Sprinkle Pill

From Daivd Ord:

Things now starting to liven up at the mouth of Sprinkle Pill. Today: Curlew (117), Whimbrel (4), Black-tailed Godwit (2), Little Egret (14), Great Crested Grebe (1), Greylag Goose (7), Cormorant (7). 

The Teifi

Pre high tide counts of 105 Curlew and 85 Oystercatcher from St Dogmael's Quay are typical signs of late July movements. Yesterday evening, no surprise with 4 Common Sandpipers on the river through the reserve, but always interesting to see early Goosanders - 3 last night. The week's Sanderling count peaked at 5 yesterday and a Dunlin peak of 22, only 3 Ringed Plover earlier in the week.  No further sign of Wednesday's Wood Sandpiper (Ceredigion waters)

More Med Gulls

21 at Blackbridge Pill this morning, no rings on those out of the water, as for the rest I  shall have to go back at low tide.

Carew Med Gull update

On station in usual SW corner, moult under way. Ignored by the dozens of crab-fishers on the causeway. 

Ringed Med Gull

 White 3FN2, at Newport yesterday, was ringed as an adult in Antwerp in May 2019. On July 30 that year it was in Newport. In 2020 it was at Newport again in Jan, in Anglesey in March & at the Gann in Nov. Then at Newport again just 4 days before it's 2nd anniversary there.

Birds of Wales

I returned home this afternoon to find my porch blocked by a bulky parcel, The Birds of Wales - huge congratulations to all concerned on an amazing production.

The Gann, Monday 26th

From Robert Cox: Great selection of birds to be seen at the Gann on Monday 26th

Black-tailed Godwit x 5, Dunlin 30+, Curlew 100+, Shelduck families doing well, Linnets 6, Oystercatchers 12+, Black headed Gull 30+

 

The Gann, Sunday

 From Toby Middlemist - 6 Greenshank were the highlights at the Gann on Sunday. Other waders included 35 Dunlin, 3 Ringed Plover, 45+ Oystercatcher, 12 Curlew, and 18 Redshank. The Shelduck chicks were as big as their parents, and there were c.90 Black-headed Gull.

Great White Egret over Milford Haven

From David Ramsey:

A Great White Egret passed over Milford Haven town 12.50pm today flying south-east, two inner primaries missing from left wing. Please check your records - did you see it? I'd like to check my ID so  that I can cross it off my garden wish list!!!

Osprey over Haverfordwest

 Just had an Osprey over the house (Crowhill) about 13:10 from the southwest heading north east.

St Annes Head

 

From Phil Baber & Pam Buckle - Juvenile Chough tamely feeding close to road. Whitethroat, several - including a female who could not possibly stuff more caterpillars into her beak. (Or could she?) A few Skylark around carpark. Plenty Stonechat. 1 Raven. 80+ Linnet mobile around fields. 10+ Pied Wags. 5-7 Wheatear around the buildings.Good numbers of Swallow and House Martin. (Swallows nesting in the old barn and plenty House Martin nests evident.) A few Gannet offshore. 1 Painted Lady.

Prize was a souvenir Chough secondary feather retrieved from a cliff edge...

Hasguard Cross on B4327 later: Male Yellowhammer perched on roadside wire.

Earlier at Little Wick Bay near South Hook Point: family of 4 very vocal Ravens.

Little Gull

 At the Gann this morning, just a quick circuit before flying off to Dale, annoyingly always flying away from me but it looked like 1st Winter going into 2nd Summer, with just a hint of  it`s "W" remaining on the wings. Also 25 Dunlin, 2 RPs, 2 Common Sands, 7 Redshank, 2 Greenshank & some 40 BHGs with several juvs.                                                                                                                                                        A juv Wheatear flitting about on the rocks too.  Earlier in the week at Martins Haven a male Kestrel.

  

Sandyhaven Gulls

From  John Bearne:

A very interesting early morning at Sandyhaven. Over 200 black headed and three Mediterranean gulls feeding noisily in the soup of weed at high tide. They included 46 juvenile or immature birds which is the most I have ever seen together. Could this have been a post breeding flock? Also a solitary whimbrel.

Lochvane Saturday

Peregrine screaming overhead today, not so common this year. A single Jay was an unusual sight and a family of 5 Bullfinch calling quietly. Later 2 Buzzard and this immature Kestrel on the ground in one of our footpaths just before dark. Looks like perhaps some primary damage but  an adult nearby so I left it in peace.

