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.
From Mike B: Attached couple of photos taken at Goodwick Beach today. One on the Beach and the other the Egret by the flag poles at approx 16:50 today 21st Oct 2026.
A count of 22 Curlew when I first arrived but most had moved on an hour later. 2 Grey Plover, 2 Bar Tailed Godwit, 3 Little Egret, Dunlin, 150+ Canada Geese, 1 Lapwing (fleeting view) and a King Fisher at iron bridge.
A visit to a very quiet Stackpole yesterday did not offer much hope of interesting wildlife. The eastern arm of the lakes was very low with the Hidden Bridge now having a misleading name and almost no wildfowl apart from the Moorhens, Mallards and pairs of Little Grebe and Teal. Fortunately a coffee stop at the boathouse and a leisurely scan turned up a lonely Ring-necked Duck directly out and lurking behind the vegetation.
Below the Eight Arch Bridge there was a single Goosander and a Kingfisher nearby. No other ducks were seen. A Firecrest was in the evergreen oaks near the folly cave. Notably, the National Trust are clearing the willows from the swamp in this area.
A Chiffchaff was singing in the trees behind the Mencap cafe at the walled garden and three confiding Chough by the Eight Arch bridge took flight and landed on the nearby trees, something I do not think I have seen before.
Highlight of today's birding was a pair of Dartford Warblers in the scrub at the west end of Dale Airfield this afternoon. Also a brief ringtail Hen Harrier there, perhaps the same as seen by Brian.
A good search of St Brides this morning produced a nice selection of birds, most unusual (for the site) was a Nuthatch.
To add to Brian's Marloes Peninsula records, I saw 28 chough flying far side of the Mere late morning. Sparrowhawk bombed across the mud exposed section and landed other side of bush at far end of pool. Buzzard in the usual place on far side of the mere. One snipe on edge of the pool and saw a flock of ~25 Lapwing flying past at one point. Otherwise quite quiet so enjoyed watching some of the more common species around the willows like this Blue Tit.
 |
| Redshank L8 |
From Dafydd Ap Siôn Rees: Hi, I would just like to report a white tailed eagle sighting, spotted at 14:11 today at Rhos y Cribed, near Porthclais. It was being harassed by everything else, including kites and buzzards, so the commotion was fairly easy to spot. It was headed north from there, up the valley towards St David’s and Whitesands direction.
Plenty of birds in the air and in the fields. 1000 jackdaws chattering high overhead all morning. Blue tits in the hedgerows and withies, loose groups of 3-4 blackbirds totalled around a dozen, 3 fieldfare, reed buntings, a handful of chaffinch, not seen many of these, siskins too-leeing overhead, 30 goldfinch, 100 linnets. Skylarks and meadow pipits picking at a big emergence of flies. Chiffchaff, goldcrest and blue and great tits doing the same in the withies at Martin's Haven. 2 sightings of ringtail hen harrier, one by West Hook around 10am another by Marloes beacon at 8am. Merlin and sparrowhawk. 50 lapwing, Trehills fields, 20 snipe and a Jack snipe. Jay in Marloes village. Flushed another wader at the scrape near Martin's Haven, no call, upperside looked overall brown, white underwings, small head longish neck only in view for 2-3 seconds before dropping out of sight at the back of the rough area or in the field. Spent 20 minutes trying to refind it but didn't show again, Pec sand my best guess?
After the dull and damp weather of this morning decided to go and have a quiet sit at the Corse. It was quiet in many ways with the odd brief moment of activity.
Two Grey Herons, one Wigeon and hearing a couple of Water Rail were the only wetland birds.
Small
flocks of starling intermittently crossed the corse often in groups of 10-30, with
a feeding flock on the far side at one point estimated at a couple of hundred
birds. Could hear two chough intermittently where I had sat alongside the track. A couple of Stonechat in the hedge line. Someone from a campervan had chucked bread out behind the car park at Freshwater West, so Rooks were trying to work out when to grab and go. 
Rooks
Bird of
prey wise, had the very briefest of sightings of a kestrel when walking up from
Freshwater West towards Starmans at distance. A buzzard came and sat on a
post at distance for a short while. Two Marsh Harriers, one of which was an adult female were intermittently seen along the far side channel. I had a few brief distant glimpses of the Hen Harrier with
the last sighting of it heading up and over hill towards Range West. 
Stonechat 
Buzzard
 |
| Adult Marsh Harrier |
 |
| Marsh Harrier |
 |
| Distant view of Hen Harrier |
Late afternoon on a very small tide with only a small portion of the rough stoney ground showing. That concentrated the birds into a small close area. 18 Turnstones, 1 Red Shank, 2 Curlew. 2 Little Egret, 1 Heron, 6 Mallard, 15 Oyster Catchers and assorted gulls.
Thanks Caroline for posting those excellent photos of the colour-ringed redshank and oystercatcher - the redshank rings in particular can be very difficult to read through a scope because they never seem to stop moving.
All nine are part of the local scheme, and most are returning to spend the winter at the Gann or nearby. The oldest is Oystercatcher (1C), ringed as an adult at a nest on Skokholm in 2017, and now encountered a total of 51 times either at the Gann or back on Skokholm, while Redshank (75) is now 7 years old having returned annually to the Gann since being ringed as a juvenile in 2019.
