Strumble Head 30th July.

Time: 07.45 - 09.00
Weather: Overcast
Wind: SSW 1/2

Common Scoter - 45 ( 33 Males )
Oystercatcher - 7

Porpoises showing in good numbers, remarkably few Gannets around though.

Peregrines at the Flagpoles

There were two peregrines at the Flagpoles on Sunday 28 July; probably a juvenile and the female - difficult to be sure through the car windscreen.

Strumble Head 29th July.

Time: 08.00 - 09.00
Weather: Cloudy
Wind: SW 2

Common Scoter - 50 ( 40 Males )

Aber mawr

On the beach this morning at Aber mawr 5 Dunlin (2 in summer plumage) a single Sanderling, also a family of 4 Chough  (2 adult + 2 juv) in field beyond beach.

Strumble Head (28 Jul 13)

Time: 0600 - 1000
Weather: Sunny with occasional heavy showers.
Wind: SSW (F2-3)

Great Skua - 1
Little Tern - 4 (A close group moving through very quickly)
Mediterranean Gull - 2 (Ad sum)
Common Scoter - 31 (11F, 20M)
Whimbrel - 10
Turnstone - 3
Sanderling - 1
Puffin - 6

Common Porpoise showing off and on and showing very well in close tide-race as I left.  A big throng of Gannets overhead.

P.S. Cracking sunset last night - watch this space for pics later in the week...

September Cottages Near Strumble Head.

Cottages available near Strumble Head, discounts on Full Week Bookings. Part Week Bookings available. Come & get those Seabirds & Cetaceans !

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Strumble Head (27 July 13)

Small Heath butterfly caught on camera today:

 

 

2 Adult Sum-Plum Mediterranean Gulls on the rocks in Seal Bay mid afternoon.  Lots of Porpoise activity offshore on a flat calm sea.  I think a sea-watch in the morning might be on the cards...

 

A sunset image from last weekend:



 

Strumble Head 27th July.

Time: 08.00 - 09.00
Weather: Bright
Wind: Practically Nil

Common Scoter - 68 ( 60 Males )
Whimbrel - 1
Mediterranean Gull - 1 ( Ad )
Common Tern - 1

 

Strumble Head 26th July.

Time: 07.30 - 09.00
Weather: Bright
Wind: SW 2

Common scoter - 20 (11 Males )
Whimbrel - 1
Puffin - 3

Porpoises showing fairly close around tide race flowing east from lighthouse.

Whimbrel

A flock of ten Whimbrel flew over near Dinas Cross this afternoon heading towards Fishguard.
Yesterday at the pond near Jordanston a Kingfisher my first for this site, also a family of Reed Warblers.

Strumble Head 25th July.

Time: 16.00 - 18.30
Weather: Bright & Sunny
Wind: SW 2

Common Scoter - 35 ( 19 Males )
Dunlin - 13 ( East )
Whimbrel - 20
Mediterranean Gull - 2 ( Both Adults 1 E, 1 W different head patterns. One pictured.)

Minke Whale - 1 ( Seen at 18.10 just beyond Tide Race surfaced 3 times)

September Cottages near Strumble Head.

Discounts available for Full Weeks. Short term bookings at Cottages near Strumble Head in September. Come & get those seabirds.

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Strumble Head 24th July.

Time: 07.30 - 09.00
Weather: Bright
Wind: SW 2/3

Common Scoter - 214 ( 157 Males )
Oystercatcher - 9
Whimbrel - 3
Puffin - 10

Correlating with Fishguard Harbour yesterday large numbers of Black Headed Gulls off the head, some feeding but a lot going straight through. No Med's with them though.
Porpoise quite active with a few showing well.

Flagpoles 17.00

The largest number of Black Headed Gulls so far this summer, sadly no Meds though. Approximately 40 Oystercatchers, 2 Curlew & these 2 Whimbrel flew over calling but carried on.

Dippers on the Gwaun

Nice to see the Dippers at Lower Town have had a successful breeding season.

Picture: Bryn Rogers

Aberbach ( Tregwynt ) 21st July.

In the conditions didn't expect a great deal but by the river some Blue & Blue Tailed Damselflies.A rather angry looking recently fledged Wren which steadfastly refused to move off of the path in front of us.

Lions Mane Jellyfish

Just received this picture of a huge Jellyfish we had at Strumble on wednesday evening.

picture: Bryn Rogers

Elephant Hawk Moth

Elephant Hawk Moth one of the many moths from last night in the garden,all I need to do now is identify the others.

Strumble Head (20 Jul 13)

More Butterflies emerged this week with a massive number of Gatekeepers around today (pic below).  Also new for year were Small Heath and Small Copper but couldn't get pics of them!

