At least three Peregrines were near a traditional west coast nest site today. This noisy one was an obvious streaky juvenile soliciting from the top of the cliff. It was still a bit unsteady and looked like it might fall off. Two others raced by as I was trying to get a picture. Presumably at least one was an adult. In the past I have seen adults giving the juveniles training flights at this location.
The highlight of a visit to Monkhaven this morning was a Spotted Flycatcher carrying food. It was near the end wall of Monkhaven Manor, which is a spot I have seen them in before, though many years ago.
Rosemary Royle
Joy of joys! as I was enjoying the sunshine in the garden this morning, a bunch of screaming swifts rocketed overhead! As the morning progressed their aerial convolutions seemed to be centered around the church. There were at least five. I guess its possible that it was a family group and maybe they actually nested in the church!
We have been following the 2 broods of Shelduck at the Gann with close interest. The brood of 5 that first appeared on 25/5 were still going strong yesterday evening (making them at least 36 days old), favouring the southern end of the lagoon. However, the later brood of 7 (first noted on 6/6), are now 4 - at least one was taken by a Raven on 27/6 and we suspect the other 2 went the same way. Yesterday evening that pair had taken their diminished brood over the ridge and on to the sea.
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| 4 of the 5 older chicks with Mum |
It is starting to feel more like autumn. Yesterday evening, 5 Dunlin and 8 Ringed Plover were flying around the bay, there were 3 Grey Heron and 6 Little Egret, the latter roosting in the trees next to the road. In amongst at least 22 Curlew were 3 Whimbrel, and gulls are on the increase: Common Gull up to 3 (all 2CY), a steady trickle of Black-headed Gull (no juveniles yet) and the occasional 2CY Mediterranean Gull - including on 25th white ringed 32JT which had been ringed in Belgium exactly 12 months before and seen just once since, in Ireland last September.
It was lovely to explore the North Pembrokeshire woodlands last Saturday. Failed to find any Pied Flycatcher, but at least half a dozen Spotted Flycatcher were a treat.
Once again the Webley salt marsh was worth a look at high tide.
There were 4 Sandwich Terns with 3 Med Gulls and 62 Black-headed Gulls.
A Starling flock of 37 was again on wires by "Plants from Poppit" but still no Rose-coloured Starling. Poppit dunes were quiet with just a few Blackcaps, Whitethroat and Chiffs singing but very nice to see so many Orchids this year including several spikes of Bee Orchids.
Half a dozen scruffy 2cy Meds at Newport yesterday included Green R5JC.
This bird was ringed as a nestling in the French Vendee last June. By Aug it was with the Med Gull flock at Llanon, in Sept at Newquay, & just last Thursday at Dawlish Warren in Devon.
A visit earlier found 6 Chough (2 adults & 4 young), 19 Common Scoter (17m 2f/j), 2 Razorbills and a handful of adult Gannets.
Karen and Alison
Numbers of the non-breeding species are now starting to build, a large arrival for this evening's high tide at The Webley. 29 (twenty-nine) Med Gulls this eve - all 2nd year birds except for one 3rd year. Two juvenile Black-headed Gulls - the first of the year amongst the 60 mainly 2nd year birds. The bird of the roost being a 2nd year Common Gull.
50 Starlings on wires above Poppit Nursery viewed from The Webley too. This evening's birds - a nice reminder of both the Rose-coloured Starling and Bonaparte's Gull seen this time last year here.
From Mark Williams:
Hi, Greenfinches visit the garden (Berea) annually to feed on the seeds of Geranium phaem .Five, this morning including what appear to be three juveniles. 12 swifts over St. Ishmael’s Garden Centre, on the 19th. Apologies for the poor picture.
It is with considerable sadness
that we heard this evening that Graham Rees (Mr Strumble) has passed away.
Graham, among many things, was a former county recorder and editor of the Pembs
Bird Report, a founder member of the Welsh Ornithological Society, the Welsh
Rarities Advisory Group, joint author of Birds of Pembrokeshire, and
instrumental in the establishment of the Pembs Bird Group.
I hope Lyndon Lomax (who was
chairman of the Bird Group Committee at the time) does not mind, but below is a
copy of a citation that the Bird Group compiled for a Lifetime Achievement
Award that Graham received from WOS back in 2012. It hopefully gives a flavour
of what Graham was about.
His passing is incredibly sad
news indeed.