Reed Warbler at Westfield Pill

 By the smaller pond opposite the main lake.

Shags at Stack Rocks

From Ian Bartlett: Counted at least 12 Shags on a small rock East of Stack Rocks, a mixture of adult and juvenile birds. Also 2 very vocal Chough in the area and both Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gulls with juveniles. (Afternoon of 24th July)

Skokholm

 A juvenile Marsh Harrier and over 100 Willow Warbler today. 

Med & BH Gulls

 Having recently noted that juv (ie < 2 month old) plumaged Med Gulls were unusual in Pembs, I was immediately trumped by 3 at Saundersfoot. & there were 3 at Newport yesterday, with just 1 adult. 

I wonder where they have come from. I've never seen a ringed juv. Are birds now breeding in Ceredigion or environs.

I've also wondered that about the juv BH Gulls that start appearing in late June. I've had 2 ringed ones in July - 1 from near Birmingham & 1 from Essex. I've never had a ringed BHG of any age from a Welsh colony.

Marsh Harrier - Marloes Mere

 A Marsh Harrier (juvenile I think) was present at Marloes Mere at about 9 am this morning. Apart from that, 3 Swifts, numerous Swallows and Sedge Warblers and some Stonechats were among the birds present.

Other recent Pembrokeshire highlights for me have included seeing a brightly-coloured Ruff at the Gann yesterday, along with the other waders - Greenshank, Redshank, Dunlin, Curlew, Oystercatcher and Common Sandpiper, and seeing a Siskin on my own garden feeders - the first that I have seen in this part of Pembrokeshire in nearly 9 years in Hakin, Milford Haven. 

Osprey

 

 

Following up recent posts regarding Ospreys I was out on the Cleddau in my neighbours boat last Saturday (17th) and we were lucky enough to see an Osprey on two occasions on the Eastern Cleddau about 20 minutes apart. On the first sighting it flew past carrying a fish and then perched on a tree to eat it. We were able to get close enough for some decent photos which showed the ring number JT9.

I have now heard that this bird was one of two chicks ringed by the North Solway Ringing Group near Wigtown Sands, Wigtownshire, Dumfries and Galloway on 1st July 2019. Now two years old it is an immature bird which has, apparently, spent the summer with us.

The bird in the second sighting (flying bird) also had a blue ring with white lettering but I couldn't read it and I presume it was the same bird.

Pen Anglas this morning

From Josh Daunt: 3+ Dartford Warbler, big Manxie passage, 2 Chough, 6 Stonechat, Kestrel, lots of Linnets, Peregrine and all the usual seabirds.

Skokholm

 A Pied Flycatcher today was just our second July record (the other logged in 1994). 

Sightings

From Mike Browning: Sightings:

21.07.2021

Dales Evening Seabird Safari

Manx Shearwater a distant few

Puffin - loads, Chough - 2 Peregrine - 4

22.07.21 am

Goodwick Harbour

3 adult Black Guillemot (my highest count)

Flags

3 Curlew, 2 Med Gulls

Newport

Greenshank, 2 Common Sandpiper, Jay, Lapwing 7

22.07.2021 - pm

Strumble 

Very quiet

Rock Pipit pair

Peregrines in Tenby

From Ian Bartlett:

Whilst on Castle Hill this evening (Wednesday) we were treated to great views of two quite vocal Peregrines circling, frolicking and hunting pigeons around St Catherine's Rock.

(I didn't have my bins with me, only my camera as I was photographing gulls at the time. I assumed that there was a male and female (pair) but looking at my photos it appears that there was an adult male and a juvenile female? - see what you think - photos attached. Maybe the male was teaching the youngster how to hunt?)

 

Chough all over the place

 Playing golf at Tenby yesterday was distracting with the pure number of Chough around. Difficult to be sure of absolute numbers but groups of 6 and 8 and several pairs seemingly on every fairway along with a lot of other corvids.  Presumably they are finding leatherjackets in the turf but its all pretty hard although still quite green - but if you want to see Chough then the footpaths around the course will give you good views.

