"The best days birding I've had in Pembrokeshire.... Ever"

That above statement proves so true! I have never found a decent bird on holiday in Pembrokeshire, so to find two superb birds in a couple of hours was amazing!

But first, here are the few days running up to that final days birding.

27/05/13

While returning from a trip into Tenby, we returned to our staying location to find a superb RED KITE hunting over the meadows adjacent in a howling rainstorm. There is just something special about seeing a 'true' Welsh Kite hunting over a Welsh meadow, a real conservation success story!

28/05/13

A walk on the cliffs behind our accommodation revealed a Whimbrel and 4 Gannet offshore, as well as the expected Meadow Pipits.

29/05/13

A trip to the Beach with The Girlfriend revealed a flock of 5 Chough, as well as 2 Wheatear. A small flock of Gannets were hunting offshore and an Oystercatcher was on the offshore rock stack.

In the surrounding woodland i found singles of Pied and Spotted Flycatcher, and a male Redstart.

30/05/13

So it bring us to the day, the big one!

The keener eyed of you may have noticed that was last visit to Marloes Mere was painfully quiet, and i had a date with an old friend.

With the tide just being on the turn we dropped into The Gann first in the hope of Waders and did it produce!! Near the outflow of the river stood a flock of 40c Waders, a mixed flock of Dunlin and Sanderling!

With the wind being exceptionally strong, with resulting sand blasts of rocky stones and sand i decided to hunker down and get some photos or some summer plumaged Sanderlings.

A couple of birds joined the flock, so i had another scan of the flock. Bloody hell, LITTLE STINT! How on earth did i miss that he first scan because the two that just flew in were a Dunlin and Sanderling. While just grabbing the camera the entire flock, including the minute Stint took flight, the reason? A Peregrine flew through, causing mayhem, and in the confusion the Stint was lost to view, and we presumed that the bird had followed the larger flock of Waders (30c) and flew northish.

With these flocks now gone, we checked the lagoons in case the bird had dropped onto them, but all we could find was 6 Dunlin.

Moving out into the wider estuary, out list of waders for the day kept increasing, Whimbrel after Whimbrel until at least 20 were located feeding on a muddy shore. These birds were fairly distant, however a couple were close in on the newly exposed rocks as the tide dropped.

The Bar-tailed Godwit from the last visit was again showing, intermixing with the large flock of Whimbrel and Oystercatcher.

So it was onto Marloes Mere to meet an old friend.

Grabbing my Beach chair, scope and Bins, we positioned ourselves near the Barbed Wire gate, and waited, and waited, and you guessed it, waited. The old friend was proving late. With the time now approaching 4:20, and only 3 Shoveler, a pair of Ravern and a flyby of small waders hope was dwindling, so i decided to stand up and have a stretch, tilting my head back to stretch my neck.

"That looks a little dark and rakish"

Bins up

ARCTIC SKUA!!

ARCTIC BLOODY SKUA!!

A dark morph adult, showing a extended central tail feather (or two??) and white comma's on the outer wing accelerated low and fast over out heads. It turns out that very same wind that i had been cursing all afternoon     helped me find one of my highlights for the day as it pushed the Skua overland due to the high winds.

Having got my dad onto the bird, i tried to signal the two birders walking away from us towards the hide, not getting their attention, i ran to the hide to tell them the news, and then made my way back to my scope, picked it up and sped it along the path overlooking the bay adjacent to Marloes Beach, where the bird had flown to. After about 20 minuites scanning, it became obvious the bird had flown straight through. Small numbers of Kittiwake and Gannet were feeding in the bay.

That certainly picked things up a little bit, a rare occurrence for a Midlander to find an Arctic Skua, despite it being the commonest.

A short spell in the hide revealed a short flight view of a Black-Tailed Godwit.

So now it was to wait for our old friend. We walked the path, where we found 1 Chough, and had a chat with a woman from 'up north' who said she was looking for an LRP as they were hard to come by up by her! Its hard to put that into context when your used to seeing them every week. We turned around and started walking back to our viewpoint and in doing so spotted my old friend flying in over the Reeds.

GLOSSY IBIS!

With the sun shining, its metallic plumage at times looked almost silver, before the bird dropped into the area where we had been waiting for the previous couple of hours. We hot footed over there to be greeted with ok views of the bird feeding at the back of the flash.

Having certainly gone through a change in maturity since i saw it almost a year to the day before, back when it was a brown and speckly 1st year bird, it looked almost pristine in colour, with stunning shades of green maroon and blue, not forgetting those orange thighs.

A small crowd had developed, and while watching a small flock of 5 Black-tailed Godwits dropped in beside the Ibis, and started feeding together! Awesome! Mission done, it was time to head for some well deserved supper.

But that wasn't the end of the birds!

Ok, there weren't any birding days from now on, but just a few highlights from being out and about.

31/05/13

The last full day in Wales, so i decided to spend the day with the Girlfriend. In Tenby i found a Rock Pipit and a Shag, the Pipit showing on the Beach weaving in and out of the sun bathers.

Moving onto Manorbier Beach, 2 Chough were the best, and both Gannet and Fulmar were offshore, with an Oystercatcher on the exposed rocks while Rockpooling.

1/06/13

The saddest day, because it was time to head back. However, one thing to look forward to was the Red Kites, and they didn't disappoint, with 52 seen, including a single flock of 25! 2 Yellow Wagtail were also seen in roadside fields once we had reentered the Midlands.