Bob Haycock
Chairman Pembs Bird Group
Committee
Graham’s name will
always be synonymous with “Strumble Head” (Mr Strumble as he is affectionately
referred to by fellow “Strumblers”) having spent many years, days and hours
patiently observing and recording the remarkable avian passage that occurs
there. His Strumble observations of
common scoter passage, for example, have provided useful pointers to the timing
and numbers of these birds likely to be present in Carmarthen Bay.
As well as being a founder
member of WOS and the WRAG and a former BTO Rep for Pembrokeshire, between 1981
and 2007 Graham was County Recorder and editor of the Pembrokeshire Bird
report, a position he shared with Jack Donovan for many years.
Amongst Graham’s other
important life-time achievements has been the establishment of the
Pembrokeshire Bird Group and organisation of two County-wide breeding bird
surveys. The first (1984-88) was published in Birds of Pembrokeshire (1994) for
which Graham was joint Author with JWD. The second about 20 years later
(2003-07) was published by the Pembrokeshire Bird Group in 2009.
Graham may not be an
exponent of the digital photography age but he has produced many fine sketches
and paintings, illustrating the details of birds he has observed in various
parts of the world. He is currently at the forefront towards the production of a
WeB-based “Pembrokeshire Avifauna” - delving into his notebooks and diaries etc
to update accounts on species migration patterns and so on. Hopefully, Graham’s
legacy – a lifetime of diligently recording and translating what he sees - will
enthuse and inspire others to do the same.
Pembrokeshire Bird Group
From Toby Middlemist: A cracking visit to Higgons' Well this afternoon, with lots of Highlights. A surprise Common Sandpiper flew downstream and went into a brook, and the first returning Black-headed Gulls came back in style with 32 birds present. Two Cormorants have been around since the middle of the month, but a young Grey Heron was new. A delightful Kingfisher was near the entrance, and was later further downstream. A pair of Great Spotted Woodpecker were nice, but two Jay's were a site first. Seven House Martins were above Uzmaston, and my first Long-tailed Tit for a while was by Hanton Bridge. Three Sedge and Reed Warblers were nice, and included a Sedge Warbler singing on the small stream in the Park. Three Willow Warblers were around, and were probably migrants. A Lesser Whitethroat was singing, and a Treecreeper was in the Park.
From David Ord:
1, possibly 2, very vocal Willow Tits hunting bugs amongst isolated gorse bushes on the moor. Lots of young Stonechats around and a couple of bonus Redstarts and Spotted Flycatchers in trees on the edge of the moor.
From John Bearne:
A noisy post breeding gathering of resident birds in a favoured spot this evening. Delighted to see over 70 juveniles with attendant adults, this is the most I have seen together for years in Milford and indicates that they are doing ok locally. Also three pairs of swifts but no young seen as yet.
Typically quiet at the Gann for late June, but signs of return migration with an adult Lapwing today, and single Greenshank and Redshank on 20th. Numbers of Curlew beginning to build, with 26 birds on the saltmarsh yesterday. 2 ringed birds (36 & 37) have been noted amongst the returnees. The Oystercatcher flock bubbles around 50, and yesterday (and today) included yellow X4 for the first time in nearly a month (well, the first time we have seen it). Very pleased to report that the 2 pairs of Shelduck are still doing well, with all 12 youngsters still present and correct. I suspect they will be happy when the spring tides increase the water levels later in the week - extremely low at the moment. A 2CY Common Gull lingers, as does the 2CY sinensis Cormorant.
A marsh tit that dropped into the garden during lunch today was new for the island list!
From Graham Brace:
There was wood warbler singing in the Port Lion end of Benton Woods early this morning. Also, I was pleased to see 23 redshank back in Llangwm Pill just a day later than their return this time last year. Our two mute swan cygnets seem to be thriving well under the very watchful eyes of their parents and local residents around the Pill.
Two Swifts hawking above Mathry for part this morning, my first of the year! Not calling sadly, probably just passing through although they did seem to be having a bit of a look at the church. Maybe a failed pair prospecting for next year...? I have had some sort of lurgy so spent a lot of time in the garden. First bird heard to sing this morning was a quite distant Song Thrush, closely followed by Blackbird and Robin.
Garden ticks Seen or heard from garden) for the past two days include juvenile GS Woodpecker,(in) and Red Kite (over) a rabble of Sparrows and unusual for here a Chiff Chaff, it shows a yellow lower mandible which i dont remember noticing before, a juvenile perhaps?
