Bits and pieces - including a melanistic swallow at Stackpole last week

Late last week we were over at Stackpole and noted hundreds of swallows landing on the dunes and apparently feeding on insects (probably ants) of which there were thousands swarming in the area on what was a very hot and sultry afternoon. We took some record photos, but it wasn't until today that we had a closer look at them and noted that one of the swallows was melanistic.

There was no indication of any iridescent blue in the upper parts, no chestnut throat patch and no pale underparts, just a dark slightly glossy brownish-black bird as you can see in the rather poor record shots. 

At Angle Bay on Sunday (pm high tide) we noted c. 170 curlews at their usual roost, further along the beach were about 30 dunlin, 15 ringed plovers and briefly 7 knot. A single med gull was resting off-shore with black-headed gulls.

This afternoon at Landshipping Quay there were around 450 noisy Canada Geese resting and bathing. A skein of 64 Greylags flew up from a resting place at Fowborough and into the Eastern Cleddau area. Three common sandpipers were busy feeding on the shore and in Millars Park lagoon there were not less than 13 greenshanks, a few redshanks. 

Part of the skein of 64 Greylags on the move

Also in the lagoon, were six little egrets including a juvenile keeping close to its probable parents. We strongly suspected that at least one pair had bred near Landshipping this year, so perhaps this juvenile had fledged locally?

Juvenile - pale greenish-grey legs, lacking yellow on feet and a greyer slightly shorter bill