A breezy afternoon at Frainslake Sands to Freshwater West

A late visit at high tide to count waders and waterfowl etc was fairly productive. At least 1200 lapwings were roosting on the dune grassland with about 300 golden plovers (the largest flock that I (Bob) have personally seen in south Pembs so far this winter). Usual roosting flocks of curlew (56) and oystercatcher (36) were on Frainslake beach with just a dozen or so grey plovers present. Their numbers also seem a bit low so far this winter. NB the one photographed below was not taken at Frainslake but in Norfolk recently.

There were far fewer gulls generally on the beach today, mainly herring and black-headed. There was no sign of a possible yellow-legged gull (or possibly a hybrid LBB x Herring) photographed in a large mixed flock of gulls at Frainslake on 30th November. The image below, was taken from some distance away, and is a small part of a photo of a flock of around 150 herring, 60 lesser black-backed and 120 great black-backed gulls that were on the beach that day.

Offshore there were about a dozen kittiwakes feeding in the increasingly rough sea. There were also at least 7 common scoters feeding in the bay off Frainslake beach. There could have been more but they were not easy to see due to the considerable swell.

A small flock of 15 linnets was feeding in the grassland but best of all was a fine Lapland bunting  also seen feeding in short maritime turf above Bluckspool Bay.

There were not many choughs in the area (6 in all, including a pair that went to roost above the Furzenips. A pair of displaying ravens were already bringing in new twigs to their nest, a reminder that for early breeders, spring cannot be too far away.