Snow Bunting ..& ...nr. Porthgain

Who says Atlas work is boring !! Went to SM 73W this afternoon - it's on Annie & Bob's list of Tetrads with no records and must...

Tresinwen (31 Dec 10)

The Turtle Dove stayed around the garden all day and from what I can tell went to roost in the garden. Between its arrival at 1030 and 1330 ...

Penberry reservoir

Nice variety of waterfowl on Penberry res this morning 250 wigion (400+ on boxing day) 6 Tufted, 2 drake Pochard, 1 drake Goldeneye with a f...

Broad & Little Havens

The Slavonian Grebe at the south end of Broad Haven around midday, quite close to shore but after initial sighting I couldn't refind it....

Bosherston

Goosanders have returned to Bosherston in good numbers with the disappearance of the ice - 33 there today. Also 8 Goldeneye. I didn't go...

Divers & Grebes

Broad Haven - Slavonian Grebe, Black Throated & Great Northern Divers. Fishguard, middle breakwater - Red Throated diver and Black Necke...

Tresinwen (31 Dec 10)

A Turtle Dove has just come down to drink from my pond and is now roosting in the bushes behind the pond - currently fast asleep! Where did...

Red Kite

1, Above the fields between Sandyhaven chapel & St Ishmaels junction, around 1:15pm today.

More about swans

At Kete late afternoon 4 (adult) Whooper Swans and 2 Bewick's - an adult & a 1st winter bird. The report of a young Whooper at this...

Jays at Strumble Head

Yes to Richard Stonier's question, Jays have turned up at Strumble periodically in the autumn, usually in years when the local acorn cro...

Newport & Common

10.00; Carningli Common (north) - birdless. But the adjoining hedge/tree line was more productive - Woodcock, m Kestrel, 6 Sisk...

Martin's Haven area: Swans, finches, Snipe & Woodcock

A lovely calm day with a great range of birds in the valley and on the Trehill Farm fields. With most of the fields near Martin's Haven ...

Red-throated Diver at The Flagpoles, Fishguard

Presumably the returning bird by it's behaviour? (photo Tommy Evans)

Strumble (30 Dec 10)

4 Teal (1M, 3F) in the field behind the house this afternoon and only a few Snipe left. Earlier I had a Jay fly over the road at Pontiago. ...

Black-necked Grebe

I saw it quite close to the Stena side of the inner breakwater in Fishguard Harbour around 12:00.

Newport Thurs am

Back to normal Highlights were 3 Rh Goosanders upstream, a Knot, 2 Barwits (no rings, 1 with an injured leg) & a Kingfisher.

Angle Area

At Angle Harbour late morning a good selection of birds as the tide rose - Bar Tailed Godwit 46, Knot 40+, Redshank 5, Greenshank (pictured)...

Black-necked Grebe

Nice to find a Black-necked Grebe in Fishguard harbour this morning. It was feeding close in to the inner breakwater on the Stenna side. Als...

Gann - Black Guillemot & Slavonian Grebe

Although it doesn't look much like one in Derek's photograph, there really was a Black Guillemot at the Gann late afternoon (the fir...

Trefin & Castlemartin

E mail Info:- From Terry Allen - Whooper Swans - Trefin - 12.10 hours - 4 Adults heading East over the village at abt. 100ft altitude. Te...

Black Guillimot at the Gann

Found by John Pierce & Janet Pritchard,not the best of pics, if you squint & use some imagination, it might work!

Waxwings - Spittal

Hi guys, no rarities, but a new garden (fly over) record for here. 3 birds calling flew low over the house 10:50 today. Seasons felicitation...

Whoopers & Harrier

2 Whoopers at Kete this morning - in the same field, interestingly, one was an adult, the other was an immature. 1 Ringtail at Marloes mere.

Pembroke Millponds

main pond still has 50% ice cover but reducing. all the birds are up at the eastern end. Tufted duck increased to 95, Pochard up to 16, Litt...

Barnacle Geese on the Teifi

A look from Cemaes (Pembs) towards Cardigan Island / coastal fields late this afternoon, found the Barnacle Geese flock loosely associating ...

