Another New Garden Tick.

                                                                   Bank Vole

Interesting Morning at Strumble

As I drove to Strumble a Red Kite lifted off a rocky outcrop at the top of our road. Further on towards Henna Cross a musket Sparrowhawk flitted ahead of me for fifty yards before darting over the hedgebank. The sea was calm, lots of gannets feeding a couple of miles out and three groups of Scoter passed, comprising ten males and three females I nearly missed this, it was distant and clearly bigger than gannets it passed.

Tresinwen & Strumble Head (27 Sep 15)

Garden - No sign of the Spotted Flycatcher today.  Yesterday's Coal Tit has now turned into 3 Coal Tits.  My second ever Nuthatch in the garden this afternoon.  3 Blackcaps (2M, 1F) on elderberries.  2 White Wags around the buildings.  Plenty of Goldcrests about and a few Chiffchaffs.  Still lots of Swallows and House Martins about.

Strumble - Lots of Goldcrest in Porthsychan and a few Blackcaps.  A presumed fourth Coal Tit in the valley.

Tresinwen & Strumble Head (26 Sep 15)

Garden - Spotted Flycatcher which is presumably a migrant as the locals moved out a few weeks ago, Coal Tit (first of the autumn in the garden), Blackcap, a few Chiffchaffs and a few Goldcrests.  2 Buzzards keeping an eye on the silage cutting.  A flock of 50+ Starlings flew high North over the garden late afternoon.  Lots of Swallows and House Martins hanging about over the house all day.

Strumble - Red Kite mid morning low over Porthsychan, 3 Blackcaps, a few Chiffchaffs and small flock of Linnets. 

Strumble Head 25th Sept.

Time: 06.45 - 12.15
Weather: Clear, Bright late morning.
Wind: NW 3/4


Common Scoter - 19 ( 18 Males )
Red Throated Diver - 1
Great Northern Diver - 1
Balearic Shearwater - 2
Cormorant - 2
Dunlin - 12
Arctic Skua - 10 ( 2 Pale, 7 Dark, 1 Juv )
Long Tailed Skua - 1 ( Juv )
Bonxie - 2
Mediterranean Gull - 2 ( 1 Adult, 1 1st W )
Little Gull - 3 ( 2 1st W, 1 2nd W )
Sandwich Tern - 19
Commic Tern - 2


Common Dolphin - 7
Porpoises showing occasionally.
 

Strumble Head 24th sept. ( Early )

Time: 07.10 - 9.20


Pintail - 1
Common Scoter - 1 ( Female )
Red Throated Diver - 1
Sooty Shearwater - 1
Balearic Shearwater - 6
Pomarine Skua - 3 ( 1 Pale, 2 Juvs )
Arctic skua - 3 ( 1 Pale, 2 Juvs )
Bonxie - 1


Many Thanks to Brian Gibbs ( Somerset )

Porp's galore and a wrong way Sooty!

Went to Strumble this afternoon, loads of Porpoises but also my only Sooty Shearwater of the year (so far) There was a front coming in from the west and the sooty was moving east, ahead of it...

Strumble Head 23rd Sept. ( Early )

Common Scoter - 73 ( 52 Males )
Balearic Shearwater - 1
Redshank - 7
Mediterranean Gull - 2 ( Adults )
Sandwich Tern - 2




Many Thanks to Brian Gibbs ( Somerset ).

Strumble Head 22nd Sept.

Time: 07.00 - 15.00
Weather: Cloudy with some rain at first, brightened in afternoon.
Wind: NW 5/6


Common Scoter - 90 ( 75 Males )
Red Throated Diver - 5
Balearic Shearwater - 8
Storm Petrel - 1
Grey Plover - 5
Dunlin - 3
Turnstone - 1
Pomarine Skua - 2 ( Juvs )
Arctic Skua - 21 ( 3 Pale, 15 Dark, 3 Juvs )
Long Tailed Skua - 1 ( Juv )
Bonxie - 2
Sabines Gull - 1 ( Adult still with full grey hood )
Sandwich Tern - 61
'Commic Tern' - 2
Puffin - 1


Common Dolphin - 13 ( Probably under counted due to fear of duplication )
Sunfish - 2

Strumble Head 21st Sept ( Early ).

