Bank Holiday tetrad bashing

Tetrad bashing can provide insights into new areas not visited before - yesterday and today being possibly good examples.

Doing a timed tetrad visit well inland of Colby/Amroth area (nr Ludchurch) noted at least 5 wheatears (almost certainly of the Greenland race) standing about in a winter-sown cereal field. Big, plump, upright birds - males with brighter underparts than the local ones on the coast (three males and 2 females). Occasionally eyed up by a perching buzzard sitting on a fence 50 metres from them.

Nearby in a small copse a spotted flycatcher was displaying (first I have seen this year). Then in a really thick hedge next to the extremely busy A477 (including somewhere in the region of 50 or more scooterists - 1960s MODs?) heading east from Tenby there were at least 3 singing lesser whitethroats - a really broad, very thick impenetrable hedge - classic lesser whitethroat breeding habitat.

Also noted garden warblers and lots of willow warblers and common whitethroats about. Later in the day, yellowhammers noted south of Tavernspite in suitable breeding habitat (are they being helped by last years subsidised cereal crops?).

Today, swifts over Narberth and Templeton, good numbers of willow/chiffs again and marsh tit nest found in a natural tree hole. Treecreeper nesting in a crevice behind flaking bark on a massive old ash tree. Finally to finish off the visit a local kite put in an appearance chasing off a carrion crow and a buzzard before returning to the trees.