Strumble Head 29th Sept 2016.

Time: 07.00 - 13.30
Weather: Bright
Wind: WNW up to Force 7

Common Scoter - 18 ( 14 Males )

Sooty Shearwater - 1

Balearic Shearwater - 3

Grey Phalarope - 2

Pomarine Skua - 2 ( Juvs )

Arctic Skua - 12 ( 2 Pale, 6 Dark, 4 Juvs )

Long Tailed Skua - 1 ( Juv )

Bonxie - 2

Mediterranean Gull - 1 ( 1st W )

Little Gull - 4 ( All 1st W ) 

Sandwich Tern - 23

Arctic Tern - 1 ( Juv )

'Commic Tern' - 16

Hundreds of Manx Shearwater through today & Auk numbers picking up into the hundreds.

Porpoises showing well despite the conditions. 

Many Thanks to Richard Davies & Chris Grayell for the early stuff. 

Strumble Head 28th Sept 2016.

From Chris Greyall, a single hours watch before visibility was lost.

Wind : SW 4/5 - SSW 3- 4

Common Scoter - 2 ( males )
Balearic Shearwater - 2
Arctic Skua - 2 ( 1 Each Pale & dark ) 

Wigeon

A single Wigeon on the pond at Llanychaer this afternoon an unusual location for one of these.

Strumble Head 25th Sept. 2016

Time: 06.20 - 12.00
Weather: Bright Some showers
Wind: SSW 5/6

Common Scoter - 30 ( 29 males )
Red Throated Diver - 1 ( SP )
GREAT SHEARWATER - 1 ( 07.45 )
Balearic Shearwater - 7
Grey Plover - 1
Dunlin - 6
Sanderling - 2
Turnstone - 2
Arctic Skua - 8 ( All Dark Phase )
Bonxie - 1
Sabines Gull - 1 ( Ad )
Mediterranean Gull - 1 ( Juv )
Sandwich Tern - 24
Black Tern - 2
'Commic' Tern - 5

Porpoise showing occasionally.

Richard Davies, Chris Greyall, Paul Grennard & Brian Southern
I turned up far too late & missed nearly everything !
 

Black Terns

In Fishguard Harbour this afternoon a group of 8 Black Terns which came in off the sea spent five minutes in the harbour before gaining height and disappearing from view. Also in the harbour  3 adult and one calf Bottle nosed Dolphin,plenty of Gannets also within the harbour.
Pen Anglas this morning fairly quite except for a few Chiffchaffs and a trickle of Swallows

Tresinwen (25 Sep 16)

Green Sandpiper over the garden early morning was a new garden tick.  Still lots of Goldcrest about with a large party of Long Tailed Tits in the valley.  Extensive searching through them did not turn up anything unusual yesterday or today.  A handful of Chiffchaffs around the garden - some very smart autumn juvs.

Lots of Linnets and Goldfinch flocks around today.

Pen Anglas

More migrants around than there has been in recent days. At least 5 Chiffchaffs and a very brief view of a warbler which I suspect was a Greenish it never reappeared. It had a pale supercilium and a single wing bar that was all I got on it really before disappearing .
A fly over Yellow Wagtail also a Sand Martin,other birds of note were a Great Spotted Woodpecker, Reed Bunting,Siskin a small number of Swallows passing through.

Harbour Village 22nd September.

A walk down to the derelict building with the paintings was fairly quiet, the highlight two Chough sitting on the wall & a Mistle Thrush guarding a heavily laden berry bush. Swallows trickling through & a few finches at the gate. Back at home a nice Grey Wagtail on the roof.

Strumble bits and pieces this morning

I got there just after eight this morning it was reasonably calm with not bad visibility up to about a mile but a bit hazy. A coupe of skeins of scoter c10 +12 passed by mainly males with a couple ogf females/juveniles , There was a few passerines coming in; odd grey wagtails , a flock of circa  15 Redpoll odd Mippets, and three Snipe

Another bird was less easy to identify, a Skua but too distant to get a decent pic, Answers on a postcard to Wdigbirder!

Scritch Scritch

Two snipe flew calling overhead early this morning as I walked Zorro the Lab.

Tresinwen & Porthsychan (18 Sep 16)

Lots of Goldcrest about with a good number of Chiffchaffs with them.  Yellow Wagtail flyover and a Jay at the top of the valley.

Late Shift Strumble 17 Sept 2016.

Time: 16.00 - 17.45

Common Scoter - 1 ( Male )

Bonxie - 3

Sabines Gull - 1 ( Interesting bird that showed Adult type wing pattern but dark tail band, first summer is a possibility but this age group are very uncommon apparently ? So first winter is more likely although also uncommon but not unknown.  ) 

Mediterranean Gull - 2 ( Ad & 1st W bird which is most likely the same bird as earlier in the day )

Porpoise on & off.

