Castlemartin Range 23rd Feb

Did my last tetrads in this area for this winters atlas: Wader roost at Bluckspool/Frainslake/Furzenips included 110 dunlin, 57 oycs, 20 grey plover (including a one-legged adult that has been here all winter), 2 knot, several ringed plovers, 75 curlew.

Most choughs are back on territory though a couple of Linney Head pairs are still missing. Ravens on territory and at least one nest has a sitting female.

Two merlins (a female nr Bluckspool, and an imm male on St Govan's Hd)
Woodcock flushed from cover nr St Govan's car park.

No sand martins yet but Peter Hughes (MoD/Landmark staff and a real Castlemartin wildlife stalwart) has made a sand martin pole colony nesting barrel. This is being erected overlooking Frainslake Millpond close to where sand martins have nested before in low natural dune cliffs, but here they get predated by foxes. So fingers crossed for success at a more secure artificial site!

Masses of otter spraint along the coast with fresh otter foot-prints on the beach - otters here are feeding in the sea in this area quite a lot now.