Llys-y-fran.....who can do tomorrow?

Following yesterday's nice counts !! some even more impressive figures today;- Pochard -71 Tufted Duck -95 Coot - 90 Wigeon -c100, but o...

Newport; 14.00.

Iron Bridge - c400/500 Wigeon, 1 m Shoveler, 1 m Gadwall, 1 Barnacle Goose, 1 Coot, 6 Dabchicks. Tennis Courts - 2 m...

Teifi Ducks

Whilst birding from my bedroom window (between the 2 bridges in Cardigan): 7 Goosander, 6 Tufted Duck, 1 Pochard, 1 Little Grebe, 2 Coot, Re...

Here and There

A round up of sightings received by e mail - From Barry Potter:- Pembroke River - Just a quick hour this morning (26 December)before I resum...

Llys-y-fran Resr... & tomorrow ??

An almost passing, brief visit under the darkening sky -16:15-16:45 this afternoon, (after a stunning visit to Cheddar Resr!!) Llys-y-fran R...

Tresinwen & Strumble (26 Dec 10)

Another Woodcock flushed from the garden today. Also several Snipe around the garden. 2 Lapwings on the front and back lawn are extremely ...

Wigeon at Newport

Follow on to Lyndon's post - this morning I counted 425 on the estuary, of which the flock in his foto was > 300.

Gulls and stuff

On Christmas Day a huge concentration of feeding gulls in Broad Sound. Visible from West Dale and in a line from south of Skokholm to near ...

Newport Iron Bridge

At the iron Bridge early afternoon lots of wildfowl and waders including loads of Snipe and Wigeon also Mallard, teal, gadwall, 1xm Goldeney...

Pembs Bird group

The Pembrokeshire Bird Group Indoor meetings are normally on the first Monday of the month during winter months. Just to avoid any confusio...

Newport

Parrog 08.45 - 1m Goldeneye, 3 pairs Gadwall, 25 Dunlin, 1 Little Egret, 1 Coot.

Tetrad-bashing in Herbranston - Hasguard Cross area

As usual in recent winters, Annie and I spent Christmas Day recording tetrads that have few records. We visited several areas between Herbr...

Bittern, Woodcock and Snipe everywhere! (Merry Christmas)

Visited Bosherston today and found 3 Bitterns in the main reedbed (just noticed that someone reported one yesterday). There were at least 3 ...

A present from America

For the second time in 19 years, I managed to find a vagrant American duck in Pembs - this time a fine drake Green-winged Teal on the Gann E...

more whoopers

Yesterday between Slebech and Picton Point, 5 adult whoopers sounding their trumpets as they flew in from over Picton Castle direction at su...

Christmas dinner - see below

Seasons Greetings

Happy Christmas to all Bloggers and Viewers of Pembrokeshire Birds. Enjoy the festivities and good birding in 2011! Richard Crossen & ...

Marsh Tit

Frequent visitor to our feeder this afternoon

St. Bride's Bay

Newgale: nothing on the sea but at least 8 Teal & 5 Mallard on the river (no doubt more hidden). Two groups of Lapwing (8 & 5) came...

The Gann / Kete

The tide was out a long way, so far in fact, the blue & white bouy was high & dry, so everything was spread out. What I did pick out...

Newport Fri am

Absolutely magical. Sunny, still, not too cold, floating ice, more birds, numbers & diversity, that I've ever seen there. And large...

Snipes Hayscastle 24th Dec.

Took my trusty camera to work in the hope of getting a few pics of the Woodcocks that had been so obliging the day before , they didn't ...

Marloes

An early walk around the tundra like area, produced very little - much the same as previuos posts, however my spirit was lifted by 2 Chough ...

Newport (Early am)

1 m Shoveler, 1 m Goldeneye, pair Gadwall, Curlew roost c200, 1 Barnacle Goose.

News.......

Bittern on Eastern arm of Bosherston Lily ponds yesterday (Pembs wildlife) Jack Snipe, Adrian's latest work tick this morning -- nr. Hay...

A day on the snow-covered Range

Jon Hudson and I (doing some CCW business) had the privilege of being allowed to visit parts of Castlemartin Range West today. Numbers of wa...

