Friday 12 January 2024

Martin’s Haven 12-14 Jan

 Wonderfully quiet day weekend: you can hear the calls of individual Lapwing and Golden Plover many fields away. The Lapwing are very well spread across the Trehill Farm fields, but the Golden Plover seemed more concentrated in a couple of fields overlooking the Mere: I originally counted “over 200” in the flock on Friday, but Steve, when we did the Mere WEBS count on Sunday, estimated c.1400 in a “super-flock” which formed.

In the valley on Friday, the only bird initially was a super-confiding Robin, but a Snipe flew low along the stream - not sure if I had flushed it - and a Little Egret flew up from the beach to the pond.

Finally, at c.1645, I flushed a very pale-looking Short-eared Owl from the garden, and it flew across the Deer Park in the direction of Skomer. This bird (or another?) came out from the same place and at the same time on Saturday - probably roosting there.

On Sunday, an immature Black Redstart, initially bathing in a pond, then on the Deer Park wall and the grass overlooking Renny’s Slip. It was often chased off by the resident Stonechats, which lacked any sympathy for fellow chats.