Whinchats and an eider at Brynberian

While surveying breeding whinchats at Brynberian moor yesterday with Tansy Knight we had a bizarre sighting of an fully adult drake common eider flying fairly low over the bracken. It was heading north at about 10:30.

At the end of March this year about 350 Ha of the moor was burnt and there was some concern that this may have had an adverse effect on the whinchat habitat so it was a relief to find at least 15 different pairs of whinchats here with only two potential territories damaged by the fire.

Also present was a single curlew, 2 cuckoos calling, plenty of redpolls, stonechats, wheatears, redstarts, kites and a peregrine.