Minwear matinee murmuration returns! 15-17/1/25

After apparently abandoning the reed bed roost opposite the Minwear woods view point in early December the starling roost is back, but this time in conifers about 0.5 km to the west at approx SN047135.

They put on an impressive display as they crossed the river from the north, sometimes in very long, thick, undulating, boa-like rivers of black! Took a good 10 minutes for them all to cross....50,000 birds?? The roost is just south of the road, difficult to view once they are down but very noisy!

On Wednesday the streaming flocks were closely shadowed by the menacing presence of 2 Goshawks which followed them over the trees! and on Thursday a Peregrine was in on the act..plus another brief appearance by a Goshawk.

Other birds of interest included a pair of Shelduck, a nice flotilla 10 Goosanders (3 males), kingfisher, Greenshank, 65 Redshank, 3 Little Grebes, a small flock of Lapwing overhead, a Little Egret, Mistle Thrush and Song Thrushes in good voice.

St Davids peninsula walks yesterday and today & some belated Castlemartin peninsula observations

We did some long walks between Whitesands and Abereiddi yesterday morning and between Porth Clais and Newgale today. A ring-tail hen harrier was hunting over the St Davids Head area yesterday and ravens were displaying near nest-sites, but it was generally quiet for birds, including far fewer thrushes compared with December when we did similar walks. 

Today there were 2 smart adult yellow-legged gulls in Solva Harbour, along with 3 Mediterranean gulls (2 adults and a 2CY bird), 20+ common gulls, 100+ black-headed gulls, 30+ herring gulls, plus small numbers of lesser black-backed and great black backed gulls. Fulmars were on the cliffs near St Nons. Small numbers of chough seen were mostly pairs feeding close to their breeding sites. 

Raptors today included kestrels near Solva, and Cwm-bach, 2 red kites hunting along the coast and 3 peregrines (2 males and a female) displaying over the A487. Three greylags flew up from the south and headed inland near Penycwm. A small flock of 10 common scoters was feeding close to the shore near Cwm-bach. On the beach here there were at least 40 common gulls (mixed ages) resting with other gulls. 

[Some of us will be out checking potential gulls roosts for the national Winter Gull roost survey (WinGS) over the weekend].

Last Sunday, not less than 3 merlins were hunting in separate parts of the Castlemartin peninsula and  razorbills were back at breeding crevices in a few places. 

Sadly, the recent cold snap most probably contributed to the demise of a 20-year old female chough (ringed as nestling by Bob). She was raised at Stackpole, but had spent most of her adult breeding life at Linney Head. Her predated remains (and a couple of her colour-rings) were found by Castlemartin Ranger Lynne Houlston last Saturday.

The old female chough (upper ringed bird) with her partner, during better times. She had reared many young during her 20-year life-span.

 

Newport

 Green winged teal and water pipit both still upstream of bridge at Newport this afternoon. Red throated diver in the bay . 

Crossbills

 A group of 40+ Crossbills feeding on pine cones at Pantmaenog this afternoon also a fly over flock of 22 Fieldfares

Dipper, Lower Fishguard

From Paul Fraser. Lone dipper on rock just below the road bridge in Lower Fishguard, was there for over 5 mins viewed at 1600 today from car parked in harbour car park, Curlew feeding in harbour on the low tide. 

Newport Estuary

 Water pipit 1

Green winged teal 

Both by the bridge 

Little egret 3

Oystercatcher 10

Ring plover 15

Dunlin 15

Curlew 100

Hook - Great Northern Diver

 A Great Northern Diver fishing at the mouth of Sprinkle Pill this evening. The wintering Peregrine put the Golden Plover and Dunlin flocks to wing, the Golden Plovers now numbering in excess of 4000 birds. 

North Pembs

At 1630  flock of 12 swans passed, came from south and headed East for fishguard too foggy and distant so see what they were. (Rob Johns - Pen Caer)

On Sunday morning a Cattle Egret seen flying along the Ceredigion side of the Teifi estuary. Later presumably the same Cattle Egret was photographed on the Reserve flying towards Cilgerran Gorge. Most "local" Herons and Egrets roost up river of the Gorge.

Dowrog - Harriers

The now 3CY Pallid Harrier swept through the Dowrog at 16-30h, heading south. Before and after this a male Hen Harrier showed a few times, hunting both north-east and south west of the viewing road. A ringtail Hen Harrier showed earlier a few times amongst the bushes to the north-east of the road. Other raptors - Kestrel, Sparrowhawk and Red Kite.

At about 15-00h a single Whooper Swan, no doubt the one reported below by Lyndon, flew over the fields to the north of Dowrog and dropped into a smaller pond to the south east of Penberry pond.