Time: 07.00 - 09.30


Shoveler - 1
Common Scoter - 16 ( 15 Males )
Red Throated Diver - 1
Sooty Shearwater - 3
Balearic Shearwater - 9
Arctic Skua - 5
Sandwich Tern - 1


Risso's Dolphin - 1
Sunfish - 1


Many Thanks to Brian Gibbs ( Somerset Recorder ) for the information.

Strumble Head (20 Sep 15)

Time: 0630 - 1330
Weather: Cloudy.
Wind: SW (F3-5)

Balearic Shearwater - 10
Arctic Skua - 3 (1P, 2D)
Mediterranean Gull - 1 (AdW)
Little Gull - 2 (1stW)
Black Tern - 4
Sandwich Tern - 6
Comic Tern - 6
Common Scoter - 131 (17F, 114M)
Red Throated Diver - 3
Black Throated Diver - 1
Dunlin - 15

Common Porpoise - showing well
Common Dolphin - 3 animals

Strumble Head (19 Sep 15)

Time: 0630 - 1230
Weather: Sunny
Wind: Calm

Balearic Shearwater - 7
Arctic Skua - 2 (P)
Little Gull - 2 (1stW)
Black Tern - 2
Sandwich Tern - 2
Comic Tern - 3
Red Throated Diver - 2
Common Scoter - 72 (7F, 65M)
Whimbrel - 1
Redshank - 2

Common Porpoise - showing well all morning
Common Dolphin - pod of about 15 animals early morning
Risso's Dolphin - pod of about 20 animals showing well for over an hour including one small calf

New Garden Tick !

A very nice visitor at breakfast.

Strumble Head 16th September.

Time: 12.30 - 16.00
Weather: Cloudy
Wind: NNE 4


Balearic Shearwater - 2
Arctic Skua - 2 ( Juvs )
Bonxie - 2
Sandwich Tern - 1
Arctic Tern - 2 ( 1 each Ad & Juv )
'Commic Tern' - 4
Black tern - 4


Risso's Dolphin - 4

Strumble Head 15th September.

Time: 10.00 - 14.30
Weather: Cloudy Overcast, Brightened after 13.00
Wind: N 2/3


Common Scoter - 68 ( 53 Males )
Pomarine Skua - 2 ( 1 Pale*, 1 Juv )
Arctic Skua - 2 ( 2 Juv )
Bonxie - 2 ( The first seen to repeatedly chase & eventually kill a Juv Lesser Black Backed Gull )
Sandwich Tern - 54
Common Tern - 1
'Commic' Tern - 28


Risso's Dolphin - 4 ( Including a very small calf )


Common Dolphin - 71 ( Pods of 6, 16 including a calf & 50+ )


* While following the Adult Pomarine Skua it flew directly over the largest Pod of Common Dolphins which contained at least 50 animals & was present in varying numbers for the next hour plus.


Porpoise showing occasionally.

Strumble Head

Strumble Head 3.30-5.00pm Wind South Westerly
1 Sooty Shearwater, 2 Balearic Shearwaters, 2 dark phase Arctic Skua, 6 Sandwich Tern,1 Common Tern, 22 Commic Tern also a single Sand Martin.

Fall of Alba Wagtails.

Fall of Alba Wagtails Fishguard Outer Breakwater last Thursday, about forty individuals

At least a dozen on the breakwater today with similar numbers of Wheatears although nothing much on Friday so presumably the Alba's were fresh birds...

Meditteranean Gull

A first winter Mediterranean Gull by what used to be the flagpoles at Fishguard Harbour this afternoon.

