Presseli hills

 Wheatear 2 male 1 female nice to see them back on their breeding grounds 

Raven 3 pairs 

Red kite 2

Buzzard 2

The Gann - WEBs (Saturday)

First visit for a while. Pick of the WEBs were 17 Pale-bellied brent plus a single D-B brent. The female eider was out in the bay, singles of GC grebe and GN diver. A knot was tucked in among the roosting Oystercatchers. A distant swan flew in from the west, presumably a Mute but dropped down towards Philbeach before I could get a clearer view. Greenfinch wheezing away (hearing them regularly in a few spots around Haverfordwest at the moment).

Castlemartin Corse

This morning I went down Castlemartin Corse with Richard and Rob to do our March WeBS Count.

Think we were all surprised by how much the water level has dropped. The outfall has been cleared at some point during this week which has resulted in significant drop of the water level. The disappointment of other visitors to the hide were clearly communicated!

Where has all the water gone! 

 

The upper part of the corse gave us 8 Herring Gull, 1 Lesser Black Back Gull, 1 Great Black Back Gull and 4 Curlew.  

We had 23 Snipe along our routes to the hide and on the way back Richard got a very brief glance of a woodcock.

The Whooper Swan is still present, now with 3 Mute Swans. A couple of Graylag geese did fly past as we were walking down from the upper section.

Around the hide the Marsh harrier (2CY) helped by lifting the teal so we did get a reasonable count of 100 for them. Otherwise, numbers felt low with 12 Shoveller, 4 Wigeon, 2 Moorhen, 1 Pintail and only 8 Mallard! We also had 3 Grey Heron and 5 Little Egret.

Thinking back not one Water Rail was heard by us today, though nice to hear 3 separate Cettis Warblers.

Raptor wise other than the 1 2CY Marsh Harrier, we had 2 Buzzard circling where expected at this time of year and a sparrowhawk circling around the field the snipe tend to be in.  

Richard clocked two Raven on the upper section on our walk down and Rob had a further two while walking up from the lower section. Rob also heard a chough and saw Wheatear and Skylark. 

I must take this opportunity to thank both Richard and Rob with all their help, guidance and experience helping me with the counts. 

2CY Marsh Harrier

In the afternoon I got a message from Richard Rees saying he had seen the female Merlin towards Starmans, 7 Little Egret flew over the hide and the male Pallid Harrier made an appearance for him (so it is still within Pembrokeshire at the moment). 

St Davids-St Nons to Porth Clais: Multiple Divers, botanical signs of spring, but bird free hedgerows!

A glorious sunny afternoon walk along the coast path nicely sheltered from the cold NE wind. 

Bird highlight was 11 Red-throated Divers (groups of 6 and 5), including 2 in breeding plumage. Looked stunning against the blue of the sea, the face, neck and underparts of the winter plumage birds gleaming white in the bright sun! 

Nice to see some plants beginning to flower including Scurvy grass, Thrift, Blackthorn, Red Campion, as well as the gorse.

Apart from the divers, a few Gannets over the sea, a Raven along the cliffs, 3 Stonechats and a few Meadow Pipits...

Otherwise the hedgerows and fields were pretty much bird free! 

 Gann 6th March

   I have just caught up with this months records. Ref photo by Dave A of a pipit at Musslewick on the 6th. I have experience of littoralis, which can make a variable plumage change in spring and Water Pipit, through my days birdwatching on the coast of Gwent. In my opinion this bird is a Water Pipit.

Greenfinches and other roosting species at Stackpole

Many years ago (back in the 1980s/90s) there used to be a regular winter greenfinch roost in cherry laurel in Lodge Park, Stackpole. The roost collapsed/disappeared from the area when the laurel was cut down and removed. 

Over the last several years we have been aware of greenfinches roosting again in the general area; not in Lodge Park, but in mature evergreen shrubs at the Court site. However, the roost has not been counted much as far as we know. 

Chris Orsman contacted us recently to say that he had observed 137 greenfinches preparing to roost at the Court site on 27^th February. Some birds were already at the roost and he considered that the total might have been as high as 150 or more.

We went there this evening and recorded between 80-90 greenfinches preparing to roost but, just as Chris had observed, some birds were already in the roost, and it is possible that 100+ greenfinches roosted there this evening.  It is interesting that greenfinches (now much less common than they were 30-40 years ago) are still roosting at Stackpole. Hopefully their breeding population is starting to increase again.

