Stackpole (PM) 24th Sept

Many observers were delighted with excellent views of an immature hobby today as it spent all afternoon and early evening gliding leisurely around and occasionally diving at and catching dragonflies in it talons between the Court site and Home Farm (generally the upper reaches of Bosherston Lakes Eastern arm). It appeared at lunch time and probably went to roost in the trees this evening.

At the head of the eastern arm a firecrest was calling later in the afternoon and there appeared to be very many goldcrests around today - calling in many trees/bushes along the eastern arm.

A few days ago Richard Ellis (NT) recorded a flock of 15 greenshanks and a couple of Curlew sands at Carew Millpond. Is this a record number of greenshanks together at this location?

J S-Smith has sent a useful image of that brown (day-flying) bat recorded out at sea last Sunday (reported by Richard in the Blog). Annie contacted bat expert Dr Bob Stebbings, who has made some measurements of it based on the wing and body size ratio from the really very good image. His conclusion is that it is probably a Leisler's bat or possibly a closely related Noctule bat. Leisler's bats are found in Ireland, but are prob quite scarce over here in Pembs (no definite recent records); whereas the reverse is true of Noctules. Occasional bats have been found on ships docking in Milford Haven over the years and some of these may have been Leisler's.

The question is, did this bat leave a ship or was it making its way over the Irish sea un-assisted? We know bats can move long distances over water, migrant Nathusius Pipistrelle (for example) move south from northern Europe in autumn to warmer climes and have turned up in Ireland. We find greater horseshoe bats from Stackpole on offshore islands and in sea caves.

Day-flying bats are not as unusual as we might think, so it would be nice to think that the pelagic trip bat was simply migrating normally - but the observers were really lucky to see it! So keep a look out for bats at sea, you never know there may be more out there!