Otters, Ospreys and Other Oddities

There was definitely an Otter at the Gann on 13th. I was there a little later than the sighting reported in the earlier post and got this picture at 12.06.  Until then, I was wondering why the mullet were jumping around so much, presumably trying to get away from the unseen predator. One was not lucky - the tail of a fish is apparent in the otter's mouth. The otter later disappeared into the reeds.

It seems like you do not have to be out as early as Derek to find them, just being in the right place at the right time, the same as for Ospreys. I too have been out seeking Ospreys around the middle Cleddau and have not yet  seen one. In the last couple of years I have heard of sightings near Uzmaston and Boulston as well as around Millin Pill. A couple of years ago Emyr at Dyfi Osprey project told me he had heard stories of Ospreys nesting near Picton Castle in the past. Steve and Anna might want to expand their search area further westwards as well. An Osprey nesting platform or two in the area might help attract and focus them. Reports of sightings from mid and north Wales show there are wandering two and three-year old birds looking for nest sites. These are ringed Welsh birds plus at least one from the Poole Harbour reintroduction and Rutland birds. There do not seem to be enough existing nests for an expanding population, so there is increasing liklihood for local nesting, but ospreys are notorious for not building new nests - preferring to move into a proven good site with an incumbent partner (or  perhaps just lazy or incompetent, if you are not an osprey fan).

Yesterday I thought I saw a Hobby near some swifts over Crowhill village. I did not get a good view but went inside the house to get the binoculars for some relaxed skyscanning from a sunlounger in the shade. No luck with a Hobby, but what I did see seemed really weird. There was a large bird circling slowly like a buzzard soaring over the northern edge of Havefordwest. It was obviously a Cormorant when seen with the binoculars. It continued circling and rising with occasional wing beats interspersed with glides. It clearly had found a strong thermal and was using it to gain altitude. I must have watched it rise from a couple of hundred metres to over a thousand until it was a dot drifting northwards. I have never seen one so high. Normally I expect to see them at low level over water with busy wingbeats or occasionally at higher levels when moving between rivers. Has anybody else seen them do this?

The Gann

From Dylan Daunt:

Yesterday afternoon at the Gann:
2 Med Gulls, 6 Little Egret, 4 Chough (new for me at the site), 2 Common Sandpiper, 1 Greenshank, 1 Whimbrel, Singing Linnets, 1 Sedge Warbler and 11 Dunlin.

Saundersfoot

 10 Med Gulls on the beach this morning (7 adults, 3 juvs) before the hordes arrived.

Newport

 Yesterday evening, before the sea mist rolled in, between the tennis courts & the bridge, 29 Oystercatchers, several Curlews, 2 Redshanks, single Greenshank, Whimbrel & Common Gull.

 4 Med Gulls included a juv, a plumage stage not often seen (at least by me) in Pembs.

Goodwick - Late Monday Afternoon

 From Phil and Pam Baber - 2 Curlew. 1 Dunlin. 10-15 Oycs. 1 Common Sand. 1 Whimbrel over & 1 settled on the rocks at the Abergwaun end.

Several Sand Martin hawking noisily over beach mid-evening. 1 or 2 Gannet fishing the harbour.

No Med Gulls in the loafing gull flock.

Also a pair of Red Kite over A487 somewhere in open country before Llantood on road from Cardi border.

Newgale Sandmartins

From Merv Hopkins: Good to see the Newgale Sandmartin colony still very busy on Saturday and Sunday. Also this evening lots of Redshank around Llangwm Pill and loads of BH Gulls on the river between Black Tar and Llangwm Pool.

Haverfordwest

From Toby Middlemist: Had a wonder around the river at Haverfordwest, and no sign of the Great White Egret. At Higgons Well, a Little Egret, 2 Curlew, a very close encounter with a Sparrowhawk, 3 Common Sandpiper, and large numbers of Black-headed Gull, with 280 birds present. I tried having a look for colour-rings, but with little luck. An adult with what appeared to be a white colour ring was too distant to read.

Those Ospreys on the Cleddau again

 A chance meeting up with John Walmsley yesterday and a follow up visit to friends at  Landshipping were both interesting encounters.

John was on the upper reaches of the eastern arm of the Cleddau between Picton Point and Slebech last Wednesday ( 14th July) when he and his wife saw 2 Ospreys hunting over the river.  He cycled there again on Thursday and again was lucky to see the 2 birds again.