St. Brides Bay - Divers

A quick scan of the southern inner bay from Littlehaven. Large numbers of Red-throated Diver, I stopped counting at 25, plus a Great Northern Diver and a Black-throated Diver. A few scattered flocks of Common Scoter. At Broadhaven, 4 Purple Sandpipers at their usual location of Emmet Rock.

Marloes Mere

A couple of hours around dusk turned up a Ringtail hen harrier, it flushed a flock of linnet from the fields behind the Britton hide before hunting around Trehills side until the light went. A female Pintail, 7 Gadwall and the 6 Tufted duck. A Woodcock in front of the car just before Dreenhill.

Whooper Swan

 

Whooper swan on Penberry Pond this morning

Rosebush and Llys-y-fran

Good to see Alison at Rosebush doing her WEBs. 8 Tufted duck was as good as it got here. Llys-y-fran wasn't much better. A pair of Pochard at the top end the pick. Gull-wise a really frustrating roost with just 150 LBB, 80 HG, 50 BH gull on the water at 3:30pm. Gulls would drift in and looked to settle before constantly getting up and going back to the fields. Final counts around 4:30pm were 1500 LBB, 1200 HG, 850 BH gull, 4 Yellow-legged gulls, 4 Common gull and a marauding GBB. The gulls left it very late to come in to roost as they often do in calmer conditions with the biggest concentrations up by the hide (unfortunately with light going and bank side cover it was impossible to view or make a count). 2 Great spotted woodpecker were hammering away on either side of the reservoir. 300+ Canada geese dropped on to the reservoir briefly before going back to the fields and didn't reappear before I left just before 5pm.

WeBS Castlemartin Corse

Thanks to David Ord, Richard and Rob for helping with todays count.

David and Rob had a Black Tailed Godwit and Curlew on their walk up the corse, along with Fieldfare. 

The highlight for me, as Richard and I walked down to hide, was I nearly trod on a Jack Snipe!

Rob spotted sparrowhawk bombing through while we were in the hide. A total of 3 Buzzards and 2 Marsh Harriers made up the rest of the raptors.

As Toby reported recently there are a large number (for the corse) of Pintail present, though we only got our count to 19. Our other counts for the ducks were 80 Shoveller, 80 Mallard, 80 Wigieon and 240 Teal.

The young Whooper Swan is still hanging out with the 2 Mute Swans. 

There were 4 Little Egret on the upper section along with 4 Greylag. We also had 2 Common Gull, 42 Herring Gull and 43 Black Headed Gull. 

Our Golden Plover count was again low this month at 29! 

Other birds included 250 Lapwing, 81 Snipe, 3 Moorhen, 2 Little Grebe, 3 Pied Wagtail, 1 Grey Wagtail and a couple of Water Rail were heard in the reedbed. 

Somehow the resident Grey Heron for the second time has eluded the WeBS count and we failed to hear the usual Cettis warblers today!

Lone Lapwing that landed near hide

Take off! Pintail making their exit

Whooper still present

One of the two Marsh Harriers

Pemboke Castle Pond

Male Bull Finch by old building used as boat store near the slip way, moving in and out of the ivy near the steps at the side of the building. we walk round the pond at least twice a week and this is our first sighting of a Bull Finch in the area around the Castle.

Carole & Paul Fraser.

More Goosanders onTeifi and Marloes Stuff

Another six Goosanders were on the river at the Welsh Wildlife Centre this afternoon, four males and two females, along with a lonesome male Goldeneye. One pair of the Goosanders were doing some displaying. The ponds were frozen, so birds were on the river, four Curlew, two Black-tailed Godwit and about ten Snipe, along with over 200 Teal and a few gulls.

Yesterday afternoon at Marloes Mere a Barn Owl was hunting  over the northern edge and a ring-tail Hen Harrier flew from Runwayskiln westwards over fields south of the hide. Five Tufted Ducks and two pairs of Gadwall were on the unfrozen part of the mere. About 250 Lapwing were in a turnip field with with sheep to the west. Off Wooltack Point a single Gannet was circling over four porpoises and a few Kittiwakes were flying low over the waves. At least four auks were on the water, but too far out to be identified without a scope.

Higgins Well Haverfordwest

 2 pairs of Goosander and a female Goldeneye at Higgins Well yesterday afternoon.

Goosanders.

 For the first time since the corresponding date in 2010.Four at Westfield Pill first thing this morning.

Yellowhammer

From David Meanwell: 

In a friends garden at Whitehart crossroads Dale Road a single yellowhammer today. Hopefully the first of the 5/6 that usually gather on their lawn.