  

Strumble Head (17 Sep 16)

Time: 0630 - 1230
Weather: Sunny
Wind: N (F5-3)

Long Tailed Skua - 2 (Juv)
Arctic Skua - 10 (4D, 2P, 4J)
Great Skua - 3
Mediterranean Gull - 1 (1stW)
Sandwich Tern - 18
Red Throated Diver - 1
Common Scoter - 140 (12F, 128M)
Grey Phalarope - 3
Sanderling - 5
Dunlin - 11

Risso's Dolphin - 1 (showing all morning off and on)
Common Dolphin - at least 3 pods of 6, 10 and 20
Common Porpoise - showing occasionally

More Breakwater Bits

Lots of Gannets off the breakwater this morning but porps beneath them were not showing well in the dazzle of he sun on the water.. This Grey Plover was a bit of the surprise I but missed a Whimbrel.

And who can resist a wheatear, not me!

Strumble Head 16th Sept 2016.

Time : 06.30 - 13.00
Weather : Started Overcast, Bright Later.
Wind : NNW 5

Wigeon - 5
Teal - 12
Common Scoter - 83 ( 80 Males )
Red Throated Diver - 1
Great Shearwater - 1  ( @ 11 a.m. )
Sooty Shearwater - 1
Balearic Shearwater - 4
Dunlin - 10
Grey Phalarope - 1
Arctic Skua - 16 ( 4 Pale, 11 Dark, 1 Juv )
Long Tailed Skua - 1 ( Juv )
Bonxie - 20
Sabines Gull - 1 ( Ad )
Black Tern - 1
Sandwich tern - 26

Risso's Dolphin - 1
Porpoise showed eventually but difficult given the conditions. 

Strumble Stuff

Quiet this afternoon odd porpoises and some really distant c 20-30 Common Dolphins. Two ad +one jv Sand Terns. Also one rather photogenic Wheatear posing on the rocks below the lookout!

Scota & Whimbrel 15/09/2016

The long train of Scota were at Strumble and the others + Whimbrel on the breakwater at Fishguard.

Strumble Head 15th Sept 2016.

Time ; 06.30 - 12.00
Weather : Clear close in , Misty Further out.
Wind : SE 2

Tufted Duck - 1

Common Scoter - 208

Ringed Plover - 2

Arctic Skua - 12 ( 7 Pale, 3 Dark, 3 Juv )

Bonxie - 2

Mediterranean Gull - 1 ( Ad )

Sandwich Tern - 5

Puffin - 2

Common Dolphin - 3

Porpoise numerous showing well but some a bit distant.

Many Thanks to John Faithfull & Mick Locke for the early stuff.

Pen Anglas

Early morning very few migrants,a late SandMartin,single Whitethroat,2 Jays . 12 male Common Scoter heading west.

Strumble Head 14th Sept 2016.

Time : First Light until Fogged out at 08.45
Wind : NNE 3/4

Wigeon - 18

Teal - 1

Common Scoter - 85 ( 79 Males )

Arctic Skua - 1 ( Dark Phase )

Bonxie - 2

Mediterranean Gull - 1 ( Adult )

Chris Greyall, John Faithfull & Mick Locke

Strumble Head

4 Dark phase Arctic Skua
6 Sandwich Terns.
11 Common Scoter all male.
1 first winter Mediterranean Gull.
Wind North moderate, 4.00-5.30pm

Strumble Head 11th Sept. 2016

Time : 06.30 - 13.00
Weather : Generally overcast, bright later.
Wind : SSW 3

Common Scoter - 205 ( 196 Males )

Sooty Shearwater - 1

Balearic Shearwater - 1

Knot - 28

Black Tailed Godwit - 21

Bar Tailed godwit - 70

Arctic Skua - 3 ( all Dark Phase )

Bonxie - 1

Mediterranean Gull - 1 ( Juv )

Sandwich Tern - 20

Arctic Tern - 10

Common Dolphin - 10

Porpoise showing regularly.

Many Thanks to John Faithfull & Mick Locke for the early stuff.

Good Luck & Best Wishes to Merv & Tina on their move back to Sussex, I doubt though it won't be the last we'll see of him in the lookout.

Strumble Head 10th Sept 2016.

Time: 06.15 - 11.15
Wind: W5

Common Scoter - 40 ( 34 Males )

Sooty Shearwater - 1

Balearic Shearwater - 8

Whimbrel - 1

Pomarine Skua - 3 ( 1 Pale ad, 2 Juvs )

Arctic Skua - 10 ( 5 Pale Ad, 4 Dark Ad, 1 Juv )

Bonxie - 2

Meditereannean Gull - 1 ( Ad )

Black Tern - 2

Sandwich Tern - 25

'Commic Tern' - 20

Common Dolphin - 30

Many Thanks to Richard Davies ( Ammanford ) for the details.

