Spring trickles in...

Yesterday a lone  swallow flew in off the harbour past the Ocean Lab. This morning as I arrived a Willow Warblers pretty little song greeted me. At Strumble later on a little flurry of Sand Martins passed us by, still looking forwards to my first Manxie!

Merlin at Strumble 27/3

A quiet morning birdwise with a few Auks passing and several divers out on the water. Highlight was this passing Merlin.

Sand Martins

A total of 19 Sand Martins passing through at Llanychaer, also a pair of Stock Doves and Kingfishers, plenty of Chiffchaff around in the woods.
A flock of about 50 Golden Plover in a field between here and Puncheston.

Strumble's Wheatears...

It isn't Spring until you have photographed a Wheatear!

Redwings

A group of around 10 Redwing scattered through out the woodland at Coed Cilgelynnen near Llanychaer this afternoon.

Strumble Head (26 Mar 17)

A walk around the headland today finally located the much sought after Wheatears.  5 in total on the sheltered slopes beyond the lighthouse.  (4M, 1F).  Also 2 Sand Martin flew through.  Chough very much in evidence with two pairs and a group of five.  Lots of Stonechats back on territory.  Pics of Wheatears to follow later.

Winter Plumage RTD from Thursday

Outer Breakwater

A stroll along either side this morning with Cliff & visitor from Caerphilly Graham Powell ( A.K.A. Tall Twitcher ) who's down for a couple of days. Not bursting with birds but a single Wheatear & a distant Great Northern Diver backed up with more Rock Pipits than I would normally expect to see there. A single Guillemot in the harbour but no sign of the hoped for Tysties.

Sand Martin

A single Sand Martin at Llanychaer this afternoon.

Strumble Head

A walk around the Lighthouse end found 3 Wheatears ( 1 Male ) but not much more, the Wagtails at Trefeshig turned out to be Pied so fairly quiet really.

Wheatear

A single male Wheatear was at Dinas Mountain this afternoon along with 20 Golden Plover many in summer plumage.

Terns spring up out of the murk!

In among yesterdays blustery showers we popped out onto the outer breakwater in search of porpoises. None were seen but as we were about to leave a little flurry of birds appeared out of the murk. several gulls were accompanies by a couple of terns. I then spotted a gull chasing a very small bird which I soon realised was a little tern. I missed the first flurry with the camera but two more terns flew past into the harbour and I manged to fire off a couple of shots which revealed them to be Sandwich Terns, so two good terns in one!

Blackcap

A Blackcap was singing at Dinas Cross today.

Strumble Head

A cold look around & seawatch, no migrants but from the lookout a single Red Throated Diver & a Risso's Dolphin which looked a pretty big individual.

Camera Trap

A couple of birds captured by the camera this morning before I got up. One of the regular Jays & a Reed Bunting !

Tysties

Distantly from the Flagpoles, 2 Summer Plumaged birds feeding together by a large grey coloured buoy. 

Chiffchaff

My first singing Chiffchaff of the year in the woods below the Drim & a calling Nuthatch.

White Magpie

I have not seen it for ages but going through Lower Town this morning the White Magpie was seen about halfway up the hill near the fort. From the fort the only birds of note were two Red throated Divers.

Sand Martins

To carry on with the migrant theme, 11 Sand Martins going North through the valley earlier.

Chiffchaff

My first Chiffchaffs of the year was at Llanychaer today.
Fishguard Harbour 1 Great Northern Diver,1Great Crested Grebe and 8 Teal.
Dinas Mountain 50 Golden Plover

Kites Galore.

Returning from amy daily porpoise watch at Strumble I came accross four Red Kites just up the way towards Tresinwen. The attraction was a sheep carcase in one of the fields near the road.

Fieldfare

A fairly late Fieldfare has been present around the garden at Llanychaer today, my first butterflies of the year today were a Small Tortoiseshell and a Comma.

Flagpoles 15.00 9th March.

20+ Oystercatchers
3 Redshank
1Curlew
10 Herring Gull
1 Black Headed Gull
1 Very distant Cormorant

Great Northern Divers

After a couple of fantastic weeks birding in Costa Rica seeing over 460 species,back to my local patches with two Great Northern Divers in Fishguard Harbour and 20 Golden Plover on Dinas Mountain.

More Unseen Visitors !

Again caught by the Camera Trap, Jays have been a bit scarce lately.

Later on a walk down the valley was very interesting with a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker calling from the woods below the Drim. Hopefully will get a repeat in the next day or two & even attempt to see it.

Difficult to swallow!

We saw this young cormorant off the green breakwater and at a distance we feared it had some fishing tackle caught in its beak. We were pretty relieved to see it was the tail of a pipe fish, probably by its size, greater pipe fish that the cormorant was having trouble swallowing!

Fishguard & Pwllcrochan - 05 Mar 17

1stW Glaucous Gull paid a brief visit to Lower Town Harbour this morning.

No sign of the Long Tailed Duck on Pwllcrochan pond or in a stormy bay this morning.

A New Toy !

A camera trap, which caught this Wood Mouse feeding under my bird feeders tonight after dark.