Sunday 31 December 2017

Strumble 30/12/2017

A session on the porpoise yesterday quiet at the start allowed us to take note of the passing birds. Several divers mostly white throat I suspect, four male Scoter and I think this female Peregrine (revised)  Merlin coming in off the sea.  Thanks Adrian.





Thursday 28 December 2017

Merlins

A poor shot of one of the two Merlins near Puncheston this afternoon, several Crossbill also present.

Wednesday 27 December 2017

Strumble Roll call 2017.

Hope everybody had a good Christmas & is looking forward to a good year at the lookout in 2018.

Thanks to all contributors whether it be the people in the main list of contributors or anyone else who forwards information, including:

Chris Greyall
Richard Davies
Red Liford
Paul Grennard
Brian Southern
Peter Murray
Simon Murray
Paul Mahiques
John Faithfull
Rob Jones
Mark Hipkin
Graham Powell
Andy Phillips
Karen Meatyard
Elfyn Pugh
Alex Bevan

All the SeaTrust Team

Apologies to anyone I've missed & those who's names I don't know.

Tuesday 26 December 2017

Monday 25 December 2017

Strumble Head (Christmas Day)

Short seawatch from 1045 to 1230 today in a strong SSW wind - prob F6-7.

Great Skua - 2
Common Scoter - 1 (M)
Red Throated Diver - 5
Great Northern Diver - 1

Common Porpoise - showing very well
Risso's Dolphin - 1 (A big adult male and one I am as certain as you can be that I have seen before.  Big, white with a distinctive tall fin - 3 vertical stripes on the fin - grey stripe, white stripe, grey stripe.  Reasonably close in the tide race and breached twice.)

Tuesday 19 December 2017

Sunday 17 December 2017

Wheres the wood?

So nothing special I suppose ,just a female Great Spotted Woodpecker and not brilliant quality as the window is filthy largely due to a fox that brushes against it on an evening. None the less its a favourite of mine. There are not many trees up here so its a bit of a treat when it pops in for a peanut or two!




More of a Strumble specialty, divers pass by and some stay to feed, wintering off Strumble.


Saturday 16 December 2017

Hen Harrier

A male Hen Harrier hunting over Dinas Mountain this morning.

Monday 11 December 2017

While wdigbirders away....

No not a blocker but the snow and ice elsewhere have brought loads of winter thrushes our way on the coastal pastures! Not great images as very distant in poor light from car in sleet!




Blackcap

A male Blackcap in the garden and a Woodcock in woods at Llanychaer.
A ringtail Hen Harrier near Puncheston also a single Crossbill.

Thursday 7 December 2017

Recent sightings

A Firecrest and Woodcock in the woods at Llanychaer this morning.
Yesterday at Cwm yr Eglwys a female Black Redstart and a Goshawk.
On 4th Dec a male Hen Harrier between Llanychaer and Puncheston.

Thursday 23 November 2017

An interesting half hour at Strumble.

Mst of the Autumn seabird  migration has passed through by now so with strong WNW winds after southerly's we were not going to get in November what would be there in September or October. However there was a movement of Kittiwakes from odd ones and twos to flocks of twenty plus.
Maybe not enough to excite but when I began to look at the Kittiwakes more closely it was interesting to see the fact that there were very few juveniles probably only one in twenty. Two Bonxies passed by together spotted by Ken adding a higher note!

Strumble Head 23rd Nov 2017.

Time: 10.30 - 12.30
Weather: Bright
Wind:W 6/7

Common Scoter - 2 ( Males )
Bonxie - 1

Risso's Dolphin - 1

Hundreds of Kittiwakes & Auks & a few Fulmar.

Additions after I left from ken Barnett.

Common Scoter - 4
Bonxie - 5





Monday 20 November 2017

Snow Buntings

Still two Snow Buntings on breakwater yesterday afternoon.

Sunday 19 November 2017

Garden

A Chiffchaff and a female Blackcap in the garden at Llanychaer today.

Saturday 18 November 2017

Firecrest

One with two other crests that I didn't see well enough in the scrub by the cottage a few minutes ago. Light & positioning didn't make for a very successful pic but I posted it anyway.

Friday 17 November 2017

Dinas Mountain

This morning 30 Golden Plover,a single Woodcock,6 Fieldfare and a Chough.
At Fishguard Fort a single Brambling in a small group of fly over Chaffinchs.

Thursday 16 November 2017

Snow Buntings and Black Redstart

After Cliffs observation yesterday Adrian and I walked along the Outer Breakwater this afternoon,
 two Snow Buntings and a immature male Black Redstart were present. Thanks to Cliff for the information.


Wednesday 15 November 2017

Breakwater Buntings..

