Highlights from a walk around NT Castell this morning included 2 cuckoos and a lesser whitethroat calling from the scrub. Plenty of common whitethroat singing as well as chiffchaff and one willow warbler
A fine (breeding plumage adult) hobby flew along the coast between Skrinkle and Lydstep late this afternoon, heading swiftly towards Penally.
Kestrels are back in residence and hopefully will be breeding in the area. The adult male was hunting over rough grassland near the Youth Hostel.
At least 2 pairs of starlings are breeding at Manorbier Range. These appear to be part of a scattered breeding population between Manorbier Newton and Tenby area.
Mid afternoon a Great White Egret on the north side of the airfield below Waun Llechell. Thick cover there so often hidden. Plenty of Whitethroats about, a few Chiffchaffs and just one Willow Warbler heard.
Found in Spam:
Interesting sighting at Little Haven by local resident on 16th April
Andy Fryer
From Sandy Hill
Mid afternoon visit to Minwear today
From car park up to picnic site by the road produced plenty of Chiffies, Chaffinch, Blue & Coal tit but no Tree Pipit or Wood Warbler. Crossing the road I heard a cuckoo & there were plenty of Willow Warblers singing in sunshine. Nice views & brief song from Garden Warbler as I arrived at block of Sitka Spruce, with small flock of Siskin also present. Re-tracing my steps produced a brief Tree Pipit before I got back to picnic site. Visit capped off with beautiful male Brimstone.
Sadly the Small sand martin colony above the beach seems to have collapsed. I saw no birds last year and none so far in 2026.
Small group of scoter flew over the Welsh road heading out to sea....where had they been?
Grasshopper warbler in scrub behind Welsh road, near start of coast path to nolton haven
Small numbers of Wheatears this morning and a light passage eastward of Swallows and House Martins, with singles of Sand Martin and Swift. Offshore 5 Whimbrel flew east and a Sandwich Tern was lingering off Manorbier beach.
A look around this evening produced a Garden Warbler singing at Skrinkle, plus a few more Wheatears.
A passing Arctic Tern was the highlight of a quick look at the sea late in the evening. Seemed to be a fair bit moving so wish I could have given it longer!
The most wheatear so far with 30 on my walk, many looked big and bright. A first swift dwarfing the hirundines over the mere. 9 whimbrel, a ringed plover, a dunlin and 2 lapwing, one of the males chased off a herring gull. 2 other ringed plover opposite the entrance to West Hook on the little flood. 13 coot, a couple on nests, 9 moorhen was a surprise, Shoveler 4 pair and 3 male was on the low side, teal 7 pairs, 3 shelduck and 3 pair Tufted duck. Still a bit quiet, just a couple of sedge warbler and 3 whitethroat.
A garden warbler singing in the garden this morning was our
first of the year here. Its appearance was a bit later than usual, but we
have been out and about quite a bit recently so perhaps we missed its actual arrival
date.
It was interesting to see how the local territorial male
blackcap responded. One has been resident nearby for a few weeks now. Not only
did he appear to sing much louder than usual but, for a short period, he also started to mimic the garden warbler.
Our garden usually forms part of a breeding territory for a pair
of garden warblers, so hopefully this one (with a partner) will not
be too intimidated by the rival blackcap and will stay around in this area.
Whinchat here this evening as well with a scattering of Wheatears (6) on Manorbier Range. A Grasshopper Warbler was singing at Skrinkle and my first Swift of the year flew through east.
Common sandpiper 3
Oystercatcher 2
Little egret 4
Pengeli forest
Pied flygcatcher pair
Restart pair
Great spotted woodpecker 1
Blackcap 2
Willow warbler 3
Tree creeper 1
A dream come true yesterday afternoon, as an Osprey came steaming north along the Cleddau from below Uzmaston! Also a singing Whitethroat.
Out in the Castlemartin Range today it was nice to see c.50 sand martins back at a usual colony area at the Furzenips. There were at least 20 or more house martins too, probably passing through, although some might have been returning summer residents at the Furzenips. Here there are also usually several cliff-nesting pairs - sand martins on the eroding softer cliff-top and house martins in rocky crevices/small overhangs below. We wonder if the two species breed close together elsewhere in natural sites on the Pembs coast.
Of 14 ringed plovers (with a couple of dunlin) on the beach this morning, 2 pairs
appeared to be settling into a usual breeding spot, although the beach profile is
much steeper than last year with more limited potentially suitable breeding habitat
present.
This morning there was a small
passage of curlews plus a dozen or so whimbrels in separate small groups heading
up the coast.
Lots of whitethroats are back on territory in usual patches
of scrub, plus large numbers of linnets across the Range. Kestrels are also back
at a usual breeding location, where a mating pair was observed a couple of weeks ago.
Most of the resident pairs of chough seem to be well settled
and breeding, although a few (likely new/younger pairs) are still giving us the
run-around. Also, the same along other parts of the southern Limestone coast where some pairs had still not settled earlier
in the week.
In the south of the county, we also noted a grasshopper
warbler singing in some good breeding habitat at Cors Penally mid-week. Another grasshopper warbler was at Templeton Airfield, along with willow warblers and yellowhammers in their usual breeding habitat.
From Sandra Young - Pwll Deri