We decided to have a look for the long-tailed duck before the weather
deteriorated. We’ve seen them on several previous occasions in Pembs and
elsewhere (including e.g. the overwintering bird at Pembroke middle
millpond in 2003 and the Bosherston Lakes one in 2014) but our photos were of
rather distant individuals. The light was deteriorating but we had some good views at reasonably close range, and by chance met up with Mike Davey
who was photographing it from the same spot he watched it from last evening - from
the footpath just below the castle ramparts.
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| On one occasion it brought up some “dreaded fishing line” which appeared to be partially wrapped around its bill. After a later dive it had fortunately lost/dislodged it. We just hope that it will not get too entangled in such debris in future dives! |
The rest of the millpond had the usual range of waterfowl etc. We
did hear (but unfortunately failed to see) a firecrest in a Holm oak in one of
the town gardens that overlooks the middle pond above the town wall. It called quite
strongly for a minute or so when a carrion crow landed nearby. There will probably be others in the area - e.g. Holyland area which they have sometimes favoured.
We decided to have
a look at Carew Millpond on the way home, just as the rain was setting in. It was fairly quiet on the water but there
was a small mixed flock of passerines feeding in hawthorn and brambles
near the path from the car park to the French Mill. They included a single female-type
brambling (the first one we’ve seen this autumn) alongside a female blackcap, a
male chaffinch, two dunnocks, a robin, a great tit and two blackbirds. There
were still quite a few over-ripe blackberries which the blackcap was feeding on. The blackbirds were tucking into the numerous hawthorn berries.
Perhaps the brambling had been flying over but was forced to seek shelter during the increasingly murky weather and the
onset of heavier rain?