Cors Caron

A red letter day today! A walk out to the 'Observation Pavilion' this afternoon was rewarded with the sight of duck - 10 teal and a pair of mallard - on the viewing pool. After many visits to this new emporium it was the first time I have actually seen duck from the hide.

Not a lot else around - the haunting calls of some Whoopers in the distance but not seen.

FREE TO A GOOD HOME

Hywel Roderick's brother sought help in finding homes for Hywel's journals and magazines. The County Archive have received material, the County Library was contacted and The National Library of Wales has filled some gaps in their collections.
3 sets of journals remain:
British Wildlife 2002-08 (6 each year)
British Birds (monthly) 1975-79 and 1981-86 (Bound) and all issues thereafter.
Birdwatch (monthly mag.) March 1993-2006 and most of 2007 and 2008.
Anyone interested in taking them off my hands should give me a call on 01970 890281

15 Purple Sandpipers were at Aberystwyth this morning.

Hen Harrier

At 3.40pm today I saw a male Hen Harrier over Erglodd Talybont.

Atlassing

Up on the Cambrians this morning no sign of migrant winter thrushes but singing mistle, skylark,and treecreeper in an otherwise quiet Doethie valley. Dippers were chasing each other on the Camddwr and Mallard, Teal and Little grebe have replaced the whoopers on the lake nr Bryn glas. Spring is a-coming.

Courtship or Territorial Aggression?

The Redshank - showing what looks like either early courtship or aggressive behaviour were seen today along the Leri saltings at Ynyslas. There were several occurrences of the 'fights' amongst the dozen or so birds that were there. Perhaps it is the first signs of spring courtship! Alternatively it could be territorial claims - although the numbers were low suggesting there should be little competition for space. Of interest the subservient bird appears to be ringed.

Other birds present included the usual Curlew, Gulls, Oyster Catchers, Wigeon, Ringed Plover, Dunlin and 5 Sanderlings.

Llanerchaeron

Green Woodpecker calling again,but I never seem to actually see the bird! Also between here and Aberaeron;2 Dippers,4Stock Doves and two pairs of Marsh Tits.

WHOOPERS

8 on lake in Camddwr valley near Nant y Maen this afternoon.
Green sandpiper and pair of mallards(our breeding pair) on our pond at Plas Treflyn nr Tregaron also.
Just back from viewing Resplendant Quetzels at close range so can hardly speak! Will try to resist putting pics of non- Cere birds on blog!!

Cross Inn Woods

Christine and I heard a Green Woodpecker yaffling several times today as we walked around the Cross Inn woods. Unfortunately we didn't catch a sight but it is always good to know there are some in the area. I saw 2 at Llanerchaeron last year and saw one between Felinfach and Lampeter the year before. This is our third hearing or sighting in Cross Inn woods during the last 4 years.

A ring tail hen harrier also flew by near the edge of the woods. Whether I am getting better at spotting birds or whether they are starting to enjoy the surrounding fields and marshes I am not sure. All I know is that I went 10 years regularly walking the woods before I saw one about a year ago and have now seen 2 in the last 2 months.
No sign of the shrike.

Parakeets !!(in Hyde Park, Battersea Park and Regents Park when I was in London mid week!) I knew that there were significant populations but hadn't realised that they were so abundant. Can we put up a "Parakeets. Go home!" sign on the Welsh border just in case they decide to head this way.

Nant yr Arian - Cwmbrwyno

Today I carried out a late winter tetrad for the Bird Atlas 2007-11. It was square 'SN78 A' for anyone familiar with the Bird Atlas. This covers some of the Nant yr Arian and Cwmbrwyno area. Here are the species seen during the 2 hour survey; Great spotted Woodpecker, Robin, Great Tit, Carrion Crow, Buzzard, Coal Tit, Wren, Blue Tit, Blackbird, Wood Pigeon, Bullfinch, Red Kite (of course, including a leucistic bird), Dunnock, Grey Heron, Common Gull, Nuthatch, Fieldfare, Mistle Thrush, Raven, Song Thrush, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, House Sparrow, Herring Gull, Jackdaw, Tufted Duck, Goosander, Mallard, Goldcrest, Long-tailed Tit and Meadow Pipit. So, quite a nice selection, shame I missed some of the regulars though!

