Sunday 30 September 2012

Lapland Bunting

A single Lapland Bunting with two Skylarks on the heather area at Pen Anglas this morning

Saturday 29 September 2012

YBW Update

Visited the garden again at 14.40 & 15.40 both times with a small group of Blue tits & a Goldcrest. 

In a Fishguard garden ! YBW !!


At approx 10 a.m. this morning , had me reaching for my BP pills !

Wednesday 26 September 2012

Strumble Head 25th Sept.

Time: 07.00 - 12.00
Weather: Cloudy , some rain.
Wind: W/NW 4/5

Wigeon - 7
Common Scoter - 11 (1f)
Sooty Shearwater - 6
Balearic Shearwater - 3
Dunlin - 1
Bar Tailed Godwit - 3
Turnstone - 4
Arctic Skua - 11 ( 6 Pale , 5 dark )
Bonxie - 8
Mediterranean Gull - 1 ( 2w )
Little Gull - 1
Sandwich Tern - 2
Commic Tern - 3

Chris Grayell
 

Tuesday 25 September 2012

Pen Anglas

A dark phase Arctic Skua past Pen Anglas late afternoon today,yesterday 4 Wigeon flew over heading west.

Monday 24 September 2012

Strumble Head 24th Sept.

Time: 06.30 - 17.30
Weather: Cloudy, Some showers.
Wind: NW 6/7 Occasionally 8

Wigeon - 7
Teal - 4
Common Scoter - 53 (14f )
Red Throated Diver - 1 ( Summer Plumage )
Great Crested Grebe - 1
Sooty Shearwater - 47
Balearic Shearwater - 4
Arctic Skua - 27 ( 13 Pale , 13 Dark , 1 Juv )
Long Tailed Skua - 3 ( All Juvs )
Bonxie - 46
Mediterranean Gull - 1 ( Ad )
Sabines Gull - 2 ( Both Ad )
Sandwich Tern - 4
Common Tern - 14
Arctic Tern - 4
Commic Tern - 7
Little Tern - 1
Black Tern - 1

Observers - CG , R Davies , AR , PKG , MYP , MJ.

 

Sunday 23 September 2012

Flagpoles 15.00 23rd Sept


A few waders feeding at the high tide, 5 Redshank, 3 Dunlin, 12+ Turnstones & a sgl Ringed Plover. More Rock Pipits about than normal maybe indicating a few migrant birds.

Saturday 22 September 2012

Tresinwen & Strumble (22 Sep 12)

With the winds not ideal for sea-watching I decided to hit the bushes.  Lots of Goldcrests and Chiffchaffs about with a small number of Pied and Grey Wagtails around.  House Martins still feeding young in nest on the farm.  Best migrant was a Reed Warbler in the bushes at the top of Porthsychan.

Friday 21 September 2012

Little Gull

An adult Little Gull off Pen Anglas Point yesterday late afternoon.

Wednesday 19 September 2012

Strumble Head 19th Sept.

Time: 06.45 - 08.30
Weather: Bright , scattered clouds very COLD !
Wind: NNW 5/6 or more.

Teal - 1
Common Scoter - 43 (3f)
Balearic shearwater - 1
Leach's Petrel - 10
Long Tailed Skua - 1 ( 1st Summer )
Bonxie - 2
Sandwich Tern - 10


 

Tuesday 18 September 2012

Strumble Head 18th Sept.

Time: 06.30 - 15.00
Weather: Bright.
Wind: NW 5/6

Common Scoter - 20 (3f)
Red Throated Diver - 4
Sooty Shearwater - 6
Balearic Shearwater - 3
Leach's Petrel - 29
Turnstone - 1
Pomarine Skua - 3 ( 2 Ad, 1 with Spoons & a Juv )
Arctic Skua - 34 ( 18 dark , 16 Pale )
Long Tailed Skua - 3 ( All Juvs )
Bonxie - 20
Sabines Gull - 1 ( Ad still with full dark head )
Sandwich Tern - 117
Commic Tern - 3
Puffin - 1

Ocean sunfish - 1

Many Thanks to Richard Davies & Paul Grennard for the total count between the hours watched.

Another all 4 skua day, tomorrow the next one ?   

Monday 17 September 2012

Strumble Head 17th Sept.