Some of the greenfinches this evening; most settled briefly in nearby trees before going to roost  

Other roosting birds noted this evening included c.20-30 Pied Wagtails that went to roost in the reedbed below the Court site, 50+ redwings roosted in trees at the head of the Eastern Arm (including a few at the greenfinch roost). 

An estimated 800-1,000 murmurating jackdaws eventually went to roost at a usual/regular site in lakeside woodland south of the 8 Arch Bridge. Two local herons heading off to feed at dusk were probably not very impressed, almost colliding with some of the jackdaws who also briefly went into a state of panic when the herons left the trees.

A small proportion of the jackdaw population preparing to roost

Nine cormorants stayed to roost in their usual tree. It was presumed that these birds (some sporting impressive breeding plumage) are not from the St Margaret’s colony.  A single female goosander also appeared to be preparing to roost on the lake below the Court site.

Newport estuary

Green winged teal male by the bridge 

Wigeon 50

Little egret 2

Mediterranean gull 2 adult 1 in summer plumage 

Arrivals and departures (almost)

Nevern estuary: lovely to hear 1 chiffchaff singing in trees near the iron bridge on Sunday 9th

And..

At the Dowrog yesterday (10/3) one Ringtail and one adult male Hen harrier came into roost, eventually! 

But not a sniff of the Pallid...

Skokholm

More Wheatears and Chiffchaffs arriving, along with a fine male Black Redstart. 

Skokholm

A few more early migrants today, most notably three Sand Martin which steamed north this evening; these were 13 days earlier than the 2013-2024 first bird mean, with two on the 8th in 2000 the only earlier birds seen from Skokholm. A minimum of six Chiffchaff was the highest daycount to have been logged this early in the year; two of these were carrying pollen horns indicative of having spent time in warmer climes. 

Ring-necked Duck

There has been a Drake Ring-necked Duck at Castlemartin Corse today. 

First seen by Richard Rees this morning who very kindly messaged me to let me know about it. Also seen by Rob Lewis this afternoon. Hopefully it will hold tight for WeBS next weekend!

Ring-necked Duck - Image by Richard Rees

Ring-necked Duck - Image by Richard Rees

Broad Haven Purps

From Robert & Jenny Briggs -  Having failed to find purple sandpipers at Whitesands this year we were pleased to see Toby Middlemist’s post yesterday.

It was worth our visit to Broad Haven this afternoon. 8 purple sandpipers on Emmet Rock at high tide.
Not the greatest photo via phone through telescope.

 

Pen Anglas - Llanwnda

A chiffchaff singing in willows, Ciliau Moor. Meadow pipits parachute displaying, Pen Anglas. Breeding plumaged cormorant with a lot of white on its head and neck, over the sea towards Dinas Head.

Higgons Well

A male and two female Goosander on the river this morning. Also, the first two Shelduck of the year here, 82 Teal, three Snipe, five Chiffchaff again, 14 Redwing, a Grey Wagtail, and six singing Reed Bunting.

Martinshaven/Deer Park

 Chiffchaff(s) in sallows in the valley, male Wheatear just over Deer Park wall - both first of year out here

Lunchtime update: 6++ Chiffchaffs, a Willow Warbler, 2 Wheatear, a flock of 13 Chough.

And our first Adder of the year

Sawbills and other bits and pieces

Pair of courting red-breasted merganser at Llys-y-fran yesterday, presumably the same pair as this time last year. Is this just a stop off on their way elsewhere or are they intending to stay local? Very small gull roost barely 500 large gulls when I left, no small gulls. A male Goldeneye. 8 Great crested grebe, 2 pairs courting and another pair in a regular nesting spot. Chiffchaff, chiff-chaffing. 20 Redwing. Almost forgot to add there were 3 egrets among cattle along the A40 opposite Hwest golf course Saturday, first impression was at least one was a Little egret but driving at the time.

A goosander between the Trader and Priory ruins, Haverfordwest. Singing dipper by the county offices this morning. A flock of a dozen or more Greenfinch in the ash trees around the Parade. Blackcap singing.

Marloes mere in the week, male merlin and couple of pintail on a very full mere.

The Dowrog last weekend, just a single ringtail whilst scanning from near Penberi reservoir, a Barnacle goose on the reservoir.