Sarah Harris.

Craig-yr-Adar

I visited Craig-yr-Adar (Bird's Rock) in New Quay again today with the intention of showing someone the auks but guess what there wasn't an auk in sight! There were Shags and Fulmar about on the cliffs in fact one shag was sitting on a nest! We did get a pair of Choughs foraging in a field behind the old coastguard lookout one (the larger of the 2 birds) had colour leg rings fitted i.e.- left yellow, right orange- if are you reading this Tony Cross- Origin please?
At 3pm we visited the kite feeding station at Penlan in Talsarn which is run by Susanna Binsted. We reckoned that there were between 150-200 kites present at feeding time. What a truly 'spectacular' sight! There were also 11 Buzzards present and Ravens calling. A Great Spotted Woodpecker was 'drumming' on a tree behind Susanna's house.

Red Kites

On our way south today, at about 10.45 on the A487 just before Bow Street, we saw a pair of Red Kites obviously courting and showing off. We saw a "food pass." One of the birds, presumably the male, flew above the other and dropped a tasty morsel which the other bird, presumably the female caught.

Bob Relph

Walk from New Quay to Cwm Tydu

I took a walk along the coastal path between New Quay and Cwm Tydu today. The sea mist had cleared reasonably well by midday and the sea was mirror calm. I saw the birds you would expect to see on this walk, Ravens, Cormorant, Shag, Oystercatcher, Herring Gull, Fulmar, Buzzard, Chough (2), Carrion Crow, Magpie, Robin, Dunnock, Wren, Blackbird, Blue Tit. There were lots of auks (Guillemots & Razorbills) at sea and quite a number already at their breeding sites at Craig-yr-Adar and elsewhere. The gorse was in flower filling the air with its distinctive scent. 2 Grey Seals basked on the rocks below Craig-yr-Adar (see photo) there were signs of extensive badger activity on the coastal path. The sows will probably have given birth to their cubs now. The path was 'very' muddy and slippery in places so bear this in mind if you plan to walk it in the near future.

Tan-y-bwlch Field Trip

http://www.flickr.com/photos/llwyngwair/3278257343/

Ynyslas

Despite the fog, some species at Ynyslas today (20th Feb);
Curlew, Oystercatcher, Red-brested Merganser, Wigeon, Shoveler, Ringed Plover and Pied Wagtail.
There was a Redshank, Little Egret and 13 Oystercatchers at Tanybwlch yesterday (19th Feb).

Sarah Harris.

Ynys-hir

John Davis and I drove north today hoping to do some birding at Black-Rock Sands and Harlech. But each time we got close to the sea we were shrouded in thick mist. So we ended up getting about an hours birding in back where we started at Ynys-hir.
Glose to Marion Mawr Hide we saw 1 female Peregrine, 3 Little Egret, 3 Goosander-1male 2 female and 1 female Goldeneye. On the water in front of the visitor centre we saw 3 Pintail-2 male 1 female and 1 male Shoveler plus several Teal and Malard.

Nant-yr-Arian

I'm not sure if these sightings would be of any interest for theCeredigion Bird blog but I thought I'd mention them just in case.In a quick trip to Bwlch Nant-y-Arian today (19th February) there was apair of Goosanders and a female Goldeneye on the lake below the visitorcentre. On the seed feeder next to the visitor centre there were also twomale siskins accompanying the many finches and tits. Unfortunately Icouldn't stay for spectacular sight of the feeding of the kites, but therewere a handful starting to circle.