 

Strumble Head 9th Sept. 2016.

Time: 07.30 - 13.00
Weather: Overcast, Drizzle at end
Wind: SW 5

Common Scoter - 30 ( 26 Males )

Balearic Shearwater - 2

OSPREY - 1 ( @ approx. 11.30 Pictures below )

Dunlin - 3

Bar Tailed Godwit - 2

Whimbrel - 1

Arctic Skua - 3 ( All Dark Phase )

Bonxie - 1

Mediterranean Gull - 1 ( Juv )

Sabines Gull - 2 ( Both Adult Summer with full hood, possibly same individual but 3 hours apart )

Sandwich Tern - 4

'Commic' Tern - 3

Yellow Wagtail - 1 ( In off sea calling )

Common Dolphin - 18

Ocean Sunfish - 1

Porpoise showing well today with many breaching.

Maesgwynne & Flagpoles 6th September.

A small amount of migrants in the valley this morning, a few Chiffchaff, a male Blackcap & Goldcrest noted with a noticeable movement of Swallows in evidence. At the Flagpoles two each of Tunstone & Redshank with all the usual suspects. By the road bridge a male Beautiful Demoiselle which is getting towards the end of it's flying season. 

Strumble Head (04 Sep 16)

Time: 0600 - 1600
Weather: Cloudy, bright spells.
Wind: W (F6-3)

Great Shearwater - 1 (0640)
Sooty Shearwater - 26
Balearic Shearwater - 15
Leach's Petrel - 1
Pomarine Skua - 1 (P)
Arctic Skua - 29 (19D, 9P, 1J)
Great Skua - 4
Sabine's Gull - 4 (1AdS, 1AdW, 2Juv)
Mediterranean Gull - 1 (1stW)
Sandwich Tern - 70
Comic Tern - 27
Common Scoter - 63 (2F, 61M)
Whimbrel - 18

Risso's Dolphin - c8 (3 & 5)
Common Dolphin - c25
Common Porpoise - showing well
Sunfish - 1

Pen Anglas

This morning at Pen Anglas 2 Willow Warblers one of which was singing,several Whitethroats and. Blackcap. A few Porpoise off the point.

Strumble Head (03 Sep 16)

Time: 0600 - 1600
Weather: Rain and poor visibility until early afternoon.
Wind: SSW (F7-8)

Sooty Shearwater - 10
Balearic Shearwater - 2
Arctic Skua - 3 (1D, 1P, 1J)
Little Gull - 1 (1stW)
Sandwich Tern - 6
Comic Tern - 2
Common Scoter - 37 (4F, 33M)

Risso's Dolphin - 1
Common Dolphin - 2
Common Porpoise - showing well in large waves.

Strumble Head (02 Sep 16)

Time: 0600 - 1700
Weather: Mainly cloudy.  Murky towards the horizon.
Wind: SW (F5)

Great Shearwater - 4 (0805, 0820, 1302, 1415)

(All at some point feeding in feeding flocks.  First on view for 6mins, second for 20mins, third for 1min and last 2mins.  First three at mid range last inside the tide race!).

Sooty Shearwater - 9
Balearic Shearwater - 10
Arctic Skua - 8 (2D, 4P, 2J)
Great Skua - 2
Sabine's Gull - 2 (AdS)
Mediterranean Gull - 2 (1stW)
Sandwich Tern - 2
Common Scoter - 72 (2F, 70M)
Teal - 5
Wigeon - 1
Whimbrel - 2
Knot - 7
Grey Phalarope - 1
Grey Heron - 2
Puffin - 1

Risso's Dolphin - 1
Common Dolphin - 3
Common Porpoise - very scarce all day until just before I left when they started showing very well.

September 1st Follow On

Following on from Richard's post, a couple of images I captured during today's session. A pair of ravens and a bonxie passing the lookout.

Strumble Head (01 Sep 16)

Time: 0600 - 1700
Weather: Sunny spells.
Wind: SW (F3-5)

Sooty Shearwater - 7
Balearic Shearwater - 9
Arctic Skua - 5 (4D, 1J)
Great Skua - 4
Sabine's Gull - 2 (AdSum)
Mediterranean Gull - 1 (1stW)
Sandwich Tern - 55
Comic Tern - 5
Black Tern - 1
Common Scoter - 78 (5F, 73M)
Teal - 1
Dunlin - 8
Knot - 2

Risso's Dolphin - c14 (6, 6 and 2)
Common Dolphin - c10
Common Porpoise - Lots and showing well.
Otter - 1 (With big fish swimming into one of the Lighthouse Island inlets)