MB

Pembrokeshire -Part 2 - Seabirds and Waders

26/05/13

Aghh, it wouldnt be the yearly holiday within the whole week being forcasted as rain and wind, so, with the only day that was judged to be a decent day being the day after we arrived, we decided to head out and do our yearly 'mop up' of the Pembrokeshire specialties.

In fact, we had done the exact same route last year, starting at Strumble Head, before dropping into Fishguard Harbour, then shoot across county to the Marloes/ The Gann area.

Even before reaching our first destination, we saw a RED KITE fly low over the road just outside Goodwick, always a good start!

Arriving up on Strumble in glorious sunshine was greeted with gratitude, and we parked up with the stunning view out across the Sea. With the famous lighthouse to the left, and the equally famous 'Seawatching shelter' to the right.

As you would expect, our main objective was seabirds, and we were initially quite disappointed with the range present, with only Gannets and a few Kittiwake being the highlights. However, just prior to the passing of the Fishguard to Ireland ferry a large influx of Cetacean's offshore also brought a huge dose of new excitement! An estimated pod of 100 combined Common Bottle-nose Dolphins and Harbor Porpoise joined us, and that is always the precursor to seabirds!

And i was not wrong!

First we were joined by around 40 Kittiwake, as well as hundreds of other Large Gulls, and countless Gannets, with almost constant streams of Guillemot and Razorbill, and in quick pursuit was a single PUFFIN.

While scanning through the Gulls i noticed 2 birds flying east (or left), picking up a black hood, and large red bill. An alternating black and white primary pattern was also evident and i was soon calling out that 2 2nd summer MEDITERRANEAN GULLS were flying offshore!
The crazy fact about this though was not the fact that 2 Med Gulls were flying past, but that despite the half mile+ range the birds were flying at, you could hear them calling as they flew past, their loud 'YEAH' call puncturing the sound of Herring Gulls and the sea lapping onto the steep cliff below us.

Scanning through a pod of surfacing Dolphins, accompanied by diving Gannets, i scoped a few birds, to want of a better phrase, shearing low over the waves!

MANX SHEARWATER!

I love seeing these birds, so graceful in flight, and i am always completely awestruck that these birds spend practically their whole lives out at sea!

Onland, we were entertained by a pair of STONECHAT, which would often perch upon a barbed wire fence nearby, as i said in the last post, they are stunning birds!

A single CHOUGH flew past, which was hardly a satisfying view!

With most of the morning gone, we decided to move on, and dropped into Goodwick Harbour, where we happened to chance upon 2 SANDWICH TERN which were feeding within the breakwater. 15 Oystercatcher were feeding on the exposed mud, and a single female Wheatear was flitting along the walkway.

Another RED KITE was found just north of Haverfordwest airport hunting over roadside fields.

Our arrival at Marloes was full of anticipation, but sadly it failed to produce any of the hoped for birds, with the Glossy Ibis remaining hidden for the entire visit, so, with the birding day drawing to a close we drove the short distance to The Gann, one of my favorite birding spots in the county!

And i was soon rewarded with a stunning, incredibly late 1st summer GREAT-NORTHERN DIVER!

The bird was hunting in the bay, and after some time it actually came in fairly close to the shore, constantly feeding, and very hard to get a photo of!

A single WHIMBREL and BAR-TAILED GODWIT were in the wider bay area, and other waders were represented by 5 RINGED PLOVER, 30 OYC and 10 Dunlin!

The Diver however did end up starting to preen, and i had cracking views, including a few in which the bird would rear up out of the water and have a flap.

With the family now calling, it was time to leave, so i grabbed a few last pictures of the Diver and left.

I really love this little spot!

MB

And so it begins! Pembrokeshire 2013

25/05/13

I make no reasoning for why i love Pembrokeshire.

Being such a stunning county, with endless miles of sheer cliff edge and great habitats, its no surprise as to why i look forward to my yearly visit here!

Our journey was rewarded by a total of 24 RED KITE, but perhaps more surprisingly 62 Buzzard! as well as a single Kestrel and a pair of Yellowhammer.

Upon our arrival at where we were staying, i bode farewell to the family to immediately start scouring the cliffs!

And would you blame me on a stunning day like this!

And i tell you, it felt great to be out! A Rock Pipit towered above me before plunging to the earth, with Linnets and Meadow Pipit's on the Gorse, and Gannets, Fulmars and Shags flying offshore!

The Mipits in particular were showing incredibly well, actually, down to around 6ft!

 

Once  had reached the highest point above the sea along the cliff, i unfolded my chair, and sat, scope facing towards the sea in the hope of a seabird flying past. Numerous Gannet were the only birds of note for almost and hour, until i clocked 2 SANDWICH TERN flying west offshore.

Around this point i was distracted by a male STONECHAT which started singing and displaying in the Gorse, before flying up for a song flight with a backdrop of Stackpole and Freshwater East. Stunning!

Wanting to move on, i headed further east along the footpath, and quickly found another male STONECHAT, but this bird was acomponied by a female, and were showing nicely adjacent to the track, and with the sun behind me, the scope came our rather quickly!

There are few birds that look more smart than a male Stonechat in summer plumage! Further still, and i was lucky enough to find yet another pair of Stonechat, but this time they were joined by two juvenile birds!

One of the short cropped Cow fields held 5 Wheatear, 3 of which were stunning male birds.

An ADDER was also found basking in the sun around and area of dunes, and a Wall Brown Butterfly was found along the clifftop footpath

MB