Newport - Nevern estuary

From Andrew Crowder:    

1 Common Sandpiper, 2 Peregrine Falcon (1 adult, 1 juvenile), 4 Whimbrel & 2 Greenshank ((1 adult, 1 juvenile). 
I think the latter is not common at this site?

The Johnston swift 11 July

We've been away recently and so just catching up with local bird news. The swift at the Johnston house martin nest on 11 July is intriguing. However, we're a bit confused by the photo. 

The dark bird shown is not a swift, which do not have such long outer tail feathers. Swifts also have longer, narrower wings than the bird in the photo, which appears to be a dark (possibly a melanistic) swallow. Was it helping to feed the young? A very interesting observation! 

The bird in the photo very much reminded us of a melanistic swallow that we observed in a mixed flock of hirundines, feeding and resting on Stackpole Warren a few years ago. 

Marloes mere

A few of this years youngsters around the mere tonight included some young Willow warblers begging for a feed. A couple of young reed buntings with linnets picking up seeds among the mats of wildflowers along the track. Around 20 young coot already bickering with each other. 3 juvenile Shovelers and a single juvenile teal. 2 redshank too-leed in for a freshen up inc a juvenile with an adult. Some of this years Pied wagtails dashing around the muddy margins. Female Marsh harrier cruised through heading west but didn't appear to be in hunting mode. About 200 gulls gave me something to scan through, only the one sub-adult 4/5 yo LBB gull carrying a blue ring on left tarsus, never close or clear my best guess is P or F or maybe even a Y 711 - should have gone to Specsavers!

Ringed Plovers - Freshwater West

Ali Rees confirmed at least one Ringed Plover chick at Freshwater West this evening.  Magic!  If you are visiting the beach please be considerate of the birds and keep dogs on a lead if at all possible.

Ringed Plovers - Freshwater West

A pair of Ringed Plovers exhibiting signs of breeding behaviour at Freshwater West yesterday evening (Ali Rees). Anyone able to check it out? Location was opposite the north car park here: https://goo.gl/maps/a53jkGbY4hHoRsf49

Caldey

 On Caldey there is an ongoing attempt to encourage Manx Shearwaters and Storm Petrels to breed there now the rats have been eliminated.  The Bird Group funded next boxes and sound playback systems and they are installed near Sandtop. 

 Early signs are very encouraging with Manxies both calling over the site and being seen almost every night on the ground around the speakers and the burrows.  These are likely to be immature birds and with luck they may make breeding attempts in the next few years and form the basis of a new colony.  Similarly the sound system has encouraged Storm Petrels to visit the wall system and maybe will be encouraged to breed there but in 2026 we hope to survey the 6,000m or so of stone walls on the island - they may be there already!!

It will be interesting to see what happens in 2026 when a second system may be installed near the lighthouse and also on St .Margarets Island.

Hirundines

From Ian Bartlett: 10 Swift over Pembroke town this afternoon and a count of 25 Swallow on the telegraph wires behind the Milton Bridge Inn this evening.

Caldey

From Matt Sutton: A few manx shearwaters calling soon after dark around the south end of Sandtop Bay, Caldey last night - is there maybe a small breeding colony here now? Also water rail calling from the scrubby cliff below the pond here. Common sandpiper on the beach and 9 turnstone on rocks.

Also a flyover great white egret heading east near Redberth a week or two back.

Ty Rhyg

 Still plenty of nightjar action at Ty Rhyg with three males singing and wing-clapping last night and a recently fledged juvenile was sat on the track near the central clear fell, so they have managed to breed successfully this year. Young tawny owls are still begging for food in this area too.

The bushes are alive with various warblers, particularly young blackcap which must have had a fantastic breeding season. Also plenty of willow warblers, chiffchaffs, garden warblers and a few whitethroat and grasshopper warblers.

At least 2 juvenile willow tits were also seen, and small flocks of crossbills, redpolls and siskins buzzing overhead.

Hirundines at Carew Millpond

From Ian Bartlett: Max count of 16 Swift this evening. There are a few separate groups around and every now and then they all group together. At least 25 House Martins at one point and good numbers of Swallow too. Two Peregrines over the millpond around 9pm 

 

 

 

Swallows

We normally get quite big aggregations of Swallows on our electricity wires in late summer. But it is only mid-July and we are aleady up to 35!

Curlew at Angle and Hirundines at Carew

From Ian Bartlett: 5 Curlew today at Angle, viewable from The Old Point House. Last night 8 Swift flying around the Mill at Carew millpond along with similar numbers of House Martin and Swallow.

Swift

from David Butler: A minimum of 5 active house Martin nests in Johnston but last few days they have been joined by 4 swifts. This evening a swift has been paying particular attention to this nest, presumably nest prospecting but it does hold juvenile house Martins.

Stock Dove

 Heard calling yesterday & this morning at St Brides, in the old rectory/ pink cottages area.

Ed: Yes we heard it too!