Time:06.15 - 13.00 then 16.00 - 17.30
Weather:Bright, some rain showers
Wind; W/WSW 4/5

Common Scoter - 29 (1f)
Red Throated Diver - 1 ( Summer plumage )
Sooty Shearwater - 6
Balearic Shearwater - 4
Dunlin - 1
Redshank - 2
Turnstone - 1
Pomarine Skua - 2 ( both 3rd Sum pale with spoons )
Arctic Skua - 7 ( 2 Pale,5 Dark )
Bonxie - 19
Sabines Gull - 2 ( Ad winter & Juv )
Sandwich Tern - 1
Common tern - 2
Arctic Tern - 1
Commic Tern - 1

A constant steady stream of hirundines moving south must have numbered many hundreds.

Many Thanks to Richard Davies for the early totals.

 

Sunday 16 September 2012

Sand Martins

5 Sand Martins Pen Anglas this morning very little else.

Friday 14 September 2012

Strumble Head 14th Sept.

Time: 06.20 - 15.20
Weather: Bright, Showers early on.
Wind; WSW 5/6

Common Scoter - 24 (1f)
Red Throated Diver - 2
Sooty Shearwater - 11
Balearic Shearwater - 1
Leach's Petrel - 6
Curlew - 1
Arctic Skua - 19 ( 4 Pale, 13 Dark. 2 Juv )
Bonxie - 13
Sandwich Tern - 23
Arctic Tern - 4
Roseate Tern - 1
Commic Tern - 11

Many Thanks to Paul Grennard for supplying the totals after 08.40.

Wednesday 12 September 2012

Strumble head 12th Sept.

Time:06.15 - 14.10
Weather:Cloudy, showers
Wind:WSW 4/5

Common Scoter - 32 (3f)
Red Throated Diver - 2 ( Sum Plumage )
Sooty Shearwater - 2
Balearic Shearwater - 6
Golden Plover - 1
Dunlin - 2
Whimbrel - 1
Turnstone - 8
Pomarine Skua - 3 ( All Pale , 2 with Spoons )
Arctic Skua - 33 ( 16 pale, 16 Dark , 1 Juv )
Long Tailed Skua - 5 ( All Juvs )
Bonxie - 8
Sabines Gull - 1 ( Ad )
Sandwich Tern - 21
Black Tern - 2
Commic Tern - 4

Many Thanks to Richard Davies for the totals.

Tuesday 11 September 2012

A few extras

I did a two hour Seawatch at Strumble 4-6 pm 3 Arctic Skuas, 1 Bonxie, 3 Balearic Shearwaters, 22 Sandwich Terns also a Sunfish.
This morning off Pen Anglas 3 Arctic Skua ,1 Bonxie,3 Whimbrel,10 Common Scoter also a flock of geese flew in off the sea over Dinas island but were only silhouettes with the sun , I don't think they were Canadas.
Also found a freshly dead Water Shrew.

Strumble Head 11th sept.

Time: 06.30 - 15.15
Weather: Cloudy
Wind: NW 4/5

Gadwall - 2
Common scoter - 22
Sooty Shearwater - 5
Balearic Shearwater - 3
Leach's Petrel - 1
Whimbrel - 4
Arctic Skua - 43 ( 12 Pale , 1 Intermediate , 30 Dark )
Long Tailed Skua - 1 ( Juv )
Bonxie - 21
Sabines Gull - 4 ( 2 Juvs )
Sandwich Tern - 25
Common tern - 1
Arctic tern - 1
Commic Tern - 10

Many observers, Thanks to Paul Grennard for the update of stuff after 08.30.  

Monday 10 September 2012

Birdwatching in Wales - DVD


I have recently received my copy of the Birdwatching in Wales DVD made by Yorkshire based Paul Doherty. It is broken down into monthly sections , with a different area of Wales for each month. My interest was stimulated when i met Paul at Strumble in Sept. 2010 & he explained the concept of his work in progress & that Sept. was going to be Seawatching at Strumble Head. Fortunately the week Paul had was a very good one & the filming turned out to be successful. That is not to say that the rest of the DVD is of any less quality  as each month is equally as interesting , moreso if it's your local patch. The Gigrin Farm filming is quite spectacular ! Even more pleasing from a local point of view is that the picture cover is by our own Richard Stonier. Cover & list for each month pictured, all you need to do is put it on your Xmas List ! www.birdvideodvd.com is his site.

Strumble Head 10th Sept.

Time: 06.45 - 12.00
Weather: Cloudy & overcast , rain.
Wind: SW 2/3

Common Scoter - 23 ( 1f )
Balearic Shearwater - 1
Bar Tailed Godwit - 3
Whimbrel - 1
Arctic Skua - 1 ( Intermediate )
Commic Tern - 1

A pod of c.12 Common Dolphin seen twice first distantly then much closer in contained at least 2 calves. 

Saturday 8 September 2012

Felindre West to Abermawr 8th Sept.