Alun and Lori who live at Landshipping  then related several stories of these birds being seen over the summer period sometimes within 20m of the shoreline at Landshipping, fishing and returning to the trees upstream round the bend towards Slebech.  Lori said that in the last couple of weeks they had both started to moult and had lost some primaries.  She is convinced that the 5 they saw together in late summer 2019 were adult and 3 youngsters but that was also at the peak of autumn movement so is just a (reasonable!) observation but it is interesting that in the last few years there have been increasing reports of Ospreys in this area.  So perhaps we do indeed have a pair breeding somewhere in that vast area of trees between Picton Point and Blackpool Mill - its 5 to 6 miles of almost continuous woodland with some grand trees and very few accessible observation points after all.

Anyway we spent over 4 hours there and didn't see an Osprey but lots of Black headed gulls and a few Curlew during a lovely afternoon and early evening.

Not a bird .....

We all know that Otters can be seen from time to time at the Gann, but usually only by early birds such as Derek G.  

This picture was taken by Mike Wetton on 13th July at 10 in the morning (if the picture details can be believed). Just shows, you can sometimes be lucky!

Skokholm

 A female Western (-type) Subalpine Warbler today. 

Martins Haven

 From Steve Woolfenden - Staying at Martins Haven for a couple of weeks - thought this might be of interest:

All the usual suspects out here plus a SEO hunting today (seen 5 times between 9am & 3pm) around the Deer Park, fields behind the Rath and a couple of attempts in the garden itself - assume it`s the same bird.

Also a dead (unringed) SEO below the watch point on the Wooltack side.

Assuming they are both Skomer birds - but I have never seen one on the mainland at this time of year.

Carew Millpond

 The Carew Med gull was having a preen in the evening sunshine at 8 pm

Gann

Autumn is in full swing now with wader numbers building: Curlew over 100 (some of these likely passing through rather than here for the winter), Redshank up to 18 (including 4 colour ringed birds yesterday, the first for some time). up to 6 islandica Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Greenshank, 2 Common Sandpiper and up to 8 Dunlin.  In the right light the Blackwits are something to behold...

There was a smart adult Mediterrannean Gull on 14th, and a Sandwich Tern on 13th.  A Lesser Whitethroat was still singing (14th) and it is pleasing to to report that the 9 Shelducklings are still going strong: the 'Pickleridge 4' are nearly as big as mum, the 'Crabhall 5' some way behind but seemingly too big for any air-based predator.

Llangloffan Fen

 From Chris Dighton - An evening visit to Llangloffan Fen gave lovely views of my first willow tit of the year during golden hour. 

Milton, Saundersfoot

 From Ian Bartlett - This morning over Milton Bridge caravan park we had 3 Buzzards and 1 Red Kite circling. 6 Swift also made a fly over. At Saundersfoot this evening we saw another group of 6 Swift.

Sprinkle Pill

 From David Ord - Generally very quiet at this time of year, the peace at the mouth of Sprinkle Pill was broken this afternoon by the distinctive call of a Whimbrel - 10 of them in fact.

That Great White Egret

A picture from a few days ago, but shows just how precise the Great White Egret must be to catch such small fish - this one only looks a couple of cm long.

Ringed Black headed Gull

 White 26L0, at Newport on July 9, was indeed ringed at Hosehill Lake, near Reading, as a nestling in June 2013.It has subsequently been seen at Newport in Sept 2014 & July 2017 (also on the 9th), on the Teifi in July 2015, at Angle Bay in Aug 2015, &, away from Pembs, in S Devon in July 2016.

Where does it go after Sept, & where has it been for the last 4 years?.

Gropper and swifts

 A Grasshopper Warbler was reeling away at Llangloffen  Fen yesterday morning and a single swift overflew as I awaited a bacon Sarnie at the Goodwick Station Cafe on Sunday. Having got all excited about a bunch of Swifts around Mathry Church a couple of weeks ago, nothing since! 

I looking back at the archive, I noticed that Both myself and Bob and Annie had seen large numbers of swifts on the coast around this time last year (circa 60-100)

Swifts over Carew

From Ian Bartlett: Counted 14 Swifts over Carew Castle this evening. Later 9 birds over the Milton Brewery, presumably from the same group.

Screaming parties

Having told David Ramsey I hadn't been seeing swifts in the usual places this year, I saw the two at Carew Castle yesterday, and a party of 8 screaming over Milton this morning. 

