Saturday 4 May 2024

A very casual local patch big day

It was such a nice morning we decided to go out for a birdwatch. We started at Marloes Mere, then walked the coast path, then coffee and cake at Runwayskiln, then the Deer park, then lunch at home then out to the Gann and Mullock Bridge. About half way through the proceedings we realised we were getting a decent list of quite good birds so turned it into a local patch "big day". We picked up birds which can be difficult to get such as Bullfinch, Rock Pipit and Reed Bunting, and found some interesting birds at the Gann - see David O's post below. Best birds were very smart Wheatears on the rocks at the Gann and the Lesser Whitethroat whcih was rattling loudly from a bush half-way along the embankment. There were Cetti's Warber and Reed Bunting at Mullock Bridge. But best of all, for the time we were at Marloes Mere and on the coast path we were never out of hearing of a Skylark singing - they were simply everywhere! And the weather was perfect. Total 61 species (missing all the woodland birds of course)

Rosemary Royle