A couple of Wheatears by the pond which also had a Dabchick on it. Large flock of Linnets on coast path & a calling Dartford in a new place.

Friday 7 September 2012

Strumble Head 7th Sept.

Time; 07.00 - 15.00
Weather: Bright , Sunny.
Wind:WSW 2/3

Common Scoter - 11
Red Throated Diver 1 ( Summer Plumage )
Sooty Shearwater - 2
Balearic Shearwater - 1
Arctic Skua - 4 ( 1 pale , 3 Dark )
Bonxie - 2
Sandwich Tern - 3
Black tern - 1
Roseate Tern - 2
Commic Tern - 1

Sunfish - 1 ( Very close in ).

Very large no's of Kittiwakes & Juv large gulls feeding in flocks with Manxies.

 

Thursday 6 September 2012

Strumble Head 6th Sept.

Time: 15.15 - 17.15
Weather: Bright & Sunny
Wind: SW 3/4 ( Very slight WSW for a short time)

Sandwich Tern - 2
Arctic Tern - 2
Black Tern - 1
Roseate Tern - 3

Big no's of kittiwakes feeding.

1st Sum Little Gull seen at Flagpoles late afternoon.( Roger Ruston ).

15 Redshanks Flagpoles 18.00

Wednesday 5 September 2012

Goodwick Moor 5th Sept.



Very quiet, no singing Cetti's although did see one briefly. All the other warblers on their way by now. An impressive sight though was the 2 Herons over , but suprisingly they weren't at the Flagpoles when i got back. A Darter & a Hawker is my guess for the Dragonflies, all suggestions wecome.

Female Common Darter & male Southern Hawker i am informed by Paul Grennard.

Strumble Head 5th Sept ( Wryneck )

Time:08.30 - 10.30
Weather: Bright , Sunny
Wind; NE 4/5

Common Scoter - 9 (2f)
Balearic Shearwater - 1
Cormorant - 15
Arctic Skua - 1 (Pale)
Sandwich Tern - 1
Commic Tern - 1

A generally chilly experience , a Wryneck on a Telegraph Pole on the way up by Trenoweth / Gate down to Good Hope started the day off well though.

Tuesday 4 September 2012

Strumble Head 4th Sept.

Time: 16.00 - 17.00
Weather: Bright but cold.
Wind: NNE 5/6

Sooty Shearwater - 1

Very slow hour with most of the other birds Manxies etc very distant. No Porpoises seen.  

Strumble Head 4th Sept

Not a seawatch , just a quick walk around the headland with the only sighting of note being a flock of 18 Chough by the cattle grid. 

Great White Egret Fishguard Fort

Flew over Steve Berry at approx 08.55 , hopefully will hit the wall of fog higher up the valley & decide to come back. 

Monday 3 September 2012

Pen Anglas

A bit of a southerly hirundine movement this morning with a few hundred Swallows ,100+ House Martins and two Sand Martins but once the mist came down it stopped.The Linnet flock has increased to over 200 birds.

Sunday 2 September 2012

Strumble Head (01 Sep 12)

Chough and Raven showing well again...

Strumble Head (02 Sep 12)

Time: 0600 - 1600
Weather: Fog (am) then sunny (pm)
Wind: WSW (F5-3)

Sooty Shearwater - 1
Great Skua - 3
Arctic Skua - 2 (1D, 1P)
Sabine's Gull - 3 (Ad Sum, 2J)
Mediterranean Gull - 2 (1st W)
Comic Tern - 20
Sandwich Tern - 15
Black Tern - 3
Whimbrel - 2
Bar Tailed Godwit - 2
Common Scoter - 11 (2F, 9M)

Common Porpoise - showing on and off.

Willow Tits

TwoWillow Tits near Jordanston also several Willowchiffs and Blackcap,100+ Swallow feeding over the pond and two Little Grebe on it.
Pen Anglas this morning  a single Whitethroat and a flock of 60 Linnets.

Saturday 1 September 2012

Strumble Head (01 Sep 12)

Time: 0600 - 1600
Weather: Sunny spells.
Wind: SW (F5-6)

Balearic Shearwater - 4
Great Skua - 8
Arctic Skua - 2 (1P, 1J)
Mediterranean Gull - 2 (1st W)
Comic Tern - 32
Sandwich Tern - 17
Black Tern - 8
Little Tern - 3
Curlew - 1
Bar Tailed Godwit - 1
Knot - 2
Dunlin - 3
Turnstone - 6

Red Throated Diver - 1
Common Scoter - 20 (4F, 16M)
Grey Heron - 1

Common Porpoise - showing on and off.
Common Dolphin - 1 pod of c.5