Marloes Mere

From Chris & Karen Hatch: 

Marloes Mere 8.2.2026

Single Russian White-fronted Goose, 60+ Golden Plover, 200+ Lapwing, 6 Pintail, 8 Gadwall. Good numbers of wildfowl generally.

Milford Haven Waterway Gulling

I decided to do a bit of 'gulling' today along the Milford Haven Waterway from Neyland to Gelliswick.  What stood out was the sheer lack of gulls: amazing the decline just in the 35 years or so that I've been living and birding here.  One of the reasons is the improvement to sewage treatment infrastructure, long gone are the days when big flocks of gulls were feeding at the outfalls at Neyland, Pembroke Dock and Milford Haven.  Also the general decline in the use of Milford Haven docks for fishing boats, barely 40 gulls there today.

Anyway, highlight was a Skokholm ringed juvenile (2nd calendar year) Great Black-backed Gull.  W:479 will have been ringed as a pullus last year, it will be interesting to know if it has been seen anywhere else since fledging.  Details will be sent to the Skokholm wardens shortly.

Finally...seeing gulls at places like this is a great opportunity to study plumage and feather detail up close.  Can you tell your scapulars from your greater coverts?!

Also of note a Great Northern Diver and 2 Great Crested Grebes in Gelliswick Bay.

The 11 Whooper Swans remaining faithful to their favourite field next to Sandy Haven Pill today too.

Stackpole

In the bit of brightness today got out for a bit of a walk along the Eastern Arm of lakes. Though poor-quality images nice to see rather than hear a Cetti's warbler (Hidden Bridge) and a Water Rail (Reed Bed below Courtside). The other highlight being a lone Reed Bunting in the bushes not far from Broadhaven Beach. 

Best I got ... sorry I am missing half its face! 

 A Greater Spotted Woodpecker was heard drumming in the woodland above the main path a few times today and 3 Grey Heron were seen in the Heronry tree. The Mallards were starting to argue with each other around Hidden Bridge. I guess all signs that territories are starting to take shape for the coming season! I got to 4 Goosander 5 Little Grebe and 11 Coot today. 

Congratulations Rich Crossen!

We spent last week on the Somerset Levels mainly focusing on Ham Wall. The weather was iffy but lots of stuff that we would not see so much of  here in Pembrokeshire, so a nice change.The highlight was the Starlings which gave some phenomenal views. 

Interestingly, when i searched for up to date local birding news, there was not much worth having. I notice Pembrokeshire Bird Blog is not far from having six million views, is pretty up to date with up to date reports from all over Pembrokeshire, and some wonderful images shared.

So lets give credit to Rich, it will embarrass him a bit because he is incredibly modest and also prevented it from becoming a place for argument and negativity. Pembs  Bird Blog was his creation and is not only useful to Pemb's birders and visitors with its up to date news, but also a monthly archive going back to January 2008.has acedemic value! 

Nice one Rich and thanks! 

Pembroke sawbills

Drake Red-breasted Merganser and redhead Goosander still here late this afternoon, this time diving almost constantly near the road bridge on middle pond. Nice to get such close views...

Drake Shoveler at the far end, happily shovelling away by the reed bed...

Also Kingfisher, Grey wag and a sparrowhawk seen...

Llys-y-fran

It seemed all the gulls were on the water when I arrived at 4pm with very few others arriving before the light went. What looked like the adult Caspian was still there and a single adult Yellow-legged gull. 15 Mediterranean gulls and the big adult GBB was flying around noisily, and appeared to unsettle the roost, likely a ploy to reveal a target. Min 12 GC grebe with lots of courtship and 11 goldeneye (7m) also courting. Nice to see the days drawing out and the many song thrushes in good voice.

The Gann

A nice group of 25 Bar-tailed Godwit at the Gann late afternoon (Lisa had 27 a few days ago), presumably visiting from Angle Bay as this is an unusual number here.  2 were colour-ringed at the Gann last autumn (numbers 04 & 05 - I saw number 02 at the Gann on 2/10/25).  Also managed to read a Redshank and 5 Oystercatcher rings in the gloomy conditions.

Also really nice to see 13 Brent Geese - quite unusually 5 of them were dark-bellied.  Not much of a pre-gull roost gathering, but amongst the 200 or so smaller gulls were 17 Mediterranean Gulls (15 adults, 1 2CY & 1 3CY). (With Huw Lewis)

Spot the colour-rings...(red on left tibia, black with white numbers on right tibia)

Broad Haven Purple Sandpipers

At low tide today there were 15 Purple Sandpipers around the usual rocks at the north end of the beach, the most I have ever seen there. They were unusually mobile, visiting some of the smaller rocks that are only occasionally exposed.  Four Turnstones and an Oystercatcher were with them. Offshore were several divers, but it was too wet for a scope to ID them.

Brief visits to Pembroke Millponds & Cosheston Pill

We made a short trip to Pembroke Millponds this afternoon. A male Blackcap was in a sunny patch of dense ivy below the Castle wall, busy chuntering to himself in subsong (sounding almost garden warbler-like at times) with occasional brief bursts of full song. Spring is not so far away!  

On the Castle Pond, the wintering female Goosander (which seems to move around a bit between  the Castle Pond and the Middle Pond) has been joined by a male Red-breasted Merganser. Both were busy preening in the very shallow water where, as posted by someone on the blog yesterday, the water level is low for sluice gate repair/maintenance work.

