Marloes Area and St Brides - Firecrests

At least two and possibly three Firecrests in the scrub and bushes behind the pumphouse at St Brides this morning. A mixed flock of tits with several Goldcrests and a Treecreper was working its way around the lower pond where there was also a male Blackcap, the only obvious warbler in the woods, but there was apparently a Lesser Whitethroat rattling in the cover of the brambles between the lane and the lime kiln. A pair of Kestrels were posing for visitors on the posts and wires at the back of the beach.

Earlier at the Gann, the gull flock on the beach was displaced by about 500 Jackdaws with another 500 flying over Crabhall. A few Mediterranean Gulls were on the shoreline. There was a typical mix of other birds, but no small waders. A Red Kite was over the marsh, but there was no chance of a look up the river with the broken bridge and water levels high after a big tide and the recent rain.

Later in the afternoon at Marloes Mere, there was a bit of murmuration of about 1,000 Starlings over the stubble field below Trehill Farm and a flock of about 50 Fieldfares flew eastwards. On the water were only small numbers of the usual birds visible. A few Song Thrushes and Redwings were feeding in the hawthorns around the mere. At least one Chiffchaff  and a Goldcrest were moving in the willows by the Britton hide. After I put the camera away and stood up to close the hide windows a female Merlin flew along the bank in front of the hide and then back again.