Marloes

To add to Brians post on the Dotterel. They were still present between about 1:40 and 2pm. I only spotted 2 today. With Northerly winds set to remain for a couple of days I guess they might hang tight a little longer! 

Marloes update and Brynberian

It appears the lapwing may have failed. The male was there last night (Friday) but showed no intention of chasing off multiple gulls and corvids that in recent weeks would have been driven off, so I'm fearing the worse. There was no sign of the male or any other lapwing in an hour first thing Saturday morning. A pair of Little grebe that had made a nest out from the Britton hide have been evicted by a pair of coot who are in the process of adding an extension. Gadwall and shoveler appear to be breeding (2-3 male shoveler, and up to 5 male gadwall around the mere), teal and shelduck may also be breeding, there's a lone drake teal and up to 3 shelduck. Two of the Dotterel were still in the same field near West Hook.

On a more positive note a first visit to Brynberian moor this afternoon turned up 6 Whinchat including two pairs at likely nest sites.  Also a redpoll, 2 wheatear and a kestrel, despite the chilly breeze and sometime misty conditions. 

Skokholm

A Turtle Dove today

Waldo Stone Presellis

 Cuckoo 2 pair chasing each other around the area 

Lesser whitethroat 1 new bird for my walk with the dog 

Willow warbler 4

Grasshopper warbler 2

Chiff chaff 5

Sedge warbler 2

Stonechat 4 pair 

Kestrel male 

Buzzard 2

Red kite 2

Linnet 5 pairs 

Swallow 6

Starlings - juveniles

Two juvenile Starlings have been around since last week - Milford Haven   (Paul Warren)

Dotterel

Had a quick look after work and the Dottrel (3) were still present on the West Hook Farm fields. Afraid distence and heat haze affected the quality of the images. Hopefully will get to see them again before they move on. 

 

Cuckoos, Sand Martins..

 Two Cuckoos near Llangloffan Fen yesterday (Shirley Matthews)

Sand Martins have returned to the small cliff colony at Nolton (Frank)

Stackpole

The Guillimots and Razorbills were getting down to buisness of trying to create the next generation!  

The Shag is in its usual very easy to see nesting spot, nest made of very green vegatation at the moment. An adult was sitting tight while I passed by. 

Saw my first coastal Swifts of the year and on review of my images one looked to have a bit of grass in its mouth so hopefully thats a good sign they are thinking of nesting along the section somewhere.  

Nice to see the Ravens have fledged (just the one youngster) within the last week.  

Swift with grass - hopefully a good sign

Razorbills getting down to the buisness! 

Guillimots on one of the ledges.

Wheatear 

Juv Raven hanging out on cliff - adult was not far away

Dotterel West Hook 5/5

From Alan Seago:  
Still present at 1.00pm today. Good views of male and female. At least three individuals present probably four. Thanks to Dan for the accurate location. Also a Swift making an appearance. 

Newport yesterday morning

 Newport at high tide yesterday morning : 8 whimbrel, 18 dunlin, 1 ringed plover, 1 greenshank . One adult Med gull in breeding plumage in a small flock of BH gulls . Cuckoo calling on north side of estuary. Sedge warbler near the Parrog. 

Lapwing

Brian, thank you for your wonderful post - I realise the odds are bad but there will be an awful lot of crossed fingers rooting for them!

Rosemary 

Gann HT 5/5

Good morning,

Sadly my last report for a little while before heading home.

HT: 43 Oyc, 9 whimbrel, 7 dunlin, 6 Barwit, 4 ringed plover, singles shelduck and gadwall.

See you again in the autumn!

Dan Watson 

Lapwing, breeding success Marloes Mere

Since late February/early March, after the main wintering flock had departed, up to 3 lapwing have been present on and off around the mere. Not the easiest birds to seperate but from the views I had it looked like 2 male and a female. On the 22 March a lone male was displaying and giving its evocative calls, no female was obvious. By the 3 April a female had turned up and more displaying occured. On the 7 April another male arrived, only one seemed territorial and continued to display, chasing off any other birds inc a pair of ruff, and a whimbrel as well as the more obvious dangers of crows and gulls, the other always kept some distance between the pair. The pair seemed to favour an area at the barb-wire gate end among a raised patch of sedge on what was probably the former southside irrigation pond embankment. On the 12 April the 3 lapwing were scattered and away from the usual spot and ominously an adult GBB was standing in the area the female had been frequenting. 15 April no sign of the female, both males visible (one would often be out from the Britton Hide, the newcomer was often on the grassy bank beneath the cottage or over by the Oriole hide). 23 April, 2 males with the dominant bird chasing off a herring gull. 28 April, first visit when there had been no sign of any lapwing at all and I began to think any breeding attempt had failed. Today (4 May), arriving early at 7am, it was a relief to see the male was back and calling loudly and swooping around out from the Britton Hide, a herring gull was chased off repeatedly and the female was also just out from the Britton hide pecking around, the first time I'd seen her since the 12 April, things were looking really promising. I kept an eye on the female, which wasn't easy as she was in the sedges and her lower half was mostly obscured but I persisted. After a couple of false alarms when a dunlin and then a wood sandpiper pottered close by, at 7:50am I noticed a little fluffy blob a couple of yards away from where the female was pecking around, it could only be one thing! A young lapwing, likely less than a week old. It soon disappeared. Amazing. A sense of pride and emotion almost overwhelmed me, what amazing birds. Back tonight for another look, just the male present, quietly sitting out from the Britton hide. Fingers crossed and may the force be with them.

Footnote: the mere has been transformed in recent years thanks to the National Trusts endeavours and Pete and Gina Smithies, at Trehill farm. Great job.

 

Dotterel, still present. 4 birds (2 male 2 female).

 

Dotterel West Hook

From Dan Watson, Just found this lovely male, view from footpath only. 

Later: Reviewing images, it appears that there are a minimum of two birds - one male, one female. Birds were present around 10am, and still about when I checked again around 11:30.

The birds are in the tilled field North of the road, and immediately west of the public footpath. Please do not enter fields. Parking is probably best at Martin's Haven and walking back along the coastal path on the N side of the peninsula. 

Waders - The Teifi

By 8pm this evening the rising tide had pushed the small wader flock onto Poppit beach..90 Dunlin, 15 Ringed Plover and a Sanderling. 5 Sandwich Tern were roosting on buoys off the saltnarsh. 

Earlier in the day 1 Grey Plover, 2 Whimbrel and a lingering Curlew.

Curlew Sandpiper - Newport

 The summer plumage Curlew Sandpiper - now at Newport today. 

(Photos Jonathon Bissett)

Also 2 Sandwich Terns 

Broad Haven Slash Pond

From Alan Seago: Warbler-fest Sunday morning. Blackcap, chiffchaff, cetti's, garden warbler and lesser whitethroat. Mallard, 2 canada geese and moorhen on the water. 

Dale airfield and Gann 3.5.26

From Dan Watson: 

A few birds from this am:

Gann (06:30 06:50): 7 barwit, 13 dunlin, 2 ringed plover, singles grey plover and greenshank.

Dale airfield (07:00 - 09:10): 7 whimbrel, 4 wheatear, singles barwit (full summer plumage) and moulting golden plover with injured L/H leg.

Cuckoo

 Calling in the woods behind the pump house at St Brides yesterday  evening.