Great White Egret.

 In front of the Bristol Trader at 6.10,this morning.

Great White Egret - Haverfordwest

From David Ord: The Great White Egret was having great success working the river by the skateboard park in Haverfordwest at 5pm. Moving upstream it was by the council offices when I left.

An hour earlier, at Higgon’s Well, a family (?) of 5 Common Sandpipers were moving around as a group.

Cartlett Lady survey Trip, Sunday 18th July.

Hi all,  its looking like there is a weather window opening up for the weekend so looking at an 8 hr trip out to the Celtic Deep and taking in some islands, puffins etc The Cartlett Lady is a fully licensed 42 ft Lochin sport fisher with cabin and toilet. 

Data collected from these survey trips account for over 90% of all the verified records of cetaceans and marine mega-fauna held by the West Wales Biological records centre, Cost is £90 per person. ( We make nothing from these trips but it does allow us to continue our research)  Meet at Neyland Marina Cafe @0930 for 10.00 sailing Limited spaces, if you are interested let me know ASAP! seatrustwales@gmail.com allthingsgood,cliff. 

Carew Mill Med Gull

The Carew Mill Mediterranean Gull is back for its annual visit - last year it appeared on 11 July. I've been photographing it every year around the same time since 2016, first noted in August 2012. I'm sure it's the same one, sticks to the same area and does the same things. Also, having just told David Ramsey I hadn't been seeing swifts here this year, two screaming round the castle this afternoon. 

Castlemartin Corse

I called in this morning - I thought a drop of rain might have helped, it hadn't. The tracks are completely overgrown, likewise the ditch crossings. 3 buzzards, a bedraggled grey heron, the usual small birds including snatches of Cetti's. Lots of starlings, mainly juvs - perhaps 300 in 2 flocks and smaller groups, alternately resting on wires and disappearing into the reedbed. 

Osprey on 8th July

From Mike Hesk:

I apprecate this a late post but have only just got back to an internet connection .

On the 8th July at Mill bay St Ann’s Head an Osprey flew from West Blockhouse through Mill Bay along the cliff line then flew up the valley heading west . Good views of it until lost heading towards the Kete direction .

This is the second time we have seen Osprey in transit from this site, the first three or four years ago also posted then .

May Video Diary

The May edition of the Pembrokeshire Bird Diary is now available here: https://youtu.be/xVHBFvoLqoQ

Another excellent offering from Annie. 

Milford Haven Swifts

David Ramsey has written a very interesting piece about his experiences with Swifts in Milford Haven. 

It is too long to publish in full on the blog but here is a link to it:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/12Gqn1iRXiugPKbQdSRORZwmjE6VTTT8uNtH-7bLF-oo/edit?usp=sharing 

GWE

From Chris Dighton. Great egret at Fortunes Frolic this afternoon. Showing well to within 20 feet at one point. Beautiful bird.

Newport today

 Thanks to a visiting birder who pointed me to a Greenshank & 2 Whimbrels. In return I pointed him to a group of 6 Med Gulls - sadly all unringed.

The first 2 ringed BH Gulls of the "Winter" -both adults. Black 2CHN has been featured before. Ringed as a nestling near Birmingham in 2019, it arrived at Newport in December & was here, on & off, throughout 2020 & up to mid March this year. White 26LO is probably from Hosehill Lake near Reading.

GWE, still at the Frolic, Haverfordwest

 

The Great White egret was in the same spot as reported yesterday, fishing along the channel between the Frolic car park and Higgons Well. Thanks to Paul G for the tip-off.

Skokholm

Turtle Dove today

Great Egret

One photographed on the Western Cleddau below Higgons Well (Haverfordwest) a few days ago (Sam Debens).

Newport - Monday

 A walk along the river from the bridge gave a great view of a stunning Black Tailed Godwit

The Teifi....

Birds are returning in increasing numbers, 58 Curlew, 7 Redshank, and 70 Black-headed Gulls opposite St. Dogmael's Quay this evening in the rain.

Castlemartin peninsula

It was possible to do seabird colony counts along the whole of the Castlemartin peninsula (Linney Head to Stackpole Head) in June this year. Land-based counts were undertaken with help from Paul Culyer (NRW Stackpole) and sea-based counts were possible with help from Mark Burton (NRW Skomer Marine Reserve).