In the Teifi estuary we now have 3 seperate Shelduck broods - six, six, and a young eight. I still have not checked the St Dogmaels area- I suspect at least 1 more brood there. The first Redshank have arrived, the two birds still present this evening.
A couple of days a go a Greenfinch started singing from the tree tops near Priory Bridge on the Reserve edge - still singing this morning. I was in Fishguard this morning and surprised to hear a Greenfinch singing from trees by the Police station.
An adult Black Guillemot in the Stena side of the harbour.
This evening a pair of Tufted Duck on Kingfisher Pond, the first wandering interesting waterfowl of the summer - numbers of Mallard, Shelduck and Canada Geese are on the increase too.
Earlier in the day the first juvenile Reed Warbler of the year caught and ringed.
Photos from visiting birder Steve Smith, pictures taken on Friday 18th from near the look out station to the East of St Govans Headland, the climbers are back so the birds had moved slightly.
Couple of Northern Wheatear fledglings and fledgling Choughs with Adult
3 Med Gulls flying across Freshwater West at lunchtime today - all looked like 2nd summer birds.
Also a flock of 7 Chough - presumably non-breeders.
Andrew Crowder
From John AT:
Hi, thought you might be interested to know I have been watching at least 12 swifts circling over the house SA62 4ET Lower Freystrop, Little Milford.
Just thought it might be interesting for people to catch up with some of the less known island stuff and a comment about Spotted Flycatchers fist.
We have Spot Fly's nesting in the garden and have had more or less every year in the last 10 years or so and we hardly ever see them until the chicks hatch and the adults start to flycatch on more exposed branches. Otherwise they are VERY secretive and rarely come out of the canopy and it takes a lot of patience to try and see them as they see you before we see them and they just sit there hidden from view.
In the last couple of weeks we have completed the seabird counts and ringing on Caldey and St Margarets and also managed to Shag survey and ringing visit to Mildand Island.
The Caldey counts, which we have done for over 40 years, found 1,950 Herring Gull nests making it the second largest colony in the UK albeit only half the population of the 1970's and we ringed 200 well grown chicks for the 20th year. there are also 511 Lesser Black-backed gulls and 8 Greater Black-backed gulls there along with a record 188 Razorbills and 140 Guillemot although the cliffs are mostly unsuitable for them. Probably 2 pairs of Chough (one definately breeding) and saw a Red Legged Partridge (introduced in 2019) and a couple of Red Squirrels. Caldey is very under watched and has some great habitat and a September visit to watch the often spectacular Swallow passage is unforgettable.
On St Margarets a minimum of 112 Cormorant pairs is the lowest count since the 1960's and just 3 Shag nests (there were over 30 at one time but its been very variable), 1685 Guillemot and 244 Razorbills (both about the same as 2019) and at least 65 pairs of GBB gulls. Up to 17 Puffins almost daily around the northern cliffs and 2 burrow sites located. In a short visit we ringed 40 good sized Cormorant chicks but at least another 60 were too big to approach, we also ringed 45 large GBB chicks. the survey here and the ringing visits date back to 1969 - one of the longest running continuous data sets in the UK.
Just a few days earlier on Midland we found just 13 Shag nests and ringed just 15 chicks - the lowest count there since the early 1980's and a major decline from the early 2000's when the population peaked at 55 pairs and we ringed 130 chicks. Breeding success was also low at less than 2 chicks per pair. We wonder whether the increasingly severe storms are causing some problems for this coastal feeding species. In contrast to St Margarets the GBB chicks here were really tiny or just hatching - a good 3 weeks behind.
Here In Mathry a relatively healthy population of 20+ pairs of House Martins, years ago, have dwindled to one, perhaps two pairs.. Treqwynt Manor not far away had over 30 pairs five years ago and is now down to nine or ten.
My old mate Brian Rickard had several pairs of House Martins and Swallows nesting on his eves and within his sheds, at his holding on Dale Rd, but none at all this year.
I spent 40 minutes in the Co-op car park looking for Swifts and drew a blank. there were at least two pairs probably nesting in the centre of tow, probably in or around the St Mary's Church, last year. One pair regularly nested in the old primary school but that was pulled down a couple of years ago.
I feel cheated and sad that younger generations may never have the thrill of a summer soundtrack of screaming Swifts, warbling Swallows (surely the most underrated of our songsters) and twittering House Martins.