Rebecca Noyland

Llanrhystud - Aberaeron

Meurig Williams and I found the albino Oystercatcher at Llansantffraed. For some years it has favoured the coast around Aberaeron and a photo of this unusual bird is highlighted in the latest Ceredigion Bird Report. (For details, see Jan. archive.)
10 Red-throated Divers were offshore between Llanrhystud and Llanon.
At Llansantfraed there were 5 Red-breasted Mergansers, an adult Mediterranean Gull, 5 Grey Plovers and 80 Curlew.
On the foreshore at Aberaeron were 450 Golden Plovers.

Field Trip Report

23 People attended the February Field Trip. I couldn't make it but it was apparently a very pleasant morning. Moira has sent me her list of birds seen, here it is -

After the flattest bird walk ever, from Tanybwlch , the birds seen were
Herring gull, Dunnock, Black-headed gull, Mute swan, Stonechat, House sparrow, Blackbird, Song thrush, Chaffinch, Robin, Starling, Common Gull (60), Red kite, Magpie, Greenfinch, Carrion crow, Mallard, Buzzard, Great tit, Blue tit, Cormorant, Wood pigeon, Mistle thrush, Jackdaw, Collard dove, Redwing(50), Raven, Little Egret, Rook, Redshank, Pied wagtail, Chough, Rock pipit, Oystercatcher(18), Kittiwake, Great crested grebe, Nuthatch, Meadow pipit.

Grey Herons

I saw a flock of about 12 – 15 Grey Herons this morning in trees above the road works on the A44 before you get to Llanbadarn. Is there a Heronry in this area?

Matt Potter

Goosanders

Six goosanders - four females and two males -were on the shingle bank on the CCW reserve at Lovesgrove. Spotted while driving past at 4 PM.

Re - Waxwings in Wales

Glad you caught up with them Elfyn - great birds. For the record they were found by Steve Jones and Paul Leafe let me know.  As such I think you should donate the wine to Radnorshire Wildlife Trust as a raffle prize.

Waxwings in Wales

At last a long ambition realised! Following a call from Tony Cross this morning I rushed off to Llandrindod Wells (Radnorshire) where there were 2 Waxwings showing nicely opposite the fire station in the town. They were feeding on 'haws' alongside a busy road! My poor photos of one of the birds in the fading light (4.30pm) pales into insignificance compared to the superb images taken by Kevin Joynes (regular Ceredigion bird blog contributor) which you can view on the 'Radnor Bird Blog'. The prize of the bottle of wine for finding the waxwings for me goes to Tony Cross! Thanks mate.

Ynyslas - Leri

A mid- afternoon visit on a bright sunny afternoon - 53 Wigeon and a lone Pintail out on the Leri, 16 Redshank on the saltings along with some 75 Curlew which moved out to the fields for tea! On the bank of the Leri - upstream from the railway bridge at least 120 Canada Geese and a Heron.

Wigeon

A mixed sex flock of c20 Wigeon floating out at sea at the bottom of constitution hill.
Dont recall ever seeing them out at sea before....?

Sarah Harris.

Sightings from Anglers Retreat

You may like to list the following sightings from the lakes around Anglers Retreat on the Cardie Bird Blog - all from today.
Llyn Conach: 2 pair goldeneye; 2 pair mallard; 2 pair tufted duck + plus 2 males
Llyn Penrhaedr: 2 pair mallard; 1 cormorant
Male hen harrier hunting around Anglers Retreat.
At least three pair of raven in the vicinity.

Dave Thomas

Clettwr

A visit to the Clettwr this morning with John Davis ending up in brilliant sunshine, it had to come didn't it.
Birds of note seen were 1 Brent Goose - juvenile, dark bellied - 1 Black-tailed Godwit, 1 Bullfinch, 1 Peregrine, c300 Golden Plover and c140 Dunlin. Lapwing, Teal, Redshank, Meadow Pipit and Canada Geese were also seen but not counted.