Newgale

At around 4pm today 8 Teal on the sea and the rather pathetic (and, for me, unprecedented) sight of a Lapwing sitting on the sea, having bee...

Newport, 16.00

1 m Shoveler, 6 Herons, 15 Lapwing, 1 Greenshank, 2 Redshank, 4 Bar Tailed Godwits. Plus a lonesome Barnacle Goose grazing in the field behi...

Fishguard Fort and Flagpoles.

1 Red Throated Diver, 2 Ringed Plover, 1 Grey Plover, 1 Great Crested Grebe, 12 Dunlin, 3Redshank, 1 Curlew, 5 Turnstone, 2 Shag, 25 Cormorant.

Newport Thurs am

Very spectacular in the sun, with much of the upper river frozen. An amazing 280 Wigeon (though most of these later departed).Still 5 Barwit...

Whoopers & Bewick

Still present at Kete this morning. Couldn`t locate the other 10 I saw last night - they must be somewhere I suppose.

Another Bittern

A message via Ian Bullock that a friend of his saw a Bittern between StDavids and Fishguard at about 2pm on Monday 20th by the roadside at t...

Winter is beginning to take its toll - how are the relatively recent colonists faring?

The very cold weather continues and it is nice to see large concentrations of winter thrushes, waterfowl etc. Today at Bosherston Lakes for ...

Those Whoopers

The Whoopers also seen landing on fields above Mullock Farm somewhere around 1400hrs. On the Deer Park around 0800 about 70 Chaffinches head...

St Brides Bay etc

A few sites visited by Paul G. and Kevin S. today - Druidston - a male Hen Harrier quartering the stubble fields. Newgale - 7 Red-throated d...

Whoopers at the Gann

10, flew in just as I was about to drive off around 4:10 pm. I managed a quick snap on max zoom. They landed on the sea close to the river...

Camrose area, Wednesday 22nd December

Walked the Western Cleddau below St Catherines Bridge. A single female shoveller just below the bridge, 20 teal, dozens of snipe, mallard an...

Request for dead fulmars

Please note the following request from the BTO, and if you do find dead birds to send in, please do follow their packaging instructions! As ...

Scoter at Landshipping, and other records

Unusual sight at Landshipping Quay this morning - two common scoter diving as they floated downstream on the ebbing tide. Also a merganser ...

Freezing feathered friends

To follow on from the previous post, I found this on the BTO ringing blog: As the cold weather continues we are finding that birds are stil...

Cruel cold.

Sightings of note today were of Raptors . Two Red Kites on the way home from Haverfordwest around lunchtime. One wheeling over fields adjace...

Gann

Scrape lakes totally frozen. It was comical watching a flock of Widgeon trying to land on the ice, even if ironic. In the reeds nearest the ...

Newport Tues am

No sign of the Bittern. Spectacular numbers of Teal (80) & Wigeon (185 - 1/2 at bridge & rest at the Parrog) 5 Bar T Godwits (includ...

Milford - Black Redstart

From Peter Seaton -  A female Black Redstart seen very fleetingly across from Angler's Corner, Milford Haven.

New arrivals?

There were 20 light-breasted Brent Geese at the Gann this afternoon. A quick look back over the blog suggests these may be new but perhaps s...

Orielton Woods

A few snipe in the woods this morning, and this one that was on the lawn. Also, a Brambling on the bird feeders here. Not a good time to b...

Heathfield GP

Good numbers of duck today: c140 Wigeon, 33 Tufted Ducks, 3 Pochard, 4 Gadwall, c30 Teal, 3 Shoveler and a Goosander. Also c30 Mallard inclu...

Bitter- n nothing!

I was having a nice time watching dabchicks, snipe and a ringed plover with Sam and Paula Lewis when Paula said whats that? I binned it and ...

Bittern -- Newport

1 showing well just above the iron bridge, (news from Cliff B)

Brambling at Summerhill Amroth

Nice to see Brambling in the garden this morning

St Florence

With a fair amount of snow here in the south this morning local birding seemed sensible. In the garden male and female Brambling, the regula...