The main species here, guillemot, is doing well although perhaps there are signs that the population is plateauing, following increases over the last few decades. Most of the young auks have fledged now but there were still reasonable numbers of adults present over the weekend and some chicks still hadn’t fledged just yet.  

There were just under 19,000 guillemots counted in June 2021; most of these at Elegug Stacks

Numbers of adults have thinned out a lot in the past week

A few sand martins have been seen feeding along the coast in the last week or so between Penally and Castlemartin. Some of these were probably birds passing along the coast already on migration, although the ones at Castlemartin could have been from the small local colony nearby. 

Despite the light drizzle, there were plenty of small insects to be caught 

The local linnet population seems to have bred well this summer. Flocks of mainly juvenile birds are now starting to build up, attracted to numerous seed-sources on the coast. Yesterday a flock of at least 3-400  was feeding on various maritime grass and herb seeds (such as sea-beet and thrift) near Linney Head. 

Just a few of the 3-400 in this flock. Post juvenile moult is clearly in full swing, with some birds having replaced their tertial feathers

Most of the chough families appear to have disbursed from their breeding areas, although a late to fledge juv. was still present with the adults near Stack Rocks yesterday and this evening.    

Higgons Well

From Toby Middlemist: A possible Osprey distantly over Higgons Well this afternoon, not good enough views to go on Birdtrack though. At least 15 House Martin were over the church at Uzmaston, and 3 Common Sandpiper were on the river.

Beware those eagles

 Talked to Alun Lewis who lives at Landshipping yesterday and he regularly see's the eagles being flown presumably from Picton and including one which landed in the muddy estuary and had to be rescued.

He also reported an Osprey " a couple of weeks ago" catching a fish just upstream and taking it into the trees between Slebech and Picton Castle.

Kestrel Chicks, South West Pembrokeshire Coast

Five Kestrel chicks at a traditional coastal nest were waiting patiently for a food delivery just after lunch today. Four got much noisier when the father turned up and the lucky chick retreated to the back of the cave to eat. There was only one food delivery in a fifteen minute watch and the chicks had all been waiting at the front of the nest.

Yesterday there were two food deliveries in ten minutes with both adults hunting close to the nest and only two or three of the chicks waiting at the front of the cave. Presumably the wetter and colder weather today had made hunting much harder. The middle chick was grey and noticeably much more downy,  but probably the noisiest - hope he makes it.

More on the "Cleddau Mystery Eagle"

From Jake Grieves-Cook:  As mentioned, my first thought was that the bird I saw looked very like an African Fish Eagle. 

I just saw this after doing a Google search for African Fish Eagle Pembrokeshire!

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g552047-d2307094-r792663804-Picton_Castle_Gardens-Haverfordwest_Pembrokeshire_Wales.html

Perhaps the Picton Castle fish eagle is in the habit of soaring over the Cleddau from time to time!

Young Cuckoo

From Neil and Carole Phillips from Haverfordwest:

On 14th June , a baby cuckoo flew into our patio window ! Thankfully he was not injured, a bit dazed . After a few minutes, he came to his senses and flew off to a tree at the bottom of our garden where he sat for 20 minutes surrounded by two Adult blackbirds . He then flew off , and we have not seen him since ! 

BIRD BOOKS AVAILABLE - DONATIONS TO THE LOCAL WILDLIFE TRUST

 From John Whitehurst -

Some 54 books, many first editions, for instance A Thousand Geese, 1953, by Peter Scott and James Fisher, and altogether a significant collection of identification and field guides, reference books and other specialist books have been kindly donated to the Wildlife Trust by Roger Burns. They belonged to his late father.
There is something for everybody and a full list including condition, can be seen on The Mid-Pembs Group WT Facebook page or obtained by e-mail from john_whitehurst_54@ msn.com . ‘Bids’ of over £3 minimum donation can be made to the same e-mail until midnight on Friday 16th July with the highest bidder then being asked to transfer the donation to the Mid Pembs group bank account by BACS. After that date remaining books would be available for any donation. Books could be collected from a number of specified places throughout Pembrokeshire, delivered free over a reasonable period of time to Pembrokeshire addresses or posted for the additional cost. Photos of specific books can be forwarded by e-mail on request.
Please consider making a donation to the Wildlife Trust and starting or adding to your ornithological book collection.

