A single individual in with the resting Gulls on the edge of the stream at the Gann about an hour ago.
Sunday 6 October 2024
Martin’s Haven & Deer Park
A steady trickle of migrants all morning, many stopping to find a bit of shelter from the wind, and feed.
Best in the valley were 2+ Spotted Flycatchers, feeding in the sallows by the Deer Park gates. And a (late?) Willow Warbler, looking bright yellow in the rather poor light.
Out on the Deer Park a couple of Swallows, and 3 very striking apricot/peach Wheatears.
Saturday 5 October 2024
Eastern Yellow Wagtail (?) - St Brides
Lisa and I needed a break from household chores so headed to St Brides mid afternoon to look for migrants. We started behind the Pump House next to the walled garden (sadly locked - please open it up PCNPA!). Almost immediately a wagtail landed on the roof of Preseli Cottage and almost immediately we realised it was a Yellow Wagtail - and a very grey one! We saw the bird twice over the next hour or so, on the roof of the cottage and the roof of the Vicarage, and once on the grass behind the gate next to the cottage. It called at least 5 times, none of which we managed to record, but the call was very strident and raspy, spot on for Eastern Yellow Wagtail rather than Western. The long hindclaw, which is also a useful feature, was evident in the series of photos I took when we first found it on the roof of the cottage. It needs to be sound recorded (or a poo sample obtained) to prove it - hopefully it will still be there tomorrow. Also there a Firecrest and a Chiffchaff.
Friday 4 October 2024
Cattle Egrets - Kilpaison
Seven Cattle Egrets in the field with cattle as you drive down into Kilpaison. (Paul Warren)
Milford Haven/Cleddau Estuary - WinGS
At the Garron Pill end, gulls initially resting on the water
in the Pill included 200+ LBBGs, a gradual build-up of a few hundred BHGs and small numbers of HGs. At around dusk and just afterwards, all the
BHGs started to move up channel, passed Caroline's watch-point at Llangwm Ferry
crossing, seemingly heading in the direction of Sprinkle Pill. Before dusk, Caroline
had seen small numbers of BHG apparently heading up Llangwm Pill. Possibly these were taking an overland route, perhaps towards
Milford Haven? All bar 32 LBBGs moved off up channel from Garron Pill, but a
bit later than the BHGs. A few Herring Gulls also appeared to be staying to
roost at Garron.
The WinGS Daugleddau section |
In total there could have been at least c.1,500 BHGs and c.400
LBBGs roosting in the Daugleddau section, plus an additional c.500 hundred unidentified
gulls that Annie watched from her observation point at Landshipping. These gulls
drifted down-stream on the falling tide from
the Western Cleddau zone as it got quite dark.
Just before dusk, an Osprey circled over Lawrenny
Wood and probably roosted there, having probably come from the Carew/Cresswell direction.
It seemed to spook the BHGs especially and might have influenced (or hastened)
their departure upstream.
On 2 October Annie and I did a WinGS survey of the
Carew/Crewell system; no gull roosts there at all and no sign of an osprey
either!
Last night, we went down to the Martello Tower, near Pembroke
Dockyard to count roosting gulls in Milford
Haven Waterway between there and approximately Wear Point on the opposite side
of the channel. We counted at least 2,200 BHGs (a similar total to one
we had for the January WinGS). It was getting too dark to see much by 19:20hrs
when we left, but gulls were still flying in, so our count was an absolute
minimum.
We could not see any obvious Mediterranean Gulls in the
roost, nor any Common Gulls. About 25 HGs roosted with the BHGs. Most
of the HGs (at least a couple of hundred
or more) and a small number of LBBGs flew down channel to roost at another
location. On Monday evening this week,
Jane Hodges, from the Milford Marina-side (but no gulls roosting there) observed c.400
HGs and a few LBBGs that appeared to go to roost on the Valero jetty, where perhaps some of last night’s birds might also have been heading to.
Redwings over Llawhaden
First Redwings of the autumn, (for me and the slowly increasing new garden list!), south west over the house this morning. Only 2 but a welcome sight and sound..
Swallows still moving through eastwards intermittently over the last few days....
Thursday 3 October 2024
St Brides
Plenty of small birds were flitting around in the area behind the Pump House at St Brides at about 10 am this morning. Among them was a Spotted Flycatcher, which I was able to watch for some time.
There were also Chiffchaffs and some fleeting views of what I took to be Goldcrests. However, having just sorted through my photos, I have realised that one of them was actually a Firecrest.
I expect there will be some other interesting arrivals there over the next week or two.
Great White Egret - Angle
A Great White Egret at Kilpaison, but flew towards Angle at 1650. (Paul Warren)
Tuesday 1 October 2024
Monday 30 September 2024
Common Tern.
An adult at the entrance to Westfield Pill this afternoon,is my first sighting here,since one on the corresponding date 28 years ago.
Visit to Bug Farm & Dowrog Common
Details of the Pembs Bird Group visit to the Bug Farm and Dowrog Common are now on the Events page.
The latest version of the full poster is available HERE
Sunday 29 September 2024
Angle Bay – WinGS count and a late WebS count
Late yesterday afternoon we managed to do a late Sept high tide count of waterfowl for the WeBS and an evening count of roosting gulls for the Winter Gull Survey (WinGS).
Roosting gull numbers were very disappointing (14 Black-headed, 9
Herring and 2 LBB). Four Med gulls had been present before dusk but these (and almost
all of an initial c.120 Herring Gulls that had been feeding in ploughed fields
near the bay) left to roost elsewhere.
However, there was a reasonable variety of waterfowl, including: 4 (probably recently arrived) Light-bellied Brent Geese, 29 Mute Swans (only one full grown cygnet), c.230 Wigeon, a few Mallards, 7 Pintails (all immature/female types), 11 Great Crested Grebes, c.180 Oystercatchers, 1 Grey Plover, 3 Ringed Plover (we noted 30+ roosting near the Point House c.10 days ago), c.190 Curlews, 10 Bar-tailed Godwits, 4 Black-tailed Godwits, 12 Redshanks, but only 2 Dunlins seen. A Gannet was feeding in the bay when we arrived. Little Egret numbers, roosting around the bay in small groups, had increased from 28 10 days ago to 32 by yesterday. Small numbers of alba Wagtails included at least 10 White. Cetti's Warblers were singing well in the reedbed at dusk. A passing female sparrowhawk might have disturbed 100s of mixed corvids before they headed off to roost.
There was quite a nice sunset to end the day, just very few roosting gulls!
The official WinGS roost counts should actually be this evening, but the forecast does not look particularly suitable!
Evening roost counts for WinGS can still be undertaken during
the following week, up until 6th October. There are still vacant
sites available on the coast should anyone wish to help with the survey.