Narberth

When my car refused to start this morning I decided to have a good look around locally, and I don't think I've ever seen such a vari...

Bosherston

Nice photo of a Jay at Bosherston sent in by Elwyn Davies 

WEB's St Davs

Whilst doing the Webs count today I was struck by the number of Snipe and Song Thrushes by the roadside and in the roadside ditches. Many w...

Plumstone Mountain

A male and ringtail Hen Harrier roosted. Also a Red Kite, Kestrel and an impressive Starling roost. Later, a Barn Owl on Thomas Parry Way, H...

Black-n Grebe ......& ...WeBS in the North

Before our "super Strumble" (see below), the WeBS tour;- Llys-y-fran Resr;- 1 Black-necked Grebe, 6 Great Ctd Grebe, 1 Little Greb...

Hook, Monk Haven & Dale area

My WeBS at Hook/Sprinkle was also eventful, with a total of 1,981 waterbirds recorded. 3 drake Pochard on the river were unusual, plus goo...

Fishguard Harbour

There were c50 Wigeon in the harbour this afternoon and, a little earlier, a Red Kite circling Haverfordwest Aerodrome.

Newport Sun am

An excellent Webs day. At the bridge 52 Teal & 2 Shovelers. Scattered along the estuary 64 Mallard & 158 Wigeon (a record?). The lon...

Snipes , Song Thrushes & a Little Auk !

After braving Llys Y Fran , Rosebush & the Breakwater doing the Webs ( more later ) , a round the lanes drive to Strumble had Snipe feed...

Castlemartin Corse

I did the Webs count at Castlemartin Corse this morning with Morris North. Things got off to an exciting start when a Buzzard took a Jackdaw...

Strumble (19 Dec 10)

Lapwings and Golden Plover present as yesterday. Between Tresinwen and Porthsychan this morning - 2 Woodcock, 1 Water Rail, 25 Snipe and 2 ...

Dolphin update..

Full details of the fate of the Gann Dolphin on the Whales in Wales blog at   http://whaleswales.blogspot.com/ Thanks to Peter Horton and ev...

Strumble (18 Dec 10)

Lapwing scattered around the fields towards the head today - probably about 100-150. Also a flock of 42 Golden Plover in the last field bef...

Jackdaw (Nordic), Dale & Newgale

Newgale: 10 Common Scoter close in on the sea (9 males, 1 female), a pair of Shoveler on the fairly quiet marsh (c. 30 Wigeon seen earlier, ...

Newport, Parrog. 16:00

20 Curlew, 4 Ringed Plover, 42 Dunlin, 85 Wigeon, c5,000 Starlings over.

Siskins

Numbers building in the garden. 30 yesterday

Polecat/ Dolphin

Had a look for the Swans this morning - to no avail, but I did see a Polecat hunting along the hedgerow at Kete, a quick snap was all I wa...

Sandy Haven area

Near the top of Sandy Haven where the turkey sheds are a smart Red Kite this morning along with half a dozen Buzzards and quite a few Ravens...

Dale update

I too saw the Bewick's & 5 Whoopers late afternoon in the same spot (4 of the Whoopers in one pic, poor effort of the Bewick's i...

Newport

Parrog 09:00;- 3 Redshank, 3 Ringed Plover.

Bewick's Swan and dolphin

The Bewick's Swan and five Whooper Swans were along the St. Annes Head Road again today. Visible from the second gateway on the right af...

Bosherston

Between the Eight-arch Bridge and Grassy Bridge this morning - 16 Goosanders, 1 Wigeon and 1 Woodcock, with a male Scaup amongst the Goldene...

Origin of Barnacle Geese

Further to Dave's interesting speculations, happenings at the Dyfi may well be implicated. Davis & Roderick 2010 is worth consulting...

Those Barnacles

Interested in Wendy's post about the feral Cardigan Island Barnacle Goose population. I wonder if any of the Teifi watchers can provide...

Narberth

Male Brambling on garden feeder this morning

7 months later!

Over breakfast we were listening to a dawn chorus recording I made in May on Frenni Fach and my wife said "that's a gropper"! ...