All re-sightings are really valuable to the project and very much appreciated.
Following on from Den Vaughan's post about an influx of Redwing into the Preselis, there were also good numbers moving East passed our house yesterday early morning, and more this morning between 8-9am when about 250-300 went through in flurries of 30s and 50s. A few Fieldfares accompanied them.
Also on Sunday, three Swallows flew East and a couple of Skylarks went over, a very scarce bird here!
Starling numbers just starting to pick up in the village with 15 the max so far, usually peaking around 400 in the winter. After having had a Rosy Starling amongst them in autumn 2024 I now expecting another one!!
A Chiffchaff giving an unusual mono-syllabic high, quite thin call from our hedge, sounded very similar to the Siberian, tristis race, but brief views gave the impression of a Common Chiff, so I suspect it was a young bird which hadn't mastered the typical 'hweet' call (or was it a good one that got away?!).
I watched a merlin fly from a cairn just west of Pen Anglas, to a fence-post alongside the coast path and then disappear into a gully between the cliffs. I thought that would be the last I saw of it, but a few minutes later out it flew seawards with a peregrine falcon in hot pursuit!
Quite a surprise to see this stunning Harris Hawk being flown at Strumble. A kept bird I know but I thought others might like to see an image or two. Several Chough seen after it left and the first Stone Chat of the Autumn for me.
10 golden plover! They flew S, upstream, along the Carew River, with about 20 dunlin, duly entered on BirdTrack. The only other things I counted were the flock of 15 grey plover, a feature of recent years, in their usual spot by the junction of Carew and Cresswell Rivers. With the tide at half tide counting was not an option. Black swan still present with mutes.
A nice list of waders this morning: 2 grey plover, 5 dunlin, 1 curlew sandpiper , 4 bar-tailed godwit, 4 redshank, 1 greenshank, 5 curlew.
Also: 7 goosander, 7 little egret, 35 wigeon, 1 water rail seen well from the south path by the little abandoned boat.
Also a good morning influx of redwing to the Preselis from the WSW with the odd fieldfare thrown in.
Some 200 birds in & around the the usual St Ishmaels/ Bicton area, last Wednesday (14th) onwards.
Four Cattle Egrets dropped in to the main estuary at St Dogmael's Quay at 6pm this evening. Also an adult Yellow-legged Gull.
Was in the direction of Marloes Peninsula and Gann today, as I had a short shift back marking a walk for work this morning.
Started at Marloes Mere. The main birds of interest were two lapwing on the soil area on far side of pond. Buzzard was on a post on far side of the mere. Three Red Kite passed over at one point.
 |
| One of the two Lapwing |
After work went and sat at Gann for a short while. I clocked a colour ringed Redshank and then lost about an hour sat on a tiny rock scouting into the distance trying to see if I could spot any further colour ringed birds!! A number of little egret on the edge of the water on the outgoing tide with a few up the river totalled 10 birds. A ringed plover and a turnstone were nice to notice too.
Redshank ring numbers observed were 42, 75, 84 and 97.
Oystercatcher ring numbers observed 70, 93, 1C, 1M and 3L
In process of confirming ringing scheme (think they are from Paddy's ringing projects).
 |
| 97 |
 |
| 84 |
 |
| 75 + 42 |
 |
| 3L |
 |
| 1M |
 |
| 70 |
 |
| 1C |
 |
| 93 |
5 of the cattle egrets were on the west side of the marsh in a sheep field this morning. Nice flock of a dozen reed bunting, bullfinches, cettis warblers singing in two places. 3 GS woodpecker flying over, never seen that many together before. Two jays. Couple chiffchaff and goldcrest with a mixed flock of long tail tits and blue tits in the scrub. 25 lapwing flying up the marsh. 7 greenshank and a ruff on the pools. A female sparrowhawk patrolling the hedgerows.
Steve has reported a White-tailed eagle in a field near Treffynnon, east of Croesgoch before it flew northwards around 4:30pm.
Squacco Heron East Haverfordwest
This exotic bird flew over my neighbours bungalow heading west (in the general direction of the Cleddau and Fortunes Frolic), at 1.30. Approximately crow size,with hunched profile,slightly jerky flight,short pale bill and totaly translucent wings against the sun. No trailing legs, underbody dark. All strongly sugestive of Squacco Heron.
I drew a blank with golden plover, a couple of snipe the only waders, no surprise given the state of the place. Grey heron, several water rails heard, several Cetti's including one going frantic next to the hide. Robin carrying food (!). Gupton has seemingly been given over largely to big bale silage production, but there was a party of 5 chough roaming about. A kestrel being harrassed by a crow the only raptor. But a treat to see lots of clouded yellows hanging on in the lucerne field next to Starman's, the one bright spot. I managed to snap a bit of a male's upperwing.
.jpg)
A trip up Dinas mountain to try and find the Golden Plover was well worth it. A flock of 130+ in the sheep field on the south side of the hill. Also various Corvids on the East side with several Chough feeding on the green patches between the gorse clumps. Iron Bridge Newport showing increasing numbers of Canada Geese, 2 Little Egrets and two Goosander.