I have noticed sparrows plundering nests but so did Gilbert White over two hundred years ago, so its something that has probably always happened. It may now be more of a problem now that populations seem to be plummeting due to other possibly unidentified factors.
I'm out & about for a couple of hours most days round Dinas & the estuary at Newport. In the last 10 days I've seen 1 (one) Swallow. The Bird Track reporting rate for Pembs (& Wales) is well down on the norm. There seems to have been no real catch up from the cold Spring delayed migration.
But the first juv Black Headed Gull arrived at Newport yesterday.
Birdwise the highlights were the sight and sounds of the seabird colonies on Skomer and the amazing spectacle of the Gannet colony on Grassholm. A tight raft of Guillemots, including a Bridled individual at Grassholm, was unusual. Manx Shearwaters were rather sparse with good numbers only encountered out by The Smalls.
Many thanks to Nick O'Sullivan, skipper of the Celtic Wildcat for a safe comfortable and varied day out. More photos of the trip here.
An adult Rose-colourd Starling in the Hasguard area from the 5th June.
(photo Collette Francis)
Surely more to be found in Pembs..
In the last few days over 100 Starlings have arrived at Gwbert (Cere) at the mouth of the Teifi where one was seen last June.
A calling Whimbrel on Caldey Island was the highlight of today's visit with Steve to ring the annual sample of 250 young Herring Gulls - c1850 pairs this year.
A Whimbrel on the Teifi on Sunday evening. Other counts around the Teifi, all very typical of June included, 21 Oystercatcher, 6 Curlew, up to 20 Black-headed Gulls, 26 non breeding Shelduck, 5 non breeding Mute Swans and c400 Canada Geese.
One Mute Swan cygnet is being raised on the reserve, and at least 2 broods of Shelduck,(8 & 6) are in the main estuary, hope to find some more on the St Dogmaels river bends too.
A singing Lesser Whitethroat on the Marsh this evening, surpringly may be the first on the marsh this year.
Sorry I meant to post this last week but I inadvertantly posted on our Whales in Wales Blog...
Anyhow Sunday was good, (Yesterday) Lots of Dolphins a couple of Sunfish and of course Gannets on Grassholm and plenty of auks etc around skomer to keep all or snappers happy. Birdwise the only thing of note and following on from last weeks observations, I noticed a coupe of Lesser Black Backs mugging Puffins well away from the islands!
Firstly, Bravo to the Llangwm Swanners! I love it when we get a really positive result from someone going the extra mile!Brilliant result!
So on Sunday prior to taking out paying passengers we needed to give the Cartlett Lady a shake down run to make sure everything is working properly. Having had a good clean of her hull and a lick of paint.she cut therough the water and her engines pushed her along without missing a beat!
We had a look at Skokholm and then around to Skomer where we anchored in South Bay for a cup of tea and to feast our eyes on the Puffins Razorbills and Guillemots rafting around us.from the cliffs we could hear the Kittiwakes as well as the Auks, a wonderful cacophony of vibrant early summer bird life!
On the slopes, Gulls stood sentinel outside some of the Puffin Burrows waiting to mug returning puffins and steal their sand-eels. Other gulls were not so patient and were chasing the puffins in flight and mugging them in the air Skua like. Every instance of this piratical behaviour i witnessed involved Lesser Black Back Gulls,perhaps they are the most agile?
From visiting birder Steve Smith. Yesterday evening when I was returning to the car park at the Green Bridge I first heard then saw a Grasshopper Warbler reeling and another was reeling in the Out of bounds army range area. It was perched on the barbed wire fence on the r/ h side of the car park approx half way between the car park and the cliffs.
I seem to remember a few posts a while back about migrants in odd places at odd dates. Here's another one - a Spotted Flycatcher in our garden, flycatching most aeroboatically from the telephone wires for just two minutes then it was gone. Where to? Where from?
Rosemary Royle
Nightjar, churring and wing clapping tonight in Ty Rhyg, with Paul G. This was third time lucky for me following a couple of failed visits last year. After quietly walking the tracks since sunset we eventually heard churring coming from the track immediately in front of us at approx 10pm. It then did a fly around, wing clapping and calling before dropping out of sight. Nice to catch up with a local bird after usually having to go over to Carmarthenshire. Also Grasshopper warbler and a ke-wik contact call of Tawny owl.
