Bosherston Lakes and Stackpole coast this afternooon

With a sunny afternoon we decided to do a circular walk around Bosherston lakes and the Stackpole coast. The route down the eastern arm was partially hampered by a couple of fallen trees blocking the path (victims of Storm Emma?).

The lakes were fairly quiet. Small numbers of wigeon, gadwall, 3 tufted ducks and 2 goldeneyes were in evidence at the top of the Eastern Arm, together with a flotilla of 7 little grebes. Lower down the eastern arm 5 goosanders were resting on the edge of a now very much reduced surface ice-sheet, one pair preening avidly.

We set off around the coast, almost giving up as showery rain set in, but it was worthwhile. It was good to see that the resident chough pair had made it through the brief cold snap. A few hundred guillemots were on the cliffs but a recent rock-fall, adjacent to the main colony ledge (the fall occurred a few weeks before Storm Emma hit us), has really opened the area up. Part of the main ledge has gone and it will be interesting to see how well the breeding colony performs here this summer.

Another large chunk (brown area) of the guillemot colony main ledge has been lost in recent weeks

Further along the coast a female black redstart was spotted briefly as it fed in the grassland near the tip of Stackpole Head. It flew towards the cliffs on the east side of the Head. As we were searching for it Annie suddenly spotted a "white-winger" flying close to the coast. It turned out to be 1st winter Glaucous Gull and was heading west at about 17:00 hrs. Perhaps it will turn up in Angle Bay or maybe the Gann?

The snow had almost entirely cleared from the grassland on Stackpole warren. Here there were c. 130 golden plovers, a few lapwings (not so unusual here during cold weather) and probably in excess of 4-500 redwings in small scattered flocks over much of the warren. It had been a slightly damp but none-the-less, interesting walk.