Sunday 3 July 2022

Alpine Swift at Elegug Stacks this morning - a great bird for members of a BTO Youth Camp to end their weekend on!

We’ve just returned from a pleasurable and rewarding weekend helping with a BTO Youth Camp, based at Stackpole. Today’s activities commenced early this morning with a ringing demonstration at Kilpaison, made possible by members of Pembrokeshire Ringing Group - Steve, John, Anna and Renata. Everyone, we’re sure, enjoyed seeing close views of birds like reed warbler, whitethroat and lesser whitethroat, and some of the c.20 young folk will hopefully be keen to get involved with ringing in their respective home areas. 

We then went up to Elegug Stacks to introduce them to seabird-counting. We had only just arrived at the car park when, amazingly, a magnificent Alpine Swift flew over our heads – what a bird to end their weekend on! It flew in off the sea from the south and seemed to veer west towards Kilpaison/Marloes peninsula at around 10:15-10:30-ish. It was seen by everyone, except Kelvin Jones (BTO Wales Officer) who unfortunately had just left to fuel up the minibus. We had no time to get our own cameras out to photograph it, but some were managed by one of the vol. youth leaders. Hopefully, a photo or two will become available when he gets back home and has chance to send us something. 

Quite a few of the guillemots have fledged now, but some near fledglings were seen by the group, as was the adult guillemot with a yellow bill and tarsi. It was still present on its favourite bit of rock on the main stack. Choughs put in an appearance too, notably three adults that have been present in the area all spring and summer. 

It was really great to see such an enthusiastic bunch of young birders/young naturalists. Hopefully they will have enjoyed their weekend too of birding and other activities in Pembs.