Thursday 17th November 2016

The state of things today....

Yesterday, being a Wednesday was volunteer day for the Local nature Reserves volunteers, so we met at our newest reserve at Morfa Berwig, to find out more about the reserve you will have to go back through the blog.....

We were joined by a couple of people who had  seen the "Keep Wales Tidy", Facebook page and saw that they could come along and help with a litter pick... many thanks.

With the usual array of empty cans, bottles, sweet wrappers, crisp packets and general litter dumped from a house we found this little lot...

Used syringes, and a couple of "bongs" used for smoking drugs

Its sad to say that Llanelli like most provincial towns has a significant drug addiction problem, a whole generation seems to be "lost" with those involved oblivious to little else other than the difficult life they find themselves in, its not for me to judge but I object to their life style having a negative impact on others, in whatever form that may be.

On a cheerier note today, Thursday, one of the last of the Super Moon high tides was due at around 08:25hrs, so I decided to visit the eastern boundary of the Pembrey LNR where a great sea watching point is located , the Old Pembrey Harbour. The weather has certainly become more seasonal with leaden skies and a stiff breeze blowing.

Despite the tough conditions there were birds to be seen including: Oystercatchers (3000+), Sanderling (600+), Ringed Plover (30+), Curlew (46),  Shelduck (8), Red-breasted Merganser (2)Peregrine (1) and Bar-tailed Godwit (1)

With significant winds forecast for the next few hours (10:00 - 16:00), tomorrow may be a good day to get out sea watching again as sea birds may well be blown into the estuary

A bit blowy

Sunday 13th November 2016

Effort pays off, up with the Larks....

Being a sand dune reserve, there are good numbers of Skylark wintering, probably joining the already strong breeding population.

I have toyed with the idea of trying to catch and ring Skylarks for a few months, finally I bit the bullet and having found what looked like the perfect spot, a disused car park which is now very weedy surrounded by sand dunes, I put thought in to action.

So it was yesterday evening that I set out the positions of the nets for an early morning session today.

On site at 05:30hrs, to put up the nets, the poles and guys were where I had left them!, when all was set  some very loud Skylark song was played and I retired to the van.

I checked the nets carefully and was amazed to find a Wren in the bottom pocket and a few metres away a SKYLARK. Relatively few Skylark are ringed each year so it was good to be able to handle this iconic bird.

Skylark

Skylark (VH)

I was joined by my able "scribe" Veronica and after a busy net round with mainly Goldfinches, and a deserved cup of coffee we went back to the nets to find another Skylark, this time nearer the top of the net, I'm guessing that due to the cunning set of the net it hadn't time to lift over and evade the net, so TWO SKYLARKS in one session, I'm well pleased.

In 2015, a total of 582 Skylark were ringed in the UK, of these 345 were pullus, (nestlings), in the same year 99 were ringed in Wales 16  were pullus

I have to thank Matt Prior, or as some ringers know him "trapper" Prior, he  is a first class ringer, and has an incredible talent for working out the best way to catch most species, and gave useful advice prior to the session and yes, there was a "dogleg" in my net set........

The morning panned out with the following birds caught and ringed, Goldfinch (14), Linnet (11),  Chaffinch (4), three each of Wren, Meadow Pipit and Greenfinch with a Blue Tit and a Dunnock completing a nice session of 42 birds.

What next?

Tuesday 8th November 2016

Pembrokeshire Dangler nearly spoils the morning...

Yesterday evening I gave a talk to the Llanelli Naturalists Society, on 102 years of ringing the audience was average for the society, about 10 souls who had nothing better to do, but I think the talk was well received.

This morning was forecast to be still and overcast with no sign of rain until lunchtime, so when I had finished opening the one net that I had planned at a new location on the reserve, I was a bit surprised to hear rain tapping on the van roof, luckily it didn't come to much and a small but interesting session was had.

At dawn the first two birds were singles of Redwing and Fieldfare, always great to trap but I had the feeling that they were the only Redwing and Fieldfare in the area!!

Fieldfare

Things picked up as the finch flocks started to appear, so I switched to playing Linnet and Greenfinch on the tape lures. In the end eight Greenfinch and two Linnet were caught whilst observations revealed around 45 Greenfinch (including a flock of 32) and maybe 30+ Linnet, and the same of Goldfinch.

Linnet

Greenfinches are always great to trap, not only are they a really smart bird but they have been through some rough times across the UK and these are the first I have seen for several months.

Greenfinch ♂,  (VH)

the "mess" around the upper mandible

is the sticky remains of Sea Buckthorn berries

Greenfinch ♂, note the yellow of the primaries reaches the shaft of the feather,

females do not show this obvious feature

After packing up I had a quick look around the reserve, flushing a Jack Snipe from the edge of one of the ponds.

The change in the weather has arrived as forecast with some welcome rain to freshen the ponds and dampen the marsh which is very dry.

Saturday 5th Novemebr 2016

Frost.......

