Newport Iron Bridge.

Upper side of the bridge, no waders visible-pm. 120+ Canada Geese with Egyptian Goose on the left bank. 1 Kingfisher busy over the brook and main flow.

 

Turtle Dove

From Philip Lees: We’ve just watched a Collared Dove and another dove feeding in the garden below our fat ball feeder. The other dove was smaller than the Collared with speckled feathers on its back - see photo below. Looking at the ID book it would seem to be a Turtle Dove, but that would be quite unusual from looking at the Birds of Pembs book, (we are in Penparc near Trefin). 

(Comment:We get one or two per year wandering through at this time of the year, but where they are going from and to is anybody's guess!) 

Newport

 From Cliff Benson - I had this Egyptian Goose at the Iron Bridge, Newport yesterday late afternoon. Its my first ever for Pembrokeshire  and  I can't remember hearing of any others. Also present was a red-head Goosander and a Kingfisher that twice hovered for several seconds over the river at a height of about 6 feet. The second time it dived in and caught a small fish!

Skrinkle Haven

Grey Phalarope the highlight on the sea off Skrinkle Haven this morning, first seen flying west it landed on the sea, started feeding and promptly disappeared! 3 Great Northern Divers past too. 

Good variety of overhead passage this morning including several large flocks of redwings east, totally 416. Westward movement included 205 Woodpigeon, 86 Chaffinch, 33 Meadow Pipit, 43 Skylark and best a Lapland Bunting.

Martin's Haven and Deer Park

A couple of hours checking the fields from Marloes Mere down to the Deer Park along the road. Mostly loose flocks of linnet (up to a max flock size of 75), skylark and meadow pipits that I could see and hear, plus a few smaller groups of goldfinch. Martin's Haven was quiet. Deer Park was a bit more interesting with a few birds flushing from the bracken included a flock of 10 redwing that headed towards Skomer. 2 Dartford warblers brightened the visit. Some big flocks of chough, one on the Deer Park reached 68 and another feeding by West Hook of 36. Peregrine sweeping across the fields the only raptor apart from a couple of buzzards. At least 5 cattle egret in the usual field by the St Brides turning. 20 greylag geese flying over Tesco, Hwest first thing this morning.

 

 

Snow Buntings

From Matt Scott: Hi I was running in the Preseli Hills this morning and as I reached the summit of Foel Feddau I came across 2 Snow Bunting. I only had my phone with me for photos. Wish I had more time to pop back with my camera. 

 

Redwings

From John Whitehurst: A group of 50 plus Redwing feeding up on Hawthorns in Manorbier Newton 8am this morning. They moved on south within 10 minutes or so. 

Stackpole

 A Goshawk seen at Stackpole today (Matt Nicholas)

Cattle Egrets

From Alan Seago: 5 Cattle Egrets at Mullock this afternoon in amongst the cattle in the field at the Saint Bride's junction. Eventually flew off towards The Gann. 

Strumble Head

 Sabines gull 1 ad

Artic skua  2 

Red throated diver 1

Gannet 100s

Auk 100s

Curlew 10

Turnstone 9

Oystercatcher I

Chough 3

The Gann

Did my best to keep out of the blustery wind at the Gann earlier. RH goosander briefly with a dozen wigeon on the pools. 7 little grebe. 52 redshank, 7 greenshank, 5 turnstone and 2 barwits. Single lapwing flying up the marsh. 2 sightings of kingfisher. 5 snipe. 10 chaffinch and a single goldfinch. Flock of 6 bullfinch looked like they were eating blackthorn buds. Chiffchaff singing. The cattle egrets were above Mullock farm at the St Brides junction but had gone as I passed later.

Newport estuary

Only things if note this morning were a flock of 50 curlew in a high tide roost, one of which was colour ringed:  Left - green above yellow 83; right - orange (all above tarsus).

And two med gulls: juvenile, and an adult with a white darvic on left - ?LX9; wind, mud, other  birds, and the bird insisting on sitting down  as soon as it stood still, ment I couldn't get the first digit for sure - most likely 0, O, 3 or B.

Sooty Shearwater - Skrinkle Haven

A Sooty Shearwater west past Skrinkle Haven was the highlight of a couple hours seawatching in the rain this morning! Otherwise a single Manx Shearwater, 185 Kittiwakes west.

Posting guidelines for photos

We have just updated the Posting Guidelines with regard to posting photographs. See here. In order to retain the principle purpose of the blog, which is to report rare or unusual sightings, we feel it is necessary to ask you to not to include pictures of common birds, unless they are behaving in an unusual way or are in an unusual location, or have rings. So a general advisory maximum of 5 pictures per blog post has been introduced but of course many posts will need far fewer or indeed, none.

Wagtail roost

Chris Grayell:  In recent evenings at last light, I've noticed dozens of Wagtails on and around the roofs of the former Thomas Picton school and sports complex.  It doesn't seem to be every evening though, but if there are fewer birds at the hospital roost then this may be where they've gone.

Stackpole

I sadly did not catch up with the rarity. The highlight was having a kingfisher dive down in front of me, heard the plop and only got a blurry image as it left into the distance. I also had my first Goosander and Tufted duck of the autumn. Otherwise just the usual candidates! 

Angle Bay

From the Kilpaison side, 7 pale-bellied Brent Geese, 10 Pintail, 16 Bar-tailed Godwits and a Shoveler   (Paul W and Paddy J) 

Ring-necked Duck - Bosherston Ponds

Nice to catch up with the Ring-necked Duck at Bosherston Ponds this afternoon, in the eastern arm below Stackpole court. 

At Manorbier this morning, some movement over the sea included, 4 Great Northern Divers, 2 Mediterranean Gull, 7 Common Scoter and 174 Kittiwake. At lunchtime a minimum of 123 Skylark in the fields above Manorbier but couldn't find the lapland bunting today.