Barn owl Ynyslas

1 barn owl on fence post next to bus shelter, Ynyslas Turn this evening

ABERYSTWYTH'S LEUCISTIC COMMON GULL

Its only been seen over the past 10 winters at Aberystwyth but at last I have caught up with it. Late afternoon it was on College Rocks with a large number of gulls.
The Starling roost was really spectacular today.

Cors Caron

Sunday 15th. All from the North of the Bog.

Male Hen Harrier hunting either side of the track, Peregrine and flock of 50+ Lapwing.

Nick Edge

Chough

Today me and a couple of friends walked to Borth along the coastal path and saw an nice selection of birds including a pair of Chough (see picture). On walking through the nature reserve next to the golf course at Borth (I forget the name!) it was very quiet being late afternoon but we did get an excellent view of a Redshank and a Reed Bunting. And the to top off our day we saw two beautiful Barn Owls, one hunting as can be seen in the picture (not a very good closeup but the contrast makes the identification clear!).

Maria Gill

Talk on the Red Kite

For those of you who were unable to get to Nant y Arian on Saturday to hear the talk given by Tony Cross of the Welsh Kite Trust there will be another opportunityto hear a talk. Next Thursday, 19th February, at 7.45pm, lecture room A14 of the Hugh Owen building - University Campus, - Tony will present a talk to the Stapledon Society entitiled, 'The Conservation of the Red Kite in Wales' - all welcome.

Purple Sandpipers @ Aberystwyth

Just a couple of pics of the 15 birds present today!

WHOOPER SWANS

2 Whooper Swans were on Bwlchcryws pond, just west of Devil's Bridge, early afternoon.

Nearby, at Cwmrheidol there was no sign of the Ring-necked Duck but a Barn Owl sitting beside the river was a surprising sight.

I then met Bob R. at Ynyslas where there were 6 Sanderling.

At the southern end of Borth there was an adult Mediterranean Gull. Bob left and another Med Gull appeared and then Russell J. found a third. On the rocks were at least 4 Purple Sandpipers.

There was an impressive gull roost on College rocks at Aberystwyth, always worth a look.

Great Grey Shrike

The shrike was still present at Cross Inn Forest this morning at grid ref 570650

Common Gulls at Borth

There were c145 Common Gulls on the sea at the southern end of Borth at about 3.00 this afternoon plus 1 adult Med Gull and 70 or 80 Common Scoter.

Purple Sandpipers

Paul Leafe reports a total of 15 Purple Sandpipers at Aberystwyth today - 9 on the rocks near the Marina and 6 more on College Rocks.

Nant-yr-Arian

I dare say someone will put a piece on here about the excellent walk our group had at
Tan-y-Bwlch Aberystwyth on Saturday morning led by out illustrious guide Red Liford. It's always good to have a walk led by Red with his immense knowledge of Ornithology. In the afternoon some of us went on to Nant-yr-Arian to hear a talk given by Tony Cross of the Welsh Kite Trust another of our eminent ornithologists. Tony gave us an input on the history of the Red Kite (Boda Wennol, Barcud Coch) up to the present day not only in Wales but the whole of the UK. The future for the Kite in Britain looks good but unfortunately the situation looks more uncertain in other parts of Europe, particularly in Spain, where the population has suffered a marked decline. Tony gave us an insight into the future role of the Welsh Kite Trust of which many of you are 'sponsors' or 'friends' that the trust should concentrate its efforts in monitoring and helping other birds of prey such as the declining Kestrel. In this regard there was mention of amalgamating with other organisations such as the Welsh Ornithological Society and to establish a closer working relationship with the Wales Raptor Study Group. Following the talk we were all pleased to see that the mist had cleared and we enjoyed the usual spectacular show given by the kites at feeding time. We estimated their numbers at about 90 but during the recent cold spell their numbers went up to 200! On the lake there were 5 Goosander (3 drakes, 2 ducks) Mallard, a Grey Heron, a handful of buzzards and ravens calling but not feeding.