St Anne`s Head

Male black redstart by old lighthouse this afternoon

Tufted Ducks........& news

09.45 Llys y Fran – 7 Great Crested Grebes, 3 Goldeneye, 12 Tufted Duck. 13.15 St. Ann's Head – 5 Whooper’s, 1 Bewick. 13.30 The Gann ...

Teifi

4 drake Goosander at Cilgerran (Steve B) Downstream, the number of diving ducks had decreased since the peak at the weekend. There was just ...

Swans

11.40 a.m. - 5 Whooper & 1 Bewick's at Hayguard Hay Farm, Dale. Two fields south of the farmhouse. 17 Barnacle Geese still at Trehil...

BTO website

The BTO website is having problems at present - not the BTO's fault and nothing to do with the switch to the new revamped with the new l...

Brief encounters on Sunday 12th and Monday 13 Dec

During timed-tetrad visits to the southern fringes of the Preselis on Sunday, chaffinches were fairly numerous but winter thrushes (redwings...

Newport am later than Karen

All the recent longish stayers. From the bridge down - F Goosander, 4 Bar T Godwits (1 of which had a complex of colour rings which hopefull...

Swans

My friend will be pleased that the swans at Brunt Farm, St. Ann's Head, are still around and have been enjoyed by others, even better th...

Swans, ducks, divers and more

A few sites visited around the south of the county today - Llanstadwell - 1 Great Northern Diver, 16 Black-tailed Godwit, 1 Greenshank and 5...

Bewick's Swan, ..& .....Bruant Farm

The adult Bewick's with the 5 adult Whooper Swans had moved from Bruant Farm, by 15:45 the flock was grazing 4 fields further towards St...

Trichomonosis

This Greenfinch on our feeder today shows clear signs of having the Trichomonosis disease, there are also two Chaffinches showing the same s...

More Waxwings -- Cardigan

3 Waxwings in Napier St. near the Job Centre at 12:45. (Dyfed J) Must be some trilling away in Pembs somewhere???

Waxwing -- Cardigan

1, This morning, (Howard & Siwan, 08:30) between New Mill Road & Tescos, the same area as yesterday. See Cerebirds for details.

Newport

Parrog;- 09:30, 1 Gadwall, 1 Greenshank, 2 Redshank, 1 Kingfisher, c40 wigeon, 1 Little Egret. (Karen)

Marloes (12 Dec 10)

Late news from yesterday - Female Hen Harrier showing very well all morning and on at least 3 occasions was seriously harassed by the local ...

Waxwings -- Cardigan

Murco Garage Penparc, same (or more), 6 on roadside hedge near Tescos. (Wendy)

Firecrest and Marsh tit

A lovely view of a firecrest just a few feet away from me at Brandy brook today, along with a marsh tit.

Fishguard Harbour Breakwater

There was a Kingfisher making its way out along the breakwater this afternoon in front of a couple of dog walkers. Two very confiding Dunno...

Snow Bunting, Black Redstart -- Fishguard

1 Snow Bunting on the Outer Breakwater. 1 Black Redstart on the port buildings near the Lifeboat Station. Fishguard Fort & Flagpoles;- 7...

Teifi ducks increasing

From the river viewpoint late this afternoon;- 13 Goosander, including 4 drake, 1 Goldeneye, & an exceptional count of 15 Tufted Duck, ...

Whooper Swans

A friend who is a vet visited Brunt Farm, St. Ann's Head on Friday, and saw 6 or 7 Whooper Swans (from the description I am confident th...

Red Kite

1, quite low, circling above Sandyhaven Cottage at 13:30 today - it was still there when I passed by at 14:30.

Black-necked Grebe, Yellow-legged Gulls

Newgale: a lot of activity on the nicely flooded marsh, with 2 Shoveler, 4 Gadwall, 20 Wigeon, c.200 Teal & c.60 Mallard. Plenty of sni...

Newport Sun am

Gull, Oystercatcher, Curlew numbers down. But c 100 Wigeon, 20 Teal. Some longish stayers - the M Goldeneye, Greenshank, Sanderling, Little ...

Finally reached Fishguard.

3 in the garden this morning.