Tern up for the books... I was choughed!

AT Strumble this lunchtime, a family of five Chough, flew past and landed a hundred metres or so away. Shots heavily cropped but quite pleased as clearly shows the juveniles yellow beaks which soon turn red. An adult Med gull seen at distance confirmed by chap with a scope. At least five puffins all heading west. Surprise of the day two Sandwich Terns dip feeding accompanied by seven Black Headed Gulls

Shelducks at Newport

 Earlier in the year there were 5 pairs, which is about par for the 20 or so years I have been keeping an eye on them. But this year, for the first time in that period, there was not a single duckling. There have been years when none survived, but never none produced.

& I'm still only seeing a Swallow every 10 days or so.

Eagle report.

 Interesting blog from Jake, would you be able to let us know rough time and direction it headed.

The reason being at approx 5.30 I was at Morrison’s along the river path (under trees which obscured view) heard the gulls being really vocal and just caught glimpses of a very large raptor which was heading west, being trailed by gulls.

Unfortunately this was the second time this week not having clinching views, as on Wednesday I had views of a raptor slightly up river from Morrison’s of what could have only been a Black kite, heading north did chase in the car and was joined by Andy Simms, but no further views.

Slightly frustrating week, but that’s birding. 

Sand Martins at Newgale

From M Hopkins:

My wife and I paid a short visit to Newgale around 5 to 7 pm today (Thursday)and were delighted to see the Sand Martin colony extremely busy with adults feeding young in the burrows,, some were actually landing on the beach presumably to pick up insects. Even more interesting was to see another smaller colony, maybe six to eight burrows, just a little further along to the east. I’m sure there are many more than last year.

White-tailed Eagle?

From Jake Grives-Cook:

Good morning,  yesterday afternoon I was at Picton Point on the Cleddau estuary and I believe I saw a White-tailed eagle. It was being harrassed by gulls while flying high above the river and quickly climbed to a higher altitude and soared off.  I saw it with my naked eye so I did not get a close-up view but over the years I have often watched African fish eagles (Haliaeetus vocifer) in flight and my initial thought was that it was a Fish eagle possibly escaped from a bird of prey centre but then its huge size made me think it was a White-tailed Sea eagle (Haliaetus albicilla). 

Bits and pieces in late June

We have been visiting many coastal areas during the last fortnight or so, checking on this season's chough breeding success. We haven't yet added up all the figures, but in south Pembs it seems to have been a mixed season, with probably lower overall average breeding success compared with last seasons excellent productivity. A cold dry April, followed by a wet and sometimes stormy May probably didn't help. Some late breeding sites being checked by Jane Hodges in mid and north Pembs have still to fledge young though, so hopefully the overall breeding outcome will be boosted a bit. 

Choughs at Stackpole have had a better breeding season though, with three pairs nesting successfully for the first time ever that I recall. 

It seems to have been a poorer breeding season for choughs this year in south Pembs.  

Puffin numbers on Stackpole Head have been quite good this summer - at least 14 noted in crevices there during annual seabird surveys of the Castlemartin coast in June A cuckoo (on its way south?) was  on Stackpole Warren recently, doing its best to hide in a tree. 

Playing hide and seek

Numbers of non-breeding/failed breeding choughs have been quite high in June - e.g. flocks of c. 30 on the Castlemartin peninsula, 15-20 on the Angle peninsula  and similar double figure flocks in north Pembs., e.g. around Strumble and at Cemaes Head where Alastair Proud recorded 42 last weekend. We  saw a similar number there yesterday, including three family parties mixed in the flock. 

Alastair was also fortunate to see a Hobby hunting near Foel Hendre. Perhaps there is one hanging around Moylgrove somewhere? 

We have  also been looking out for breeding Yellowhammers around Slebech-South dairy (north of the A40). We could only find evidence of three territories there - all on the north side of the A40, in an area where there used to be a thriving "colony" of them. We fond none on the south side of the A40 where they used to occur on the Slebech estate. The Gamekeeper we spoke to had seen one around in the spring but nothing since. We haven't found any Yellowhammers in the Martletwy area yet this summer; the small population here seems to have become extinct.

One of  3 male yellowhammers near South Dairy - the last of a once thriving breeding population?