Other than the usual good number of Mute Swans (55 today) other waterfowl numbers were still low, including only 3 Coot on the Middle Pond. However, a male shoveler was still present there, as was a Kingfisher resting in its usual spot. Several of the Little Grebes are now in full breeding plumage. 

Black-headed gull numbers seem much reduced (possibly less than 100) today. We could not see any with rings, but for many feeding in the Castle Pond shallows their tarsi were plastered in mud, so it was difficult to be sure. If the mud here remains exposed for a while, it might attract some waders such as Black-tailed godwits. 

Later in the afternoon, we noted 43 Black-tailed Godwits feeding in a usual place at Cosheston Pill. A Common Sandpiper was also feeding along the shore there near a few redshanks.  

Rosebush reservoir

A lunchtime look at the reservoir, no sign of the RN ducks, might be worth checking Llys-y-fran some time. 13 teal, 8-9 Tufted duck (looked like 6 m and 2-3 f) 6 mallard and 2 female goldeneye. 4 coot, 2 little grebe.

Willow Tit

From Maggie Bissmire: After an absence of nearly 5 years, a willow tit has returned to our garden in Henry’s Moat.

Little Gull

From Dave Butler:  At Milford Haven this afternoon, Great northern diver, minimum 17 turnstone and the highlight of a little gull past Milford beach and continued up the waterway. 

Steve Sutcliffe commemoration

A celebration of Steve, his life and works, is being held at 1.00pm on Saturday 21 March, at Tenby Golf Club.

Please wear bright colours, and bring your memories to celebrate a full life, well-lived (Steve’s instructions in his Will!). We will supply food (especially cheese and cake!) and drinks; likely to be a lot of laughter.

All welcome to attend. RSVP to Stevesmemorial@icloud.com would be greatly appreciated for planning, catering, and parking purposes

Pembroke Castle Pond

From Paul Fraser: Goosander back in castle pond today after a weeks absence, about 40 gulls with some immature birds in centre of raft, some black headed gulls on periphery of raft. Work continues on the sluice, birds concentrated towards Monkton bridge. Only two swans no sign of youngsters.

Great Egret

I believe l saw a great white egret flying over the Dowrog Common, St David's, this afternoon around 4.40 pm.

I saw a large white heron like bird with a yellow beak and black legs, heading towards St David's airfield 

Deborah John

Stackpole

A handful of Guillemots on Stackpole Head, about 50 visible on ledges at the head itself and another 20 looking back along the headland from Mowingward. Guessing there were more hiding within the cracks out of sight. With the rough seas of late not overly surprising they have taken a bit of a break from the ocean! 

Otherwise quite quiet, the usual Herring gulls, Jackdaw and Feral pigeons along the coastal strip, brief sightings of Raven and one Rock Pipit made its presence known. A few skylark trying to feed out on the headland. Had one pair of chough feeding out of the wind on the Warren. 

Only thing of note on the section of the Eastern Arm of ponds that I walked was a kingfisher in the reed bed below courtsite. 

Rosebush Reservoir

 Ring neck duck 1 female 

Scaup female 

Tufted duck 10

Coot 6

Great crested grebe  2

Little grebe 2

Fishguard Harbour 

Black throated diver 1

Great Northern diver 4+

Red throated diver 2

Black Guillimot 1

Guillimot 10

Razorbill 1 

 Great crested grebe 2

Llys-y-fran

A 2cy Caspian gull was the pick of a poor roost tonight, very few gulls had come to the water by the time the light had gone, whether they've already begun to move to breeding grounds or the draw of the recently slurried fields was proving too irresistible. 3 Yellow-legged gulls (2 adult and a 2cy), 9 Mediterranean gull at least 7 adult and 2 2cy, the LBB/HG hybrid was there tonight. 80 Greylags. 2 Goldeneye (1m). 8 GC grebe with lots of courting behaviour. 2 Little grebe. Most unexpected sight was 8-10 kites heading  south at dusk possibly to a roost (Paul and I counted 8 and a passer by stopped to ask if we'd seen the 10 kites passing overhead).

Linnets

A late afternoon walk up the lane from our house produced a flock of around 50 linnets preening after bathing in our stream, and drying off in the last rays of the setting sun.     Peter Royle

NEVERN ESTUARY BIRD WALK

Castlemartin Corse and Kilpaison yesterday

Apologies for the delayed posting. I visited Castlemartin Corse yesterday morning and was pleased to see a nice selection of wildfowl on the extensive floods. Starting at the upper section, viewing from the footpath past the church: 8 Greylag Geese, 207 Wigeon, 71 Shoveler, 12 Pintail and 13 Gadwall. Plus over 1000 Lapwing, 250 Golden Plover and singles of Dunlin, Redshank and Curlew. The highlight was a smart male Green-winged Teal with a small teal flock on the south side of the Corse, albeit distant.
The 8 Whooper Swans were still present although were distant and obscured behind reeds. A Marsh Harrier made several appearences as well. Later on from the hide there wasn't much on show except for 80+ Teal and a single Shoveler.

Please excuse the poor photo, Green-winged Teal just about visible 

Inland sections of the Corse very flooded!

I made a quick stop at Kilpaison for the rising tide. A small group of Redshank on the shore with 13 Brent Geese and offshore 16 Great Crested Grebe, a Slavonian Grebe, 2 Great Northern Diver and a Red-throated Diver.