Tetrad bashing in SS09 and earlier brief views of a hobby at Stackpole

This evening, whilst doing timed-tetrad counts around Manorbier area I came across a male colour-ringed chough (orange/BTO (R); orange/blue (L). He was ringed as a nestling at Mewsford Pt, Castlemartin in 2005 and was last reported (when photographed by Richard Crossen) at the Coombe in 2006.

This evening he was feeding in a very small inland pasture field, where there seemed to be masses of leather-jackets. Craneflies seem set to emerge in abundance, probably helped by all that moisture last summer! He is breeding at a nest site that seems to have gone unnoticed recently, with no records for a number of years. So despite a poor year for the population this one is doing ok.

I have visited quite a few tetrads this spring and feel that whitethroats are here in abundance this year. So far (in south Pembs at least) they seem to be feeding and nesting in almost all suitable patches of cover on the coast this year.

Didn't see any kestrels along the coastal stretch between Manorbier and Freshwater East this evening and there have been no signs of them at Stackpole this week either. Today there was a hobby though, briefly seen flying along the coast at Stackpole at around lunch-time, heading west towards St Govan's Hd.