Lots of Dark Green Fritillaries about (best year for a while) and lots of Ringlets, Meadow Browns and Small Skippers.

Early movement hard to swallow?

Whilst on our way back from Rosslare yesterday on a Sea Trust  ferry survey we saw three swallows pass by, heading west . The fact that we were almost exactly half way acrossmakes it seem unlikely that they were just feeding and anyway they were flying fast and low as per those we see migrating in the spring and autumn. Our Swallows would still probably be able to breed and raise another brood even if they had failed \aza first timeso there would be no real reason for them to give up already. Of course locally many of our first broods fledged a couple of weeks ago. There might be some advantage to moving south for them I suppose... Is it possible some Swallows, perhaps inexperienced youngsters are still arriving? All in all none of the above seem entirely likely but they were certainly going somewhere!

Flagpoles 15.00 18th July.

Presumably the same Adult Mediterranean Gull present( apparently not , bird on 16th didn't have a ring, pic below ), though now seen to have a metal ring on it's right leg. The first brood of Mallards i've seen this year, look quite well grown.

Flagpoles 15.00 16th July.

A rise in Curlew numbers to 11 & the Greenshank still present. At the Stena end a fine Adult Med. gull.

Strumble Head (6/7 & 13/14 July)

Further to Steve's post below here is a selection of Butterfly pics from the last two weekends - all taken from around Strumble Head:

1. Dark Green Fritillary
2. Grayling
3. Ringlet
4. Small Skipper
5. Meadow Brown

Strumble Head 14th July.

Time: 16.00 - 18.00
Weather: More Sunbathing Weather
Wind: Lighthouse said NW 

Puffin - 3

  

Pwllderi to Aberbach

A walk from Pwllderi to Aberbach this morning produced a flock of 13 Chough,7 Dark Green Fritillaries (3 together a one location),2 Greylings and 3 Golden ringed Dragonflies.

Sun Bathing

Were not the only ones enjoying the sun .This Grass Snake was sun bathing in my garden this afternoon.

Crossbills

There were seven Crossbills feeding on pine cones near Dinas Cross this morning.
Yesterday the four Kestrel chicks had fledged and were hanging around the nesting area,today no sign of them they have obviously moved off somewhere else.

Flagpoles/Goodwick Moor 11th July.

Success!!

On the moor 2 Golden Ringed Dragonfly & at last at the Flagpoles a 1st summer Med. Gull.

Comm Sand

A flighty Common Sandpiper on the Outer Breakwater today. Also five Black Tailed Godwits reported at Goodwick Parrog on Monday. Three whimbrel also seen off  OB Monday.

Strumble Head 9th July.

Time: 08.00 - 09.00
Weather: Sunbathing Weather!
Wind: SE 1 ( If the vane in the lighthouse can actually function in these conditions ! )

BUT !

Common Scoter - 48 ( 40 Males )
Redshank - 1
Mediterranean Gull - 5 ( All adults heading East )
Puffin - 2

Quite a few Gannets moving through West & a few Porpoise present.

Well Done Andy !

Andy Murray - Wimbledon Champion 2013

Raptor Day

Four juv Kestrels very near fledging near Fishguard.
In the harbour this morning a single Sandwich Tern,a surprise on Dinas Mountain at lunchtime was a Hobby chasing insects,could they be nesting somewhere nearby.A single Red Kite here as well.
A pair of  Peregrines with two juvs flying around near Dinas Island,and a Redshank flew over.

Flagpoles

Two Redshanks have returned. Four Curlews also present, one of them chasing the others on the ground, most likely one that has summered here and was trying to protect its feeding area against migrants.

Strumble Head 4th July.

Time: 11.00 - 15.30
Weather: Bright
Wind: SW 3/4

Common Scoter - 34 ( 25 Males )
Curlew - 2
Puffin - 15

Higher than usual number of Fulmar today, probably numbering between 80 - 100. A few of the local pristine juvs close in like we see every year but mostly adults looking to have some sign of moult on the upperwing. Failed or finished Northern birds possibly or non - breeders moving back already ?

A party of 5 Chough were present around the lookout for a short time.

Porpoises infrequent today although the few that were seen showed quite well.

Strumble Head 3rd July.

Time: 08.00 - 09.00
Weather: Bright
Wind: NW 3+

Common Scoter - 14 ( 11 Males )
Curlew - 1
Puffin - 7

Expected a bit more on the NW wind.
Porpoises showing intermittently below a flock of 50+ Gannets just West of Lighthouse.

Crossbills

A group of at least five Crossbills  flying very high up at Dinas Cross today.