A crisp morning with actual ice on the windscreen of the van, and frost on the ground on the reserve must mean its winter?

Arriving at just before 07:30hrs, to the sun just peeking over the horizon the first bird I saw as I drove across the reserve was the ♂ Merlin, typically the light was all wrong and despite the bird being very obliging it didn't wait for me to position the van properly.
This was the best of an in car photo I could muster.

Merlin ♂

The bird then flew and landed on the far side of the field sat on what is becoming a favourite post.

A quite uneventful walk out to the beach was followed by an equally uneventful walk east along the beach, although finding a James Bond style speed boat, albeit old battered and without an engine, was a surprise.

I guess it can't be allowed to stay there, or to float away on the next high tides, (its safe for now) so it becomes another job!!


For those of you with absolutely nothing better to do on Monday night (7th Nov), I'm giving a talk on Bird Ringing, at the Llanelli Naturalists Society meeting in Llanerch Community Hall, at 7:30pm, see Llanelli naturalists society website for directions.

Wednesday 2nd November

Winter is here, meteorologically speaking anyway..

A cool dawn with an  overcast sky saw me setting up a few nets in the Willow and Reed areas, after a quiet start the pace picked up with 13 Reed Buntings in the Reed net, along with last weeks Cetti's Warbler. The Willow bush net produced a single Chaffinch and a lonely Blue Tit.

There were several Water Rail calling in the reeds but none would react to the tape lure.

Three Red-breasted Mergansers flew over heading West

Its good to get a few reed Buntings ringed as there are a lot on site and they do move about the area.

Reed Bunting ♂

With today being volunteer day we set off on a few tasks, pot hole filling and putting up a few signs, well nothing is straight forward but suffice to say pot holes filled and a sign up before lunch, but not before being pleased to see a HEN HARRIER , quartering the lower and middle marsh, it was a "ringtail" which means it was either a female or an immature. species 138 for the year.

Of course the camera was in the car............................

Over lunch a ♂ Merlin came and sat on a fence post in very close range, then I noticed two large white birds heading from the NNW they were swans and as I said a quiet prayer they were indeed WHOOPER SWANS species 139 for the year.

Whooper Swans

(not todays photo, they were flying in the other direction!!)

This week is turning into something of a purple patch in terms of new birds appearing on or over the recording area, what will be number 140..???

Tuesday 1st November

Ups and downs, disappointments and surprises....

Every day that I turn up at Pembrey Burrows reserve, I wonder what I am going to find, something unusual, a surprise maybe a new bird or insect; in the back of my  mind is always the thought "what have the humans been up to...".

Yesterday was no exception so when I got to the information shelter and noticed the tide tables had been moved and the leaflet dispensers were mixed up I knew something odd had happened.

This thought was confirmed when I found some of the information signs had holes in them, made by air rifle pellets, then the bits of chipped wood lying on the floor confirmed that some git had been using the shelter for target practise......

Despite being disappointed I guess that I should be grateful that its the first incident in nearly twelve months, so I replaced the damaged signs and wait with anticipation.

Today a new day and a new month, a cooler feel and a light Easterly breeze soon found the reserve to be raptor heaven.

I noticed that the flocks of Starlings, & Goldfinches, along with the other birds on the marsh were "on edge", it soon became apparent as a male Peregrine swept over the top of the reeds, a Kestrel watching from a dead tree and a Buzzard floating by.

Within a few minutes order was restored, but not for long as a very large very dark raptor appeared to the alarm calls of the Magpies and Carrion Crows, a look at the bird confirmed a long overdue MARSH HARRIER, judging by the very dark plumage an immature bird which  quickly disappeared into the reeds. Of course I didn't have my camera to hand, so an interent photo for those of you unfamiliar with this great bird.

Marsh harrier, the bird seen today was darker than this individual with a smart cream crown

(photo,  internet unnamed source )

As if that wasn't enough four Red Kites drifted in from the estuary and after a few minutes continued inland to the North.

A real raptor fest!!!!

Wednesday 26th October 2016

Winter raptors.....

With autumn marching towards winter there has been a noticeable increase in the avian predators on the reserve.

Whilst we don't get big numbers of raptors we do have a nice range of species using the reserve and already the following can be found with a bit of time

Kestrel, at least two different individuals.

Sparrowhawk, the "big" female is back and quite often a smaller male and female can be encountered.

Common Buzzard, one or two usually seen around the first cattle enclosure to the north of the track.

Merlin, a nicely marked immature male has been around for a few days and showed well this evening.

Immature ♂ Merlin,

(heavily cropped photo; donations towards a decent camera welcome!)

Peregrine Falcon, a couple of regular birds, especially at high tide when they hunt the wader flock

Red Kites should reappear soon, as well as Goshawk and Hen Harrier, just keep looking...

Barn Owl, check near the Dwr Cymru treatment plant at dusk

Short-eared Owl one individual seen this week keep checking at dusk.