Castlemartin Range 1st March - & colour-ringed chough query

Fine, spring-like day - skylarks in song and good numbers of meadow pipits along the coast and in the dunes. At least 3 kestrels hunting (one over Brownslade dunes, two nr Stack Rocks). No guillemots here today but hundreds on the stacks yesterday.

Choughs numbers generally a but thin lately, so it was nice to hear from Lynne Ferrand that she noted 11 on St Govan's Head first thing this morning.

Noted John and Marion's colour-ringed chough observation. Whilst we cannot be quite sure, if the bird is yellow/black (left leg); then it could also be wearing red/BTO metal ring on the right leg. This would seem the most probable combination. If so, then it was ringed as a nestling at Stackpole in May 2004. It has been seen about 21 times since, mostly between Broomhill Burrows and Linney Head between 2004 and Sept 2007.

In 2007, it was old enough to breed for the first time and I did wonder if it was one of the pair that had nested for the first time above the Furzenips. However, there have been no further reliable sightings. In summer 2008 I checked out nest sites on the Angle peninsula but was unable to see well legs of birds recorded there.

So it will be interesting to see where this bird ends up breeding this year. I suspect it will be at the Furzenips (if it survives to breed). But it may breed somewhere around Guttle Hole or Black Cave area on the Angle peninsula. Birds from Angle and Castlemartin regularly get together to feed and roost outside the breeding season and move between the two areas, so it could turn up next at Brownslade Dunes or somewhere nearby. Good to have the record of this "probable" combination. If it is, it is one of the more difficult/ allusive birds.