Brynberian Moor - if you build it they will come

After leaving the tropics of Haverfordwest it was surprisingly cool with a bit of mist Brynberian side - not ideal for dragonflies, of which there were very few. Some conifers edging the moor have a few cones and crossbills were calling in them. Redpolls buzzing around as usual. Family of greenfinch in a cypress with a mixed flock of finches. Just a single juvenile and a singing male whinchat this afternoon. Flushed a snipe whilst checking for damsels. Two groups of young redstart flying down to grab insects was great to see and for once they were preoccupied enough that I could get a photo or two. Highlight though was a Hobby that appeared and skimmed the tops of the bracken, it homed in on a pipit but I missed the outcome as I grabbed the camera. It did a couple of wide circuits, covering treetops and way out on the moor. About an hour later I spotted it perched up in a dead tree on the edge of the moor but had gone by the time I got closer. The bracken is pretty high in places, had me thinking of that scene in Field of Dreams when the old baseball players appear from Kevin Costners characters corn field, magic.

Haverfordwest

 Last Sunday had 3 oyster catcher over the house that was an interesting record, but today noticing large movements of wood pigeon in the Cleddau valley………any one else 

Re "Help"

Just a bit of a guess, and not sure how or if even possible, but it looks like a hybrid Canary/Tenerife Blue Chaffunch. Unlikely presumably, to be a wild hybrid vagrant, so whatever it is, its most likely an escapee.

Help!

From John Witehurst: In the garden today……think an escape/captive bred bird….but really little idea 

Dartford Warbler at Strumble Head

We saw a Dartford warbler at Strumble Head at 8:15 this morning. It was about 30 mins south of the car park, just beyond a small reed bed. We are unsure of the age/sex but it seemed dark with spots on the chin but no “crest”. It was quite mobile, and we quickly lost it as it traveled north. 

Josh, Emi and Francis Daunt

Dale airfield and the Gann

2 male Southern Migrant hawkers on the airfield late afternoon (found by Huw earlier who also had a pair mating), also ruddy darter, and 4 emperors (3m). Gann at high tide, the pools were getting a long overdue topping up. 30 redshank, 10 dunlin, 5 ringed plover, 4 greenshank, 3 common sandpiper and 2 sanderling. A big bull seal hunting close in eventually caught a large mullet. The chough family were present, the ground everywhere must be like concrete.

Marloes Mere Monday

From John Whitehurst: 
A warm visit to Marloes Mere amongst swarms of butterflies and many dragonflies including  Lesser Emperor and Red Veined Darter, also found 4 Dunlin, a Snipe and a lone Golden plover on the mud and a Marsh Harrier across the marsh and back across the fields behind. 

Chough Chicks

From Vicky Pearson: A family of Chough seen on the north side of Solva (the fields at Careg Lyfn).  One chick happily feeding itself, 2 others begging rather incessantly from parents.   

Gann / Western Reef Heron AWOL

A nice selection of waders at the Gann this evening over the high tide.  Amongst 10 species the highlights included the male Ruff, 4 Black-tailed Godwits, 4 Common Sandpiper and a single Whimbrel.

Red-billed Chough aren't regular at the Gann so to see a pair with a juvenile was really nice.  Where did they breed?  Possibly at Great Castle Head, although we haven't seen the pair in that area during the breeding season.

After being present at the Gann on Saturday, the Western Reef Heron seems to have gone walkabout again.  I checked Sandy Haven this afternoon without success, and it wasn't visible at the Gann this evening either.  A report of it at the Nevern Estuary yesterday may suggest it's gone north again...

Swifts

From David Meanwell: 2 swifts over Broad Haven (Enfield Road) 3pm today

Manxies in the dead of night

 Went kayaking out of Lower Town Fishguard yesterday afternoon and spent the night on a small inaccessible (by land) beach near the fort. I didn’t sleep that well but didnt expect to hear in the dead of night several Manx Shearwaters just off the fort flying around and calling. No idea how many were around and probably not that unusual so close in, it was just a first for me. On the paddle out a pair of Oystetcatchers with 2 juvs protested loudly and single Whimbrel and Common Sandpiper, while after sunrise this morning a Kestrel explored the cliffs while 2 Chough tumbled around near Goodwick beach.

Yellow wagtail, Marloes Mere

A Yellow wagtail among a dozen young Pied wagtails picking flies from the wallowing Welsh blacks on a quick check this evening. 3 swifts flew over, a single dunlin. 1000s of butterflies mostly red admiral, meadow brown, painted ladies, gatekeeper and large whites. 2-3 Lesser emperor and a few red-veined darter.

Quail in Moylegrove

Quail heard calling regularly over the last few days at Llech Y Drybedd, Moylegrove. 

Steve Halton 

Quail in Sutton

 2:50 AM I am looking out of the bedroom window at the stars, and a Quail starts calling from a nearby field, no idea where exactly, but its a first for the village as far as I know. Seem to be quite a few about too.