A second winter bird survey visit was made to Gupton/Castlemartin Corse this morning by Clive Hurford, Richard Ellis, Paul Culyer and myself with some help from two placement students based at Stackpole and a staff member from Orielton FC.
It was a bit showery with gusting wind at first but fairly productive non-the-less. On arrival we were greeted by a fine aerial display of a couple of thousand golden plovers and lapwings, constantly wheeling overhead. There could have been 1,500 or more higher up the valley.
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| The photos show only a small fraction of the numbers of birds that were wheeling overhead this morning |
In the weedy stubble zones Paul and I
flushed possibly a couple of hundred skylarks and smaller numbers of linnets.
There were also small flocks of goldfinches and reed buntings keeping close to
cover. Chaffinch numbers seemed quite low though.
Snipe numbers were quite good - many flushed
from the wetter areas, including 2 jack snipe in a damper area of stubble.
It was a pretty good raptor morning – six species
being seen – 2 merlins (females), 2 sparrowhawks (male and female), 2 buzzards,
2 marsh harriers (male and female), hen harrier (spotted by Clive) and
peregrine.
Richard’s group noted 150 black-tailed godwits
and some greylags but, surprisingly, no ducks in the wetter areas.
Bob