ICELAND GULL

Chris Bird tells me that at the gull roost at the southern end of Borth, late afternoon, there was a first winter Iceland Gull.
Also, the 19 adult and 1 juv Bewick's Swans which Chris saw at Aberaeron yesterday, were seen at the Dyfi estuary this morning.

Bewick's Swans

BirdGuides has a report of 20 Bewick's Swans on the sea at Aberaeron this afternoon.

Ynys-hir

Some birds from Ynys-hir today.
Woodcock, Pintail (2), Goldeneye, Goosander amoungst other regulars.

Sarah Harris.

Ynys-hir

Further sightings at Ynys-hir Wednesday 11th Feb; a Goosander, 5 Goldeneye, Little Grebe, 3 Pintail, 3 more Shoveller and a Common Sandpiper.

Philip Ellis & Peter Charnock

Drumming Great-spotted Woodpecker

Just wanted to add to the drumming GS Woodpecker - one seen/heard drumming in Aberaeron on Monday 2 Feb. incidentally I heard a report of a Cattle Egret in Llandyssul in early January (both sides of the river so counts for Ceredigion!) but noticed that it wasn't mentioned in Russell's latest report (Jan). I will pursue the person concerned.

Ian Harrison

HEN HARRIER

This afternoon a male Hen Harrier was at the northern end of Cors Caron.

Ynys-hir

Plenty of Curlews, Dunlin, Lapwings, Wigeon and Shellduck seen from the Breakwater Hide at Ynys-hir this morning plus 1 Greenshank, 1 Spotted Redshank, 26 Bar-tailed Godwit, c150 Common Redshank, 3 Goldeneye, 2 Shoveler and a few Snipe.

Scallop Dredging in Cardigan Bay

Further to last week's posting on the subject, check out the following link on BBC Web site regarding Conservation v Scallop Dredging in Cardigan Bay:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/7881045.stm

Roger Watkins

Merlin

John Davis and I gave in to the weather and cut our birding trip short this morning.
We didn't see many birds but just as we were leaving Llanrhystud we stopped to admire a female Merlin perched on a fence post by the side of the track. She was a little stunner.

Curlew Ynyslas

72 curlew Ynyslas beach at 16.20

Whooper Swans on the Teifi

6 Whoopers 1 mile upstream of Llechryd bridge near the waterworks at SN232435. Easily viewed from a layby on the A484.

Purple Sandpipers

Four, possibly five purple Sandpipers at Borth this morning.

Purple Sands

Five Purple Sandpipers and a Rock Pipit on the boulders alongside the wooden jetty at the harbour end of the Prom this morning.

Drumming Woodpecker

Heard and saw a G S Woodpecker drumming today. I don't keep detailed records but it seems to be quite early and definitely earlier than I have heard before.

Little Egret in Capel Bangor

A Little Egret in our patch just after the turn-off to the riding stables in Capel Bangor this morning.

Cors Caron

Stunning close views of Short Eared Owl at 5 pm Sat afternoon, perched atop dead trees alongside railway track (east side), not far north of Afon Fflur bridge. Male Hen Harrier hunting bog to west of track at N end again. Two feeders at the new car park attracting lots of tits, including the Willow tits, GS woodpecker and nuthatch.

A distinctive Kite

This very distinctive kite was seen at Gigrin yesterday (6th Feb), the white wing tips are very noticeable even at a distance with the naked eye. It only stayed to feed for about 10 minutes before moving off. If you see this kite I am sure County Bird Recorders, the Welsh Kite Trust and those with an interest in bird movements may be pleased to hear from you.
The bird was not tagged or ringed.
Janet B

Starlings

It looks like the Starlings I saw on Thursday are after me.
A few minutes ago, whilst sat at this computer I noticed 1,500+ grubbing around in the field at the back of my garden

Short-eared Owl

At about 4.00 this afternoon, a fine view of a Short Eared Owl hunting successfully over the bog west of the old railway line at the north end and perching on the ruins beyond the Teifi bridge where I think the December birding outing saw it.
Also a male Hen Harrier flying low over the bog climbed to harass a Buzzard soaring 100ft or so above. The Buzzard regurgitated (I think) something fairly large and the Harrier did a vertical dive with folded wings to catch it just before it reached the ground. Has anyone else seen this behaviour in Harriers?

