Bees, butterflies and birds - a very pleasant Sunday on Castlemartin Range

Annie and I led our annual "bees, butterflies, beetles and birds" guided-walk for the National Park on 15th Aug. During the day, the inverts were pretty good with good views of huge numbers of butterflies, including larval webs of marsh frits (the range is one of the best places in Wales for these butterflies). We noted rare shrill carder bees amongst other good bees (for which the range is also noteworthy) but the rare strand-line beetle was not seen on this occasion (we were probably a bit too early in the season for it).

On the birds front numbers of waders and gulls at Bluckspool and Frainslake were pretty good - c. 170 oycs, 30+ ringed plovers, several sanderlings and whimbrels, c. 40 curlews, a small passage of sandwich terns in three-four flocks numbering 2 to 5 (about 12-15 birds noted in total). Gulls at Frainslake included not less than 80 GBBGs (with quite a few this years juvs), c. 120 LBBGs and smaller numbers of Herring and BHGs.

About 25 choughs were seen in total (lower numbers than usual at this time of year) and there were very few wheatears about on the cliff-tops at Linney Head.

A very nice juv Hen Harrier was seen quartering over the grassland and heath - quite an early autumn record for the range! No peregrine or kestrel sightings though; the latter species has had a poor season on the range with no evidence of breeding success this year.

As we walked near Linney Hd we were impressed by the simply huge clouds (millions) of flying (mostly yellow meadow) ants, performing their late afternoon/early evening mating displays - herring and LBB Gulls and many small birds were having a field day catching them!

We rounded off the trip with good views of another rare bee - the RDB mining-bee Andrena hattorfiana which, with their pollen-sacks full of bright pink pollen from field scabious flowers (its main nectar/pollen source) made these bees fairly straightforward to identify. Castlemartin being one of only a few locations known in Wales for this rare species. It really is quite a special place!