Two snow buntings were briefly glimpsed as I drove along the breakwater this afternoon , but flipped over the wall.before I could stop and shoot them (photographically!)

Maesgwynne 15th Nov.

Been trying for weeks to get a pic of this ringed Dunnock we've had coming to the garden. Almost certainly from the Goodwick Moor ringing efforts of Karen RM.

Monday 13 November 2017

Strumble Head 13th Nov 2017.

Time: 08.15 - 10.30
Wind: N 2/3

Common Scoter - 98 ( 91 Male )
Eider - 1 ( F )
Red Throated Diver - 2
Great Northern Diver - 3
Curlew - 1
Sabine's Gull - 1

Many Thanks again to Andy Phillips from Cardiff.

Sunday 12 November 2017

Strumble Head 12th Nov 2017.

Time: 07.30 - 11.15
Wind: NW 6 Then N 7

Brent Goose - 7
Common Scoter - 103 ( 50 Males )
GREAT SHEARWATER - 1 ( Strumble's latest ever record, Subject to Acceptance WRP )
Manx Shearwater - 1
Sabines Gull - 4
Little Gull - 1

Porpoises showing
Bottlenose Dolphin - 1

Many Thanks to Andy Phillips ( Cardiff ) for the report.

Thursday 9 November 2017

Breakwater birds.

Wdig birder and the Walrus explored the breakwater looking for the elusive Purple Sandpiper. I bet him a pound given the high tide and northerly wind creating spray that we would not find any. I lost my pound!



Wednesday 8 November 2017

Strumble 08/11/2017

A peregrine came in off the sea  and settled on the headland some 300mtrs away and then ten minutes later flew off back over the sea at which point I lost sight of it. The gulls were having a good day pinching octopus off the young seals. One diver sopotted flying past west to east.







Monday 6 November 2017

Here they come and there they go!

Four weeks ago Swallows were still very much in evidence passing over the Ocean Lab coming in off the sea. Odd Wheatears were flitting around the breakwater with dozens of Pied Wagtails. Starling flocks began to build. A couple of weeks ago the winter thrushes started arriving including it seemed Mistle Thrushes with a gang of half a dozen mixed up with Redwings and a few Fieldfares  on the wires and horse fields on the way into Strumble.  Flocks of Chaffinches following the coast with pipits and Skylarks calling overhead at Strumble. The piping little calls of Goldcrests  extremely noticeable. This morning, several large flocks of Wood Pigeons amounting to maybe a couple of thousand passing on southwards.

Sunday 5 November 2017

Strumble Head 5th Nov 2017.

Time: 07.00 - 12.00
Weather: clear, No Rain.
Wind: NW 8

Brent goose - 11 ( Pale Bellied )
Common Scoter - 65 ( 53 Males )
Red Throated Diver - 1
Great northern Diver - 3
Manx Shearwater - 2
Leach's Petrel - 2
Bonxie - 9
Mediterranean Gull - 2 ( Ad )

Risso's Dolphin - 2 ( Mother & Calf very close )
Porpoises - Only 3 the whole watch

Kittiwakes numbers picking up with 5000 passed & 100 Gannets.

Many Thanks to Richard Davies ( Ammanford ) for singly braving the conditions today.



Thursday 2 November 2017

Kestrel flypast

A male Kestrel passing the lookout at Strumble yesterday afternoon.



Tuesday 31 October 2017

Around & About.

In the Fishguard area small flocks of Chaffinch in off at Strumble Head & a few Thrush species about. Large numbers of Woodpigeon moving.

Saturday 28 October 2017

Tresinwen (28 Oct 17)

Lots of Redwings and Fieldfares moving over the garden today.  Two Coal Tits around the garden along with one or two Siskin.

Friday 27 October 2017

Strumble 27/10/2017

A quiet morning with a NE wind, moderate to start then dropping away to light. Several strings of Scoter passing east to west otherwise fairly quiet except for two divers one of which I managed to capture. There were 3-400 gulls flock feeding off to the NE which were disturbed at one point by an Arctic Skua doing it's best to down a small gull. It failed and was seen off by larger gulls. Closer to shore a few Choughs passed by and a passing Merlin put in an appearance.




Thursday 26 October 2017

Stormy weather...


These Brent geese arrived in Fishguard Harbour after Storm Brian 




along with some wigeon 

 Next day at Strumble the Strumblers gather... 



Wednesday 25 October 2017

Strumble 25/10/2017

Very quiet again today with very little action in the water but above the waves there was a bit going on. This Heron was seen off and forced inland by a band of gulls very put out by it's presence. A Skua at at a distance I think a Pom was the only other sea bird of note and I couldn't resist a shot of the little feller on the barbed wire alongside the car park. A couple of Choughs also passed by a few times and a large flock of Starlings spun over the lookout before settling in the field behind the car park.