Philip Ellis

Redwings and a 'deceased' Barn Owl

Lots of Redwings in the fields again on the way to Aberystwyth on the A.487 from the North. Not in your County but on the way home this evening (5pm) from Machynlleth to Aberhosan I sadly came across a dead barn owl which appeared to have flown into a fence and was trapped by its wings. I think it had just died. I think a crow had been pecking its eyes out- 'Yuck'.
Nature 'Red in Tooth and Claw' to quote Tennyson.

Clarach Beach and Valley

Not a lot to be seen on the beach - 8 Oystercatchers, 2 Ringed Plover, Sprinkling of Gulls, Red Kite overhead. In the Nantsiriol fields - 150+ Lapwing and surprising for this valley counted 67 Golden Plover.

Great-crested Grebe

In the last few minutes I have just spotted a Great Crested Grebe out on the waters off South Beach, I got a fab view through my binnys from my bedroom window, I'm so excited, couldn't quite believe it! I was also going to mention a couple of Grey Wagtails I saw down by the harbour which I have not seen before either. That was a couple of days ago. I see the Little Egret and Teal were spotted by someone a few days ago, I too saw those and also a Red Throated Diver on the waters at TYB on the same day, a fabulous morning of birding that was for me!

Maria Gill

RING NECKED DUCK

This morning the drake Ring-necked Duck was at Cwmrheidol on the dam lake, somewhat downstream from where it was first found by John Val. at the start of the year. It kept close to a female Goldeneye. Further up the valley, a Dipper was in full song.

even more robins!

We had an email from Tony Cross of the Welsh Kite Trust, who hasn't yet signed up to the Ceredigion blog although he is reading it, so we are posting this for him in answer to our query about the largest number of robins seen at one time.

"This doesn't relate to Ceredigion but neighbouring Radnorshire. So far this year I have caught 23 Robins in the back garden (20m x 20m) here at Nantmel including 6 on 4th Jan, 4 on 6th Jan and 11 today (in under 2 hours). There were still some un-ringed ones too! Also had 15 different Blackbirds and 6 different Great Spots this winter already - feeding them all is costing me a fortune!"

Postings

I have received several communications regarding the items posted on this page and after giving the matter some thought I feel obliged to write this..........
Please could all contributors bear in mind that this page is principally for news of sightings.
If we could all keep postings reasonably brief there will be room for more of them.
Longer articles to do with Ceredigion wildlife issues in general are of course welcomed. But in future if you would be kind enough to send them to me via email I will put them on the "News & Events" page with perhaps a very brief alert on this one.

Thank you for your co-operation.

robins

7 robins,feeding amicably plus 8 blackbirds only 1 of which was a female. 6 reed bunts were best, males quickly attaining breeding black heads.

