Thursday 10 December 2009

This weeks birds


I was getting stir crazy by midweek and dawn on Wednesday saw me at Strumble on a relatively quiet morning. No porps but a Peregrine "waiting on" by the lighthouse decided to while a few moments away by repeatedly dive bombing a pair of Ravens. They dissapeared over "Richards Valley" and I popped down the steps by the lighthouse to find 3 moulting seal pups.

As I was stood there wondering how they had survived the past few weeks, a shrill squeek alerted me to a pippit desperately trying to outfly a merlin. Seven times the Merlin stooped and each time the pippit sidestepped, leaving the merlin to wander off unrewarded.

Later at the Outer Breakwater Fishguard Harbour a cracking Male Black Redstart was seen but flitted off to the rocky area of what used to be the layerage.
Adding to the raptor action at least 3 Red Kites near the car park above Newport on the way to the Gwaun Valley.
Yesterday evening a couple of interesting looking egrets were found by Sam Baxter showing in the fields above the estuary, whilst we were at the Iron Bridge. They flew before we could nail them but they looked like they could be Cattle Egrets, (Sorry Sam, don't seem to have your number ) worth a look there this weekend!