We made a brief visit to Goodwick late this morning. Three Great Crested Grebes, in summer breeding plumage, were resting on the water inside the harbour. About 30 Common Gulls were also resting in a mixed flock of mainly Black-headed. An adult Shag there too was in full breeding plumage displaying its crest. Apart from the usual/expected waders near the Flagpoles, it was fairly quiet there although gull numbers on the beach (mainly Herring) increased at low tide to a couple of hundred, although we did not see anything unusual with them.
It was busier up at Newport, later in the afternoon, where nine Goosanders (2 adult males) came down stream and eventually began to rest on the shore above the Iron Bridge. There were good numbers of mixed gulls bathing and resting on the shore downstream of the bridge.
 |
| One of the adult drakes is hidden behind some of the females |
The gulls included at least 200 Common Gulls of mixed ages (none obviously ringed), a similar number of Black-headed Gulls (at least 2 with metal rings, impossible to read from our vantage point!) and at least five adult/near adult Mediterranean Gulls (one with a metal ring and another with a metal ring above the tarsus on its left leg and a yellow darvic AKKN on its right leg). This one is probably from The Netherlands or Germany - has it been seen in Pembs previously by anyone?
 |
| It was some distance away, but the letters were possible to read from a photo |
After speaking to Huw, a birder from Haverfordwest who, like us, was in search of the Iceland Gull, we watched an overwintering Common Sandpiper feeding in the sloppy mud near the bridge, close to a small resting flock of 21 Curlews.