A Winter's Tale

It was a decidedly wintry scene as I travelled down the coastal road from Aberystwyth to Aberaeron today. A great many fields I glanced into from the start of my journey in Machynlleth seemed to have Starling, Redwing, Fieldfare and Lapwing too. They were at Furnace, Trerddol, Talybont, Bow Street, Llanrhystud and all the way down the coast. But a couple of fields in particular caught my eye. Travelling south on the A.487 and just before entering the village of Llanon I noticed a lot of bird activity in the fields on my right. I pulled into the 'Cylch Peris' housing estate at Llanon and walked back up the road for just a few yards and stood on the grass verge. In the fields adjoining the road there were hoards of Golden Plover, Lapwing, Redwing, Fieldfare, Starlings and even 3 Common Snipe feeding happily all within a stones throw of me. It was snowing heavily and the whole spectacle was quite magical. I must have looked a right 'nerd' to passing traffic but this is one opportunity I was not going to miss. What other image could you possibly conjure up in your mind of a birding extravaganza on a winter's day? On reaching Aberaeron I had a quick glimpse seaward from the harbour wall but visibility was poor so I didn't see anything of note. There were 5 Turnstone on the beach just to the right of the harbour entrance. But I did see my first Wandering Albatross in the harbour! Before you all rush to grab your pagers just stop where you are. To be more precise I saw my first Albatross in the Harbourmaster Hotel, more specifically in the new extension called the 'Tafarn Inn'. Here there was a 'stuffed' Wandering Albatross in a glass cabinet mounted on a wall. The history of its demise appeared on a framed plaque to the left of the cabinet. It said, and I quote:-

"In 1910 when his (Captain Thomas Davies of Llanarth) ship 'The Naiad' sailed around Cape Horn the Albatross hit the mast and died. One of the sailors stuffed the bird, and on returning to Wales, Thomas Davies took the bird to J.Hutchings & Sons, taxidermist at Aberystwyth"- unquote.

I lay claim to this sighting of a Wandering Albatross as a 'first' for Ceredigion! (do you think Russell Jones (County recorder) would accept it?)

Robins galore

We would like to know what is the highest number of robins anyone has seen at one time. We have a resident pair of robins with the occasional interloper that is chased off. But today there were 5 'queueing' up in an orderly fashion within a five metre radius of the bird table. There was very little aggression which surprised us. It is probably because of the weather.

I'm sorry I had to postpone the walk on Saturday but we have been snowed in since Monday and it is snowing hard now. Anyone who knows where we live will understand our difficulty. The snow blows off the fields and makes large drifts in the lane.

I hope to see you on Saturday 14th at 9 am. (weather permitting!!!!)

Starlings

This afternoon I saw c1500 Starlings grubbing for food in one of the fields forming part of Ynys-hir Farm.

Leucistic Red Kites

There were two leucistic Red Kites at Nant Yr Arian yesterday. Along with Llywernog pond holding 2 Goldeneye and 6 Tufted Ducks. Llyn Oerfa had another pair of Goldeneyes over the last few days and a Grey Heron. We had a Yellowhammer on our garden feeders as well.

Matt Potter and Charly Morgan

Red Kite Talk

Further to my message regarding the change of Field Trip details, I have received the following from Elfyn -

I have just spoken to Gareth Owen the Forestry Commission's 'Recreation Ranger' at the Nant-yr-Arian Forest Centre. As you know Tony's talk is at 1pm and will conclude at about 1.45pm to allow people to watch the kite feeding at 2pm. The lecture room is rather small and can only seat 30 people. This is 'not' a ticket event but Gareth's advise is that people who wish to attend the talk should give him a ring to confirm a place. 6 people have already booked so there is only room for another 24 (or 23 as I've booked my seat!). I suspect that Red's walk in the morning is going to be popular so naturally people may wish to continue to Nant-yr-Arian for the afternoon talk by Tony. So the advice is from Gareth Owen is to give him a call to ensure a place. Contact him on 01970 890453 this is his office number at the centre with a message answering service facility. Hope this information clarifies the situation.Of course there is a charge for the car park which is £1.50p I think.Tony's talks are always popular and well received I would 'strongly' advise people to attend if they can. Of course there is a restaurant at the centre offering refreshments. A lovely way to spend the afternoon. During my last visit a week or so ago there were goldeneye and goosander on the lake and there is always a chance of crossbills.

Field Trip - Change of Details

Red Liford is snowed-in so the Field Trip scheduled for this Saturday is being postponed.
It will now take place the following Saturday, February 14th at a new time of 9.00.
The location remains the same - meet at Tan y Bwlch car park.
The reason for the change of time is to enable Red, and anybody else who wants to attend, to get to Nant yr Arrian at 1.00 when Tony Cross will be giving a talk on Red Kites.

