Friday 19 October 2012

Bonaparte's / Yellow-browed / Whooper

What a day! A morning walk at the Gann, highlight being the adult Whooper Swan on the lagoon, also a Med Gull (adult) and a Water Rail out in the open. A trip to St. David's early afternoon landed a very handsome Yellow-browed Warbler in the valley at Nine Wells, about 200m down from the car park (below the pink house). Back home and a text from Adrian (thanks Ade) alerted us to the reappearance of the adult Bonaparte's Gull at Strumble Head - 47 minutes later we were on-site with Adrian, and after 10 minutes of frantic scanning picked up the bird on the sea beyond Mackerel Rock, soon lost to view as it drifted eastwards (sighting c.5.45pm). Whizzed down to Fishguard Harbour to check the gulls there, a good showing but alas no Bonies - adult Little Gull, 3 Med Gulls (all ads, one ringed), 7 Brent Geese (pale bellied) and a Great-crested Grebe. (photo of last week's Ring Ouzel at Watwick Bay also included) (with Paul G)