From John Powell: Probable juvenile White-tailed Eagle from Caerfai Bay campsite this morning about 10.15.
A quick circuit of the Gann early evening produced a surprise 3 Mediterranean Gull, a superb breeding adult and 2 2nd-calendar year (2CY) birds - the first we have seen here since 11th April. 2 Black-tailed Godwit still, 4 Curlew, and 2 Ringed Plover.
Both broods of Shelduck (5 & 7) still going strong, despite yet more disturbance again this evening by a couple of idiots in a kayak. The beer can dropped in the lagoon was especially unnecessary.
A pair with eight young at Llanstadwell this morning are the first successful breeders I have noted this century.
Hi Folks…
Since our current pair of mute swans first made their home in Llangwm Pill some ten years ago, each year they have attempted to raise a family. Every spring this hapless pair build several nests in and around the Pill, lay one or two eggs and each time the nest and eggs are swamped on the next monthly spring tide or the eggs are predated overnight by foxes. They never learn and it is pitiful to witness. A few of us in the village have discussed their plight on several occasions and this spring after three failed attempts a neighbour of mine decided to step up and do something about it. He acquired some tanalised timber from a sympathetic timber merchant and set about building a sturdy raft complete with buoyancy and secured it to an old disused mooring in the middle of Llangwm Pill, so that it would rise and fall with the tide and rest on the mud at low tide, reasonably safe from any interference. For finishing touches he tied lengths of driftwood around the sides and formed an enclosure on the top of the raft before adding hay and other vegetation.
Lo and behold, 24 hours later the swans had sussed it out and the pen set about fashioning a nest. That was on 23rd April. The folks living around the pill have taken an avid interest and kept a constant watch. She laid two eggs on 24th April and six weeks later on 6th June, to everyone’s delight and relief two chicks successfully hatched and the following day were happily paddling about and feeding under the watchful eyes of the pen and cob. They are, of course, very vulnerable and every night a pair of foxes are seen slinking around the raft. However, both parents are, so far, managing to keep the foxes at bay. Until they get bigger I presume these cygnets are also under threat from marauding gulls, but so far I haven’t seen any evidence of this.
The entire village appears to be cockahoop about this happy event so we’re all hoping that they manage to survive.
So, after a bit of human intervention and ingenuity, at last the future for our swans in Llangwm looks promising.
Cheers...
Graham Brace
looking good for Sunday , so first survey trip of the year 8+ hours, Islands, Celtic Deep,etc £90.per person first come first served.
This is a survey where scientific records will be collected and sent on to the West Wales Biological Records Centre and funded by our passengers, Our contributions go back to 2004 and form over 90%of their offshore records for cetaceans.
If interested, please email: seatrustwales@gmail.com with name, mobile number and address we will confirm Friday evening
From Toby Middlemist: This afternoon a Common Sandpiper flew over central Haverfordwest, calling as it headed east. Also over were a pair of Siskin.
From Phil Baber and Pam Buckle:
Fishguard Old Harbour
From Chris Kirner: Bee eater at entrance to Porthclais campsite near St David’s this evening (Sunday).
Time and location. 8.31 pm on Sunday 6th June 2021 on telephone wire 100
metres west of Porthclais campsite entrance.(just 1mile west of
St.Davids) Drove past on road before I realised what it was sat on the
wire next to a wood pigeon on top of the pole. As I rolled back down the
hill to get a better picture the pigeon took off but the target stayed
until I was almost directly beneath.(maybe tired)
The Black-tailed Godwit flock had somehow risen to 29 this evening (EDIT: 30 @ 9pm!). On the beach a nice little flock of small waders: 16 Ringed Plover, 9 Dunlin and a single Sanderling. The Oystercatcher flock numbered 48 but as they were all sat or stood on a grassy island no rings could be read.
We have 2 broods of Shelduck: a pair with 5 young that first appeared on 25th May, all of which are still present and correct, and a second brood with 7 little ones that looked less than 24 hours old. Fingers and toes crossed: last year just 1 pair fledged 2 young here.
A cracking flock of 28 Black-tailed Godwit dropped into our corner of the Gann Lagoon early afternoon. Presumably mostly 2CY birds, one was a red delight, as were their subtle contact calls. Stunning. Less stunning were the couple with their 2 dogs off the lead ambling around the top of the lagoon, narrowly avoiding flushing the godwits and the nearby roosting Oystercatcher.
