republic of Ireland. 

Any sightings can be recorded via this webpage or on BirdTrack or your WeBS count - but please make a note of the numbers of adults and juveniles, and the habitat they are using.

Thanks

Annie

17/Plenty of Pipits ! an old mate and thanks Paul, 3 whoopers and a couple of hundred corvids on the wires!!

While making our way back from Whitesands to the Dowrog late afternoon I was surprised to see a small cloud of LBJ's (Little Brown Jobs) fling up from a telegraph line. Around fifty  remained on the line with at least twice that amount had taken to the air in a random mass fly-about . We slowed the car and I managed to confirm they were Meadow Pipits as they flew over us. Circa 150 of them at a catiuos estimate!I am not sure what disturbed them , maybe just us driving by but that amount of Pipits would surely be constantly on the alert for predators and pretty nervy!

Paul G was set up out of the  wind on the edge of the Moor as we arrived but had seeen nothing then at about 15.40 A car was parked at "My" spot😒😉 and as we passed by we slowed down to see who the miscreant might be. What a blast from the past, an old Strumbling mate, Andrew Sinclair whom i had not seen for around twenty years! I jumped out of the car, Andrew got out of his and yep amaisingly it was he! We spent the next half hour sat in his car, ignoring the birds, reminiscing and catching up!

While we chinwagged, Fran walked the dog back towards The W cattle grid and passing Paul on the way back , he told her of three Whooper swans in the field opposite the junction with the St Davids Rd which were still there as we left the Dowrog heading for home!

Heading back into Mathry as we approached the square there were at least 200 maainly Jackdaws but also Rooks line up on crossing wires. This is pretty normal at this time of the year late afternoon, early evening in one or two places locally, but its something nobody seems to comment on! They are pretty exposed to wind and rain but I sometimes wonder if there is some warmth in the insulated wires or is it just a gathering place before heading off in the dark to more shelterd roosts? 

Hook WeBS

I did Davids WeBS this afternoon between Hook Quay and Sprinkle, lovely afternoon and plenty of birds. Mostly made up by Golden plover (2500), Lapwing (1910) and dunlin (1180). Selected others - 1010 teal, 112 mallard, 110 shelduck, 71 wigeon, 22 pintail, 8 shoveler. 81 redshank, 50 curlew, 40 oystercatchers, 9 ringed plover, 4 grey plover, a single black-tailed godwit. 360 Canada geese up in the fields above Sprinkle and one greylag calling. A peregrine flushed all the waders and teal at full tide at Sprinkle. 

Castlemartin Corse WeBS

 

Not a lot of open water today! 

Richard kindly counted the upper corse for me today while I covered the bottom section which is usually Robs domain. 

Richard got a healthy number of lapwing of 1110 (I gained a stray one so 1111 being the final count). 

Richard also had 4 little egret, 37 Golden Plover, a Shelduck and 2 Dunlin on the upper section.   

The 8 Whooper Swans were just up from the hide as I was walking up but flew off at 9:55 looking to be heading to the upper corse. At least they were there for the International Swan Census (ISC) which is happening this weekend. 

The two Mute Swans were on the slacks which are full of water at the moment and moved off up towards the upper corse about 9:44.  

The highlight of the day though happened early on. There were 8 Curlew in the field just beyond the car park at Freshwater West, one of which was colour ringed with yellow ring on left Tibia and a white flag with black writing P23 on the right Tibia. Email has gone off to the ringing program but looking back at the Blog this bird was highlighted by Richard in December 2024 after Steve had showed him a picture he had taken. So already know this bird is from a Netherlands project.  

Curlew P23 

Had what felt like a low count across the 'snipe field' today of just 31 with a few other random ones here and there bringing total to 36. 

140 Teal lifted at one point but quickly disappeared again into the reeds. A lowly count of 12 for the Mallard. Shoveller totalled 43.  

2 adult Female Marsh Harriers intermittently appeared at distance on the far side of the corse, at one point one of them was trying to get a Buzzard to move on from a willow bush by diving at it! 

Butterflies & Moths

Hi, year end again, if you have any moth or butterfly records that you could submit, please forward to...

paul.warren.moths@gmail.com

All records help to complete the picture.

Many thanks 

Paul Warren, Pembs Recorder.

Withybush woods

 A brief visit to the woodland this morning a was surprised to see almost spring/breeding behaviour a pair of treecreepers displaying and chasing round the trees a blue tit taking nest material to a nest box. Also on the pond a little grebe that I don’t think I have recorded at site in the past. And the pair of stock dove (presumably the pair that bred a while back) look to be paired up again.

There is a 20 plus count of collard dove most days, and there seems to be a good colony of house sparrow at the feeders, not much evidence of the rookery becoming active. Nice to see the daffs appearing with snowdrops and any visitors in the coming months should start to see 100s of crocuses recently planted by the Haverfordwest Rotary club, with the 1st Johnston Scout Group.

Green-winged Teal

 A green-winged teal was just upstream of the bridge at Newport this afternoon, in with c.50 teal, perhaps a returning individual?. Also a sneaky water rail just downstream.

Carew

 A good number of birds at Radford Pill and the Carew River this afternoon with the tide rising- 350+ Lapwing, 84 Black Tailed Godwits, 28 Redshanks, 3 Greenshanks, 35 Curlew, 2 Golden Plover, 1 Dunlin, 72 Teal. Also 9 Stock Doves.