Blustery day at Stackpole but waders on the move

During a walk over Stackpole Warren today (actually trying to do our weekly butterfly transect - between the showers!) I had excellent views of 5 low-flying curlew sandpipers, skimming quite low over the warren dunes. I picked them up initially from their quite unmistakable, distinctive soft trilling "Churrip" flight calls, totally unlike much more familiar dunlin flight calls; their large white rump patches and longish down-curved bills were also quite easy to see, even though they did not land. They flew west from Stackpole Head towards possibly Frainslake (more likely Angle Bay) at mid-day. As far as I know, these are the first curlew sands recorded at Stackpole (even though they probably did not land!).

Also noted about 10 golden plovers and 3 turnstone flying over land in the same direction during the walk.

Very few migrant warblers at Stackpole recently, chiffchaffs are still fairly common but that is about all. However, today I got a distinct impression that goldcrest numbers were higher - they were calling in several places along the lakeside paths.

Yesterday morning (0730) the first? autumn merlin was on the Castlemartin Range coast - being mobbed by a kestrel and 2 choughs near Moody Nose.