Thursday 23 November 2017

An interesting half hour at Strumble.

Mst of the Autumn seabird  migration has passed through by now so with strong WNW winds after southerly's we were not going to get in November what would be there in September or October. However there was a movement of Kittiwakes from odd ones and twos to flocks of twenty plus.
Maybe not enough to excite but when I began to look at the Kittiwakes more closely it was interesting to see the fact that there were very few juveniles probably only one in twenty. Two Bonxies passed by together spotted by Ken adding a higher note!

Strumble Head 23rd Nov 2017.

Time: 10.30 - 12.30
Weather: Bright
Wind:W 6/7

Common Scoter - 2 ( Males )
Bonxie - 1

Risso's Dolphin - 1

Hundreds of Kittiwakes & Auks & a few Fulmar.

Additions after I left from ken Barnett.

Common Scoter - 4
Bonxie - 5





Monday 20 November 2017

Snow Buntings

Still two Snow Buntings on breakwater yesterday afternoon.

Sunday 19 November 2017

Garden

A Chiffchaff and a female Blackcap in the garden at Llanychaer today.

Saturday 18 November 2017

Firecrest

One with two other crests that I didn't see well enough in the scrub by the cottage a few minutes ago. Light & positioning didn't make for a very successful pic but I posted it anyway.

Friday 17 November 2017

Dinas Mountain

This morning 30 Golden Plover,a single Woodcock,6 Fieldfare and a Chough.
At Fishguard Fort a single Brambling in a small group of fly over Chaffinchs.

Thursday 16 November 2017

Snow Buntings and Black Redstart

After Cliffs observation yesterday Adrian and I walked along the Outer Breakwater this afternoon,
 two Snow Buntings and a immature male Black Redstart were present. Thanks to Cliff for the information.


Wednesday 15 November 2017

Breakwater Buntings..

Two snow buntings were briefly glimpsed as I drove along the breakwater this afternoon , but flipped over the wall.before I could stop and shoot them (photographically!)

Maesgwynne 15th Nov.

Been trying for weeks to get a pic of this ringed Dunnock we've had coming to the garden. Almost certainly from the Goodwick Moor ringing efforts of Karen RM.

Monday 13 November 2017

Strumble Head 13th Nov 2017.

Time: 08.15 - 10.30
Wind: N 2/3

Common Scoter - 98 ( 91 Male )
Eider - 1 ( F )
Red Throated Diver - 2
Great Northern Diver - 3
Curlew - 1
Sabine's Gull - 1

Many Thanks again to Andy Phillips from Cardiff.

Sunday 12 November 2017

Strumble Head 12th Nov 2017.

Time: 07.30 - 11.15
Wind: NW 6 Then N 7

Brent Goose - 7
Common Scoter - 103 ( 50 Males )
GREAT SHEARWATER - 1 ( Strumble's latest ever record, Subject to Acceptance WRP )
Manx Shearwater - 1
Sabines Gull - 4
Little Gull - 1

Porpoises showing
Bottlenose Dolphin - 1

Many Thanks to Andy Phillips ( Cardiff ) for the report.

Thursday 9 November 2017

Breakwater birds.

Wdig birder and the Walrus explored the breakwater looking for the elusive Purple Sandpiper. I bet him a pound given the high tide and northerly wind creating spray that we would not find any. I lost my pound!



Wednesday 8 November 2017

Strumble 08/11/2017

A peregrine came in off the sea  and settled on the headland some 300mtrs away and then ten minutes later flew off back over the sea at which point I lost sight of it. The gulls were having a good day pinching octopus off the young seals. One diver sopotted flying past west to east.







Monday 6 November 2017

Here they come and there they go!

Four weeks ago Swallows were still very much in evidence passing over the Ocean Lab coming in off the sea. Odd Wheatears were flitting around the breakwater with dozens of Pied Wagtails. Starling flocks began to build. A couple of weeks ago the winter thrushes started arriving including it seemed Mistle Thrushes with a gang of half a dozen mixed up with Redwings and a few Fieldfares  on the wires and horse fields on the way into Strumble.  Flocks of Chaffinches following the coast with pipits and Skylarks calling overhead at Strumble. The piping little calls of Goldcrests  extremely noticeable. This morning, several large flocks of Wood Pigeons amounting to maybe a couple of thousand passing on southwards.

Sunday 5 November 2017

Strumble Head 5th Nov 2017.

Time: 07.00 - 12.00
Weather: clear, No Rain.
Wind: NW 8

Brent goose - 11 ( Pale Bellied )
Common Scoter - 65 ( 53 Males )
Red Throated Diver - 1
Great northern Diver - 3
Manx Shearwater - 2
Leach's Petrel - 2
Bonxie - 9
Mediterranean Gull - 2 ( Ad )

Risso's Dolphin - 2 ( Mother & Calf very close )
Porpoises - Only 3 the whole watch

Kittiwakes numbers picking up with 5000 passed & 100 Gannets.

Many Thanks to Richard Davies ( Ammanford ) for singly braving the conditions today.



Thursday 2 November 2017

Kestrel flypast

A male Kestrel passing the lookout at Strumble yesterday afternoon.