Fishguard Harbour 31st Dec.

At least 2 Great Northern Divers feeding quite close in to the inner breakwater on the Ferry Terminal side at 2 p.m.

Strumble Head (31 Dec 12)

Time: 1000 - 1200
Weather: Damp & murky(!)
Wind: SW (F7-8)

Common Scoter - 1 (M)
Red Throated Diver - 1
Black Throated Diver - 1
Great Northern Diver - 1

Common Porpoise - Quite a few showing better and better as the time got closer to midday - can't tell whether that was due to tide or the wind abating a little.

A couple of Strumble Pics from 29th:

Tresinwen & Strumble (30 Dec 12)

A male Yellowhammer in the garden this morning - the first of the winter.  Surprising as I suspect they bred nearby this year. 

Flushed a Buzzard down near Porthsychan beach this morning with a freshly caught Magpie - it just about managed to fly across the bay with it.  Pair of Chough keeping an eye on proceedings.

Goodwick (29 Dec 12)

2 Barn Owls hunting together this evening (1830) by the roadside at the Windyhall roundabout (the one above SeaView Hotel).

Goodwick Moor 27th Dec.

Very quiet this afternoon apart from a wintering Chiffchaff by the far west corner of the boardwalk. a very bright green-yellow individual so nothing to get too excited about.

Garden Birds.

Even in the horrible conditions, plenty of birds still on feeders.

Flagpoles 16.00

A single Adult Med. Gull in the good collection of gulls, plenty of oystercatchers & 17ish Turnstones.

An interesting passerine flew across infront of me to the bushes on the bank beneath the convent. Meadow Pipit size or bigger & appeared in the gathering gloom to be yellowy orange colour with noticeable white wing bars ? in silouette when first seen I initially thought it was one of the kingfishers that winter in the harbour but the flight was obviously completely wrong, but that may be another pointer to possible size. Day off tomorrow so will look again.   

Ho,Ho,Ho !

Merry Xmas to all, here's hoping for another good year next year at the lookout.

Fishguard Harbour 18th Dec.

A quick walk along the inner breakwater, 2 Herons all the usual waders & a very large number of gulls in the roost this evening. Mostly Black Headed, good numbers of Common, a few Herring but couldn't find any Meds.

Garden Birds 15th Dec.

Garden busy this morning, the first Redpoll of the winter back on the nyjer seed feeder. 

Fishguard Harbour 13th Dec.

A good total of 10 Red Throated Divers from the Fort & 3 Adult Med. Gulls in the roost at dusk.

Many Thanks to Paul Grennard. 

Woodcock

A single Woodcock at Pen Anglas.

Hen Harrier

Another Hen Harrier this time a ring tail flying high over Fishguard Fort this morning heading towards Pen Anglas, Strumble Head direction straight across the bay.

Yellowhammers

A group of four Yellowhammers this morning at Pen Anglas,a bird that was fairly common here not many years ago, is a bit of a scarcity these days.

Strumble/ St.Nicholas/Fgd Harbour 10th Dec.

A short tour round this morning, first to Strumble where seabird activity was virtually nil in a near

easterly wind. On land not very much either apart from more Song Thrushes around the headland than i would normally expect. Then to have a look at Trefayog Pond St.Nicholas which had 7 Teal in residence. Lastly Fishguard Harbour, couldn't find any divers.The usual gulls around & a pair of Wigeon close in by the Ocean Lab. Back home & a rather obliging female Chaffinch around the feeders & a Red kite from the front door as i came in. 

Woodcock

One at Pen Anglas this morning.

WOS Lifetime Achievement Award - Graham Rees

An apology first for not making a reference to this sooner, on November 10th at the Welsh Ornithological Society Conference Graham was awarded one of the first Lifetime Achievement Awards for services to Welsh Ornithology obviously much of it in the context of Strumble Head observations.Many congratulations to him on a much deserved award, without his well known dedication , encouragement & knowledgeable discussion the whole Strumble picture would have been vastly different & this blogsite you are reading certainly wouldn't exist.

Many Thanks to " The Boss "

Adrian  

Hen Harrier

A male Hen Harrier hunting over the heather area at Pen Anglas looked fantastic in the sun. Quite an increase in the number of Skylarks compared to recently around 40 .

Firecrest

A Firecrest near Jordanston this afternoon the Goldeneye and at least four Little Grebes still here on the pond.
At Abermawr a Woodcock flushed.

Pen Anglas

Excellent views of a male Merlin,a Great Northern Diver flew west as did 2 female Common Scoter, a strange record of 2 Mute Swans in the bay quite a distance out from the shore.
The Goldeneye is still present on the pond near Jordanston.

Strumble (01 Dec 12)

Tawny Owl between Pontiago and the Jam Factory - flew over the car this evening.

Goodwick / Flagpoles 1st Dec.

Couldn't find any Waxwing in Goodwick or any decent berry bushes.

At the Flagpoles a Bar-Tailed Godwit & a Drake Goldeneye. Another one of those interesting looking Jackdaws on the grass opposite the Pendre Garage at Fishguard.

Goldeneye

A very smart adult male Goldeneye on the pond near Jordanston.

Tresinwen (01 Dec 12)

Ringtail Hen Harrier hunting fields behind house earlier this morning.  Also Merlin briefly.

Of interest there is a very pale grey Blue Tit on feeders in the garden.  Very little yellow tone at all.