A Guillemot was resting on the sea very close to the inner breakwater at Goodwick this morning. It made no attempt to dive or to swim away, suggesting to us that it was possibly not in the "healthiest condition"? There have been plenty of reports during the autumn of Guillemots and other Auks being found dead or dying, many having starved, on the NE coast of Britain. Hopefully this one was just needing a rest before moving on, and that not many weak Auks have come ashore along the Pembs coast?
Apart from a Great Crested Grebe, there was little else obvious to us in the harbour this morning. Expected wader species, in usual numbers, were roosting on the shore at high tide and a Med Gull was at the Flagpoles.
Later on, in Fishguard Lower Town harbour, we met up with Clive Hurford, Karen Meatyard and Alison Rees and later joined by Lyndon Lomax, but there was no obvious sign of the Caspian Gull. A different (darker-headed) Med Gull was present (possibly two). Two relatively tame (presumably regular) "red-head" Goosanders were "dip-feeding" in the shallows on the receding tide.
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| Intent on feeding and occasionally almost too close to photograph! |
On the way home we checked out the Pied Wagtail roost at Withybush. We noted about 140 Pied Wagtails in total, initially resting on roofs. However, they all flew off south towards the town at around sunset. So, for the moment at least, there must be a different roost site somewhere in that area, and possibly many more than 140 birds will be present?