Strumble Head (06 Sep 15)

Time: 0600 - 1500
Weather: Sunny.
Wind: NNW (F3)

Balearic Shearwater - 2
Arctic Skua - 3 (D, P, J)
Pomarine Skua - 1 (J)
Sandwich Tern - 21
Comic Tern - 1
Common Scoter - 91 (5F, 86M)
Teal - 1

Common Porpoise - showing very well
Common Dolphin - Pod of about 10 animals

Strumble Head (05 Sep 15)

Time: 0600 - 1800
Weather: Sunny.
Wind: NNW (F6) am, NNE (F6) pm

Sooty Shearwater - 1
Arctic Skua - 5 (3D, 2P)
Great Skua - 7
Sandwich Tern - 25
Comic Tern - 7
Common Scoter - 45 (5F, 40M)
Red Throated Diver - 1
Grey Phalarope - 1
Dunlin - 42
Knot - 3
Sanderling - 10
Turnstone - 7

Common Porpoise - Showing off and on all day
Common Dolphin - 8 animals
Bottle Nosed Dolphin - 2 animals

Also a bull Grey Seal seen to play with a live, newly born pup for 10 mins or so.  Later seen with a dead seal pup in its jaws - raw nature...

Strumble Head (04 Sep 15)

Time: 0600 - 1800
Weather: Cloudy, showers.
Wind: NNW (F5)

Sooty Shearwater - 1
Balearic Shearwater - 3
Long Tailed Skua - 1 (J)
Pomarine Skua - 1 (P with Spoons)
Arctic Skua - 10 (5D, 4P, 1J)
Great Skua - 15
Common Scoter - 62 (3F, 59M)
Red Throated Diver - 1
Mediterranean Gull - 1 (AdW)
Sandwich Tern - 64
Dunlin - 23

Common Porpoise - showing off and on.
Common Dolphin - 2 animals
Risso's Dolphin - 1 fin seen a couple of times (Adrian)

Strumble Head (03 Sep 15)

Time: 0600 - 1800
Weather: Cloudy, showers.
Wind: NNW (F5-6)

Sooty Shearwater - 1
Balearic Shearwater - 8
Long Tailed Skua - 2 (J)
Arctic Skua - 22 (9D, 10P, 3J)
Great Skua - 9
Mediterranean Gull - 1 (AdW)
Sandwich Tern - 62
Comic Tern - 3
Little Tern - 1
Common Scoter - 48 (4F, 44M)
Green Sandpiper - 1
Bar Tailed Godwit - 31
Knot - 13

Common Porpoise - Showing off and on all day

Strumble Head (02 Sep 15)

Time: 0600 - 1800
Weather: Sunny spells.
Wind: NNW (F5)

Balearic Shearwater - 2
Long Tailed Skua - 1 (J)
Arctic Skua - 9 (4D, 5P)
Great Skua - 3
Little Gull - 1 (AdW)
Sandwich Tern - 31
Common Scoter - 54 (4F, 50M)
Canada Goose - 1
Whimbrel - 12
Knot - 10
Dunlin - 7
Turnstone - 3

Sunfish - 1
Common Porpoise - showing off and on all day

Barolo !

Well done Richard, belated congratulations trust me to have all means of connection down !

Strumble Head (01 Sep 15)

Time: 0600 - 1800
Weather: Sunny
Wind: NNW (F6-3)

Balearic Shearwater - 3
Arctic Skua - 12 (11D, 1J)
Pomarine Skua - 1 (P with spoons)
Great Skua - 5
Sabine's Gull - 3 (2 AdW, 1 J)
Little Gull - 2 (1stW)
Mediterranean Gull - 3 (1 AdW, 2 1stW)
Sandwich Tern - 28
Comic Tern - 1
Common Scoter - 58 (10F, 48M)
Knot - 7
Sanderling - 3
Snipe - 1

Sunfish - 1
Common Porpoise - showing all day.

Richards Little Shearwater!

Congratulations Richard!!! just reward for your dedication in continuing the Strumble seawatch, good luck with getting it past the men that know!