Something (s) very special for Pencarnan

A little belated this message.... we have no internet access at Pencarnan, but we would like to tell you what occured on Tuesday 22nd.

Dawn broke clear and windless. By 06:30 (when the sun sat on the horizon) we had walked the 200 metre track from the caravan park to Trefeiddan Marsh and in doing so had recorded 4 reeling Grasshopper Warblers. Out near St Justinian we heard another one. During Spring migration it is not unusual to find Groppers along open field boundaries close to cliff tops.

During the morning we carried out our first tetrad visit for the BTO Atlas; a strictly 2 hour count of every bird identified. It's a fun challenge. Most notable sightings were 3 Sandwich Terns moving through Whitesands Bay(they have been trickling through for a week or more) and a Red-throated Diver, and along the coast path south from the lifeboat station were 2 occupied Raven's nests. Easy to observe, one held 3 almost fully fledged young, the second a sitting adult. On nearby, and recently sown fields, migratory Pied Wagtails fed (alba outnumbered yarrellii).

Back at the caravan park the day progressed with a steady passage of Swallows, Sand Martins, as was the case all this week (no House Martins), and chittering Whimbrels (5 feeding outside our caravan yesterday morning).

And then, late in the afternoon, during one final look around the fields surrounding the park, we found a female Lapland Bunting and a Short-toed Lark.....we said it was a special day. It had began with a reeling sunrise and finished with a rarity sunset