Marloes Mere

The mere's looking great at the moment, plenty of muddy margins and fresh water makes it a little oasis for passing birds in this hot spell. New in today was a juvenile Little ringed plover which spent much of the time sleeping in the cattles baked hoof prints. 5 dunlin, 4 snipe were all flushed by an inquisitive red kite making a low pass. 4 yellow wagtails. An adult Lesser black-backed gull with green ring white letters IA on tibia of left leg (I above the A), Dutch bird? A few clouded yellow, 2 hummingbird hawkmoths and first migrant hawkers on an earlier visit to a prairie-like Dale airfield. There's some nice pools by the water trough but just pied wagtails and linnets bathing.

Marloes mere

8-9 yellow wagtails around the mere this evening, mostly with the cattle but also picking insects from the margins, some settled in the partly submerged willow to roost. 7 snipe, 3 dunlin. 2 young teal. Nice bright willow warbler and a family of whitethroats. Another Southern Migrant Hawker the pick of only a handful of dragonflies.

 

Giltar Point, Tenby 29th July

From Ian Bartlett: Was great to see good numbers of Stonechat, Skylark, Meadow Pipit and Linnet around the headland yesterday evening and a close up pair of Chough feeding on the golf course was an added bonus.

More Swifts!

From Ian Bartlett: At least 20 circling high above Carew Mill Pond last night (28th). Lots of House Martins and Swallow too.

Swifts again

From Ian Bartlett: 8 Swifts over Carew Cheriton this evening (27th July)

Swifts

From Ian Bartlett: There was a vocal group of up to 12 Swifts yesterday evening (26th July) around the Mill Pond in Carew and similar numbers of House Martin. 

Yellowhammer family 26th July

From Roger Mathias: A female yellowhammer with two fledged young, in the hedge on the track up to Plumstone, this afternoon

Celtic Deep - Wilson's Storm Petrels (9!!)

My first West Coast Pelagic (https://www.westcoastbirdwatching.co.uk/guided-trips/pelagics/) of 2026 out to the Celtic Deep today turned out to be a belter.

On the way out a couple of us had brief views of a Fin Whale, always a highlight of any trip out there, just a shame it didn't show for everyone.  All the local breeding seabirds were seen including Manx Shearwater, European Storm Petrel, Atlantic Puffin, Common Guillemot, Razorbill and Black-legged Kittiwake.  Small groups of Common Dolphins popped up along the way but none stayed with the boat.

Once out to our chosen spot we cut the engines and drifted.  Roughly an hour later we had views of a Wilson's Storm Petrel, our key target for the day.  Over the next hour or so a total of nine birds were recorded, including 2 together on 2 occasions.  Most birds were adults in various stages of moult, at least one was pristine.  A new Welsh record (the previous highest day total was 4)!

Whilst out in the deep and up to the Smalls and Grassholm we recorded an amazing 13 Ocean Sunfish - never seen more than 1 on a trip before!  Happy faces all around.

Hook / Sprinkle Pill

A first visit for a month or so at high tide today. A Black-tailed Godwit in summer plumage was roosting on the mud flat along with a few Curlews. Something (possibly a fox?) disturbed the birds roosting in the salt marsh and suddenly a few Curlews became 99.  A single Whimbrel patrolled the water's edge, with a Redshank, Greenshank and 2 Common Sandpipers making up the waders. Others - 7 Little Egrets, 7 Greylag Geese, 26 Canada Geese, 2 Buzzards and a Red Kite. Non-birds - at least 3 Clouded Yellow butterflies in the salt marsh vegetation.

Marloes Mere

3-4 Yellow wagtails and a dozen pieds shadowing the cattle. 6 dunlin, were joined by another eight with another flock flying around but didn't come down. 4-5 snipe and a blackwit. 10 young teal.

More Mediterranean Gulls

62 Mediterranean Gull counted on the reef below Giltar Point and the south end of Tenby South Beach yesterday evening including two coloured ringed birds from Dutch and German projects (details submitted).

This morning 43 there in a quick look. Two new colour ringed birds but couldn't read them! 

Mediterranean Gull - post-breeding dispersal

Down from the bridge at Newport, 6 Mediterranean Gulls and then at the river mouth at least 20 more, all ages represented. Also 2 red-head Goosanders - look like adult females.

Coed Glynaeron, near Mynachlogddu. Croeso or not?

From Bethan Mary Evans: I went there yesterday and found the gates padlocked.  Have you any info about this?

Later in the afternoon I thought it wise to check the access to Ty Rhug and there a discovered a NEW sign at the gate saying CROESO!  

(PS Not a bird but there were clouds of Painted Ladies at the gate and beyond, prob 100s.) 

Gann

From Dan Watson: A brief look at the Gann this morning whilst working on the area: 1 Med gull, 7 dunlin, 5+ whimbrel, 3 greenshank, 2 Common sandpiper.