We had a lunchtime walk around Pembroke Castle Pond and the Middle Millpond, hoping we might come across a ringed Black-headed Gull. The gulls were not especially numerous, less than 100 seen and we drew a blank.
Initially it seemed fairly quiet for waterfowl on the Middle Millpond, but we then we spotted an otter feeding near the Barnard's Tower end. Pretty well all of the 50+Mallards and 11 Coot at that end were all motionless and resting along the north shore under tree cover.
A Kingfisher was seen briefly. Thirteen Mute Swans (two families with 4 and 5 fully-grown cygnets) seemed unconcerned by the nearby presence of an otter. However, most of the other waterfowl seemed clearly to be on edge, straining their necks to view the large predator as it continued to dive and catch small prey species not far away.
Twenty-eight Little Grebes were also at the top end of the Middle Pond. A few were diving and feeding on Stickleback-sized fish but most of them were motionless on the open water, necks visibly craned and seemingly keeping a close eye on what the otter was up to!
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| On at least one occasion, it appeared to be using its front feet (its hands?) to eat something small |
Later in the afternoon we had another look at the Front Street muddy shore, Pembroke Dock. Mute Swan numbers had risen to at least 92. Despite their size, some were quite difficult to see in a deep channel so there could have been more. Those that we could see did not appear to include any ringed individuals. In addition, two Little Egrets and 42 Black-tailed Godwits were probing for food in the soft estuarine mud.
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| A portion of the Mute Swan flock. A few were feeding but most were resting in the channel |