A visit to Caldey yesterday was generally a fairly quiet one bird-wise, although pleasingly three pairs of chough (the main reason for our visit) had seemingly settled in at their usual sites. A pair of greylags was probably resident and if so likely to be breeding. It was also interesting to hear male water rails calling from at least three separate coastal patches of scrub where, like last year, they too are likely to be breeding. Perhaps rat eradication is helping their population to expand?
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| The coastal landscape (e.g. above/near Redberry Bay) is quite colourful at the moment |
Over at Bosherston Lakes this afternoon, a few reed warblers were singing strongly in the Upper Eastern Arm reedbed. A drake teal (perhaps a pair) was swimming within the reedbed shallows, where it was keeping to cover and not very easy to see (probably a late migrant). Recently hatched mallard ducklings were zipping about all over the place in shallow open water, feeding on small surface insects etc. Their resting mother did not seem at all bothered when they disappeared from view for a while – hopefully a pike was not lurking nearby! Herons were breeding at their usual site.
Earlier in the week, a flock of 12-15 non-breeding choughs moved around between various horse-grazed pasture fields near Cemaes Head.
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Part of a flock of non-breeding choughs on the move between foraging fields near Cemaes Head