Ramsey Sound

Another six hours spent watching the bird activity in the general location of the proposed tidal power turbine. There were notably fewer gulls today and nothing particularly out of the ordinary, but there were at least 4 ad Med Gulls present (one showing quite advanced summer head plumage); just a single little gull today and generally much lower numbers of bhgs and kittiwakes feeding in the area.

A single common scoter landed briefly in the Sound before flying on southward. A single red-throated diver also flew south this morning. We've noted one or two going through the Sound every week now for several weeks in a row. We're only watching once a week, so if what we see is typical of a daily movement through the area, it could add up to quite a steady decent passage of rtds during the winter.

Skeins of geese are always a bit special. Late this morning, quite high up and distant at first (beyond  Point St John), a classic v-formation of about 60 geese gradually came into better view heading south. For a brief moment, it seemed as though something of note may be about to pass through the Sound. But it was soon apparent that they were Canada Geese. They crossed the Sound and over the coast of Ramsey. They didn't land but continued south disappearing from view at the southern end of Ramsey. They may only have been Canadas but a good-sized skein of large geese on the move in v-formation still looked quite impressive. Has part of the Teifi flock or perhaps the Nevern flock dispersed today? Did they end up at Marloes Mere, or somewhere in the Haven? Perhaps Skomer was their destination?

Each week we regularly watch resident cormorants and shags fishing the Sound, constantly flying backwards and forwards, landing, swimming and diving in the tide-race during numerous feeding sessions etc. It is quite obvious that their long rudder-like stiff tail not only helps them to steer whilst in the water but also provides a very useful breaking mechanism just prior to landing on the water, as the image shows.  

We've often wondered what the local ravens are feeding on when we are there. They mostly seem to hang around the cliffs all day. Today one was spotted carrying a white egg in its beak. With the cliff-nesting feral pigeons probably breeding more or less all year round along this stretch of coast, there may be fresh eggs available regularly. All the the ravens have to do is just watch and wait their opportunity!