Two Swallows don't make a summer or do they, Saturday 1st April 2017

A really spring like feel to this morning, and as if to make the point a good sprinkling of summer migrants passing through the reserve.

A flock of c90 Sand Martins,(Sanma) settled on the beach before moving on west, with a Swallow, (Swall) and a few Pied Wagtails in the mix.

Sand Martin

A flock of 64 Sanderling and 10 Ringed Plover chasing the tide may have been passing through.

Another three Swallows in off the estuary and across the marsh with c20 Common Shelduck making the most of the high water, with lots of courtship going on amongst the pairs, I just wish they would stay and breed on the reserve, maybe this year!

Swallow  (not todays photo)

Common Shelduck + a Mallard

A few birds along the track to the information shelter included a fresh in Willow Warbler (Wilwa).

Willow Warbler

With season dog restrictions in place across the reserve, there may be hope for ground nesting birds to be successful this season.

A place to stop and rest Wednesday 29th March 2017

With an uncertain forecast, would it rain and if so when and how heavy, the Wednesday team met to carry out a few jobs at Pembrey Burrows LNR.

Todays tasks were to install two rustic benches, some habitat management for Marsh Helleborine  and finish off those Dormouse boxes.

Digging in sand is so satisfying, easy going and light to handle so in quick order the first bench was taking shape.

 A simple bench made from locally grown and harvested Corsican Pine

The three wise monkeys, quality control testing

After the first bench we set off across the marsh to an area of fore-dunes with a great views over the Burry Inlet, or if you sit the other way around, the Saltmarsh with a morning high tide there was a lot more water lying on the marsh than I anticipated so with some wet feet the second bench went in easily.

Seat with a view

Marsh Helleborine, Epipactis Palustris flowered in only two areas last season these looked a little overgrown with grasses and Willow, so we cleared the areas in anticipation of the appearance of more flower spikes this season.

Marsh Helleborine, Epipactis palustris

in full flower in 2016

The Dormouse boxes are now ready to be installed in suitable habitat AT LAST!!!!

Cast ashore part 2 Sunday 26th March 2017

After yesterdays adventure on Cefn Sidan I returned again this morning for another look at the strandline, the weather was not as pleasant as yesterday with a stiff easterly blowing into my face but still a great walk.

There were far fewer By-the-wind Sailors on the beach, but today I managed to collect a couple of samples, always useful to show visitors on our guided events.

I may need to revise my identification of the Cuttlefish bone from yesterday as today I found several more which are clearly the Pink Cuttlefish Sepia ordignyana  the "spine" is much larger, and the whole "bone" has a pink flush.

The Common Razor Shell Ensis ensis had a species of Hydroid growing from it.

After much deliberation I'm also now happy with a positive identification of Prickly Cockle Acanthocardia echinata, (not as labelled in the photo)

On the bird front a ♂ Merlin was still terrorising the local pipit population, and a new bird for the site for 2017 was found in the form of a pair of Gadwall on one of the ponds.

Gadwall, ♀ on left ♂ on right