There were not many gulls at Goodwick when we were there briefly on 24 December, although Mediterranean Gull (white ring 3HX5) was resting with five others near the Flagpoles. This one is becoming a regular winter visitor to West Wales. It was ringed as a 3CY in May 2019 in Belgium (where many of the Med Gulls that visit Pembs come from - see map below from the Avifauna). Since then it has been resighted at Llanon, Ceredigion in August 2019 and there again and at New Quay in August 2020. In November 2020, the late Sam Baxter recorded it on a few occasions at Nevern Estuary, Newport. It was in Germany in April 2021 but was back at Llanon in July and September 2021 and there again between July and September 2022 before being seen by us at Fishguard/Goodwick on Christmas Eve. Might it also have been at Nevern, Newport in recent weeks? Alas, there is no Sam there anymore checking for ringed gulls on a regular basis.
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| Might 3HX5 have been at Nevern Estuary prior to visiting Fishguard/Goodwick? |
A Christmas day walk down to Landshipping Quay produced good numbers of Lapwings and Golden Plovers in the air over the Daugleddau. There must have been at least a couple of thousand Lapwings and around a thousand Golden Plovers in the air together at one point - always quite an impressive sight! They all landed in fields on the Fowborough-side of the estuary. Waterfowl included c.300 Teal and around 50 Wigeon between Landshipping and the lower Eastern Cleddau.
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| A small part of the large mixed flock of Lapwings and Golden Plovers watched from Landshipping Quay |
A circuit from West Angle to Angle village today was fairly quiet although there was a flock of around 60 chaffinches feeding in a field of winter stubbles where we see them in most winters. A single Great Northern Diver was feeding in the Haven between the Lifeboat Station and South Hook LNG jetties. The tide was well out at Angle Bay, but we noted several hundred Wigeon feeding, alongside small numbers of Pintail and Pale-bellied Brents – they were all too spread out to count. Waders included not less than 30 Black-tailed Godwits. At least 10 Great Crested Grebes were feeding in the bay.
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| Three out of a flock of c.60 Chaffinches - most of them were females |