Tuesday 18th October 2016

Guided Event....High tide sea watch

This morning at 07:30 a group of nine joined me for our first "guided" Sea Watch event, Including sea watch legend Adam who made sure we didn't miss any of the action.

With high tide due for 08:24hrs we were in position at first light and immediately the birds began to appear.

Sanderling, just dropping in in front of the group, (credit Veronica Haines VH)

Flocks of Sanderling landed feet away to be scared away by a piece of plastic blowing along the beach in the stiff WSW breeze

After a long spell of settled weather the change in conditions were perfect and soon rafts of Common Scoter were visible off shore with many more flying out to sea.

Our marker points on the opposite side of the Burry Inlet (the Gower) (VH)

Gannets numbered 100+, a good count for the estuary, the pick of the morning came with Peregrine, the first great Northern Diver of the autumn, Red-throated Diver, two Kittiwake, three Sandwich Tern, in the 100+auks seen , at least five Razorbill and 20 Guillemot were identified.

Its there somewhere, am I really that short and round, (VH)

Yep it's a Great Northern Diver, (VH)

The usual assemblage of gulls included, Black-headed, Herring and Common.

For me the best bird, and a new one for the reserve/SSSI site list for 2016, a GREAT SKUA, a scarce bird recorded in the county with less than 5 in the past eight years

Great Skua, (photo from Wikipedia)

A great bird to see at any time almost as if I had arranged it.

Saturday 15th October 2016

American visitor.....

A report of a Pectoral Sandpiper, at Kidwelly Quay in the past few days prompted me to drive the short distance to "twitch" this North American wader.

I've seen them in the UK several times but its always nice to see an uncommon visitor especially when its on your doorstep.

The weather changed overnight with the wind a more SSE  feel about it and with the change it seems, that despite several people looking for a few hours, the Pectoral Sandpiper has moved on.

It was not disappointing though as there were plenty of waders on the marsh and mudflats, including  two Bar-tailed Godwit, eight Curlew Sandpiper, two Green Sandpiper, a lot of Dunlin and Redshank and one or two Greenshank.

Bar-tailed Godwit

Kidwelly Quay always has something to offer especially at low tide.

Curlew Sandpiper

Thursday 13th October 2016

Winds of change.............

Well almost, a day of varying temperatures caused, apparently, by a trapped pool of cold air whisked across us from central Europe.

Today was a day of tasks!, well again sort of, we managed to revisit a stile that needed a bit more work, put in some sign posts and collected a supply of fence posts from the far end of the reserve.

It was a "surprise" to some that the tide was in, well here's a secret it happens twice a day!, seriously we usually miss a decent tide on task days so it did make a change especially when Neil spotted an Atlantic Grey Seal "bottling" in the estuary.

Atlantic Grey Seal

Despite having heads down we managed to notice the two Kestrels (they are not a pair, as the female is an immature bird probably hatched this year, the male is a sub-adult) that now seem to be resident on the reserve, I suspect they will spend the autumn and winter with us then move off to breed in the surrounding area as we don't have anywhere suitable for them to nest. YET!

Common Kestrel

Wednesday 12th October 2016

Making the most of the settled weather....

Another settled day with a light easterly breeze and despite overcast skies it was really pleasant to walk along Cefn Sidan, and be the only soul there.

Looking in a westerly direction along Cefn Sidan

There was a big flock (97) of Goldfinches in the fore dunes and plenty of Skylarks which on reflection seemed to be moving through rather than being local birds, there were over 100 of them heading SE.

I checked a few refugia, not in any hope of finding reptiles at this time of year, but if you don't look...., under one I found four juvenile Wood mice, and under another an adult and four juvenile Short-tailed Field Voles, plenty of good nourishment for the now, seemingly, resident two Kestrel.

Wood mouse

A walk out to the tidal creek, (please don't walk out to the creek aimlessly, I think I may need new knees soon), revealed well hidden flocks of Teal 60+ and Wigeon 15.

I only use a Fujifilm Finepix bridge camera so my photographs are the best I can take.

Kestrel ♂

Monday 10th October 2016

First frost......

This morning started off quite cool, with a grass frost as well as frost on the wooden stiles...

The first surprise was to hear a burst of song from a CETTI'S WARBLER, a new bird for the site.

A couple of new net sets this morning to try and make the most of the fact that there are less cattle on site at the moment.

The first on the edge of a pond backing on to some bramble and dead elder was not as successful as it could have been as the sun soon came round and was shining directly on the net, in overcast conditions I think it would have been more successful there were a lot of finches coming down to drink!

Another net, set just below a ridge between the reed bed and more bramble scrub was more successful with two Stonechats and a Whinchat caught, along with a Wren from hell, ringers will understand...,

Whinchat

Whinchat

The usual net in the Willow scrub failed to attract any more Yellow-browed Warblers, but did yield another a new bird for the site in the form of Long-tailed Tit, a flock of c10 flew around before going into the net, along with three Goldcrests.

Stonechat

Long-tailedTit

A decent session again proving you can never tell what you are going to catch.

The bird species list for the reserve in 2016 stands at 134

Saturday 8th October 2016

Autumn continues...

This morning was overcast, no breeze and cool but not cold.

It was a pleasure to show another Carmarthenshire birder a "lifer" in the form of a Yellow-browed Warbler, not the one I ringed yesterday but another unringed individual.

Blondie, is back in the field with the bullocks, thanks to the quick thinking of two of our regular visitors, (you know who you are THANKS).

A few photographs of autumn fruits enough to give a warm glow......

Hawthorn

Woody Nightshade or (Bittersweet)

Dog Rose Hips

Travellers Joy, (Old-mans Beard)

Mmm awaiting a name

Friday 7th October 2106

An East wind brings a chill and a thrill....

The weather has taken a real turn to autumn, with cooler days and nights and a steady East or North East breeze.

The reserve is settling down into the quiet time but there is still plenty to see, especially the wide range of Waxcap fungi, and the various trees now laden with berries.

Dune Waxcap

This morning I was surprise to see a "blonde" standing near one of the field fences, especially as yesterday there were only "raven" and "grey" coloured cattle on site!

Wrong side of the fence, and no intention of getting on the right side

Blondie was also on the WRONG side of the fence, it turns out that two weeks ago she escaped while being loaded onto the lorry to be TB tested, well despite the best efforts of the grazier, his wife and myself blondie is still on the wrong side of the fence, only now she has the company of a young quiet bullock who will hopefully calm her down enough to be coaxed back into the field.....

The morning event delayed a short ringing session until 10am, when I set one 40' net in the most sheltered ride I could find, in the Willow area.

I played a "crest mix" in the hope of attracting Goldcrest or Firecrest,  I hadn't walked 100m away when I could see a bird in the net, I decided to go back and extract it and believe me when I say I was shaking with excitement to see a YELLOW BROWED WARBLER, incredible.

Yellow Browed Warbler, wing length 54mm weight 6.7g

The wing bars were much "yellower" than the photograph suggests

This bird has made the long trek from the Siberian taiga region all the way to be the 5th  Carmarthenshire record and the first since 2010 (so the county recorder told me). There have been a lot of YBW on the East coast in the last few days, a regular event but this year aided by the conducive Easterly winds...., usually discovered by the distinctive call they may be under recorded in Carmarthenshire but this is 100% a YBW

Bird species 130 for the reserve/SSSI in 2016