All quiet on the western front

Well, that snow didn't last long. Working at home this morning, I had an hour on the prom this afternoon. The sun and tide were against me, but I did enjoy 17 turnstones rummaging in the seaweed on the tide line on the beach side of the pier and jumping out of the way when the tide threatened them. Other action seemed to be on the landward side of the prom - four stonechats in the castle.

In answer to Liz Snell's comments, I think that she would make a good bridge player. Better than risking vampires looking for moths!

Cardigan Bay and Ynyslas

Thank you Elfyn for your post on scallop dredging. May I add another important consideration bird-wise is the use of Cardigan Bay as a feeding ground by the thousands of Manx shearwaters and gannets which nest on the Pembrokeshire Islands. The birds are protected where they breed but not where they feed. This link http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/120120530/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0 demonstrates the importance of Cardigan Bay for shearwaters. Every summer off Borth tens of thousands of shearwaters can be seen sweeping across the Bay. So if you are concerned at the scale of dredging permitted at the moment please do write to WAG, every letter written really can make a difference.

Ynyslas fields yesterday afternoon 55 curlew, 5 dunlin and several transient flocks of lapwing and golden plover. One golden plover was taken by a pair of ravens. The ravens were still looking for an evening meal of plover at Ynyslas Point as darkness fell.

yellowhammer

A male yellowhammer visited our feeding station today (just N of Tregaron) and very splendid he looked. How did it know to drop in? We have a regular covey of 6 reed bunts and have been visited some years ago by a yellowhammer in harsh weather.
Yesterday 110 lapwings in fields just N of Tregaron, most I've seen there.
Also 3 woodcock in the garden feeding in our wet wood.

Talk on Great Bustard

The Wildlife Trust and the Aberystwyth Conservation Volunteers are holding a joint meeting on Monday 16th February in A6 in Llandinam Building on Aberystwyth University Campus at 19:30 hrs. The talk will be given by Dave Walters and will be about the introduction of Great Bustards on Salisbury Plain. Dave has been involved with this work.
ALL WELCOME You do not need to be a member of either group.

Moira Convery

Clettwr walk

I took a walk along the banks of the Clettwr this afternoon. A dipper was by the footbridge. Lots of activity in the adjacent fields with feeding lapwing, golden plover, curlew, redshank, snipe, as well as redwing and thrushes. There were 18 redshank closely grouped on the land between the river and Morfa Cyf. Nearer the railway bridge there was a solitary pink-footed goose grazing in a field on the left hand side walking towards the bridge. It looked to tame to be a truly wild bird but then maybe it was used to people (or maybe Bob & co smuggled it in the boot of a car following their recent sojourn in Norfolk- no worries there are still 99,999 pink foots left there!). The only birds of prey I saw were kites and a buzzard. There were shelduck and teal down by the railway bridge. On my way to Treddol earlier I counted 60 redwing in the field by 'The Lodge'. This seems to be a favorite location for them as I have seen birds there before.

Ynys-hir

As I arrived in the car park at Ynys-hir today the skys opened and decided to dump more snow on the place. There was a strong wind from the east making the snow come at me horizontally.
I sat in the car for a while and nearly changed my mind about visiting the Breakwater Hide but by that time I had been spotted and didn't want to appear wimpish. So, a brave face was put on and off I went. I'm glad I did continue because, sitting on my own in the hide during quite a heavy snowfall I felt completely at peace.
Amongst the birds seen were -
1 Woodcock, 4 Goldeneye, 76 Redshank, 5 Grey Plover, 3 Greylag Geese, c275 Dunlin, 1 Snipe and a pair of Red-breasted Merganser. There were also lots of Shellduck, Curlew, Lapwing, Meadow Pipit, Redwing and Fieldfare about.

March of the Tartan Army (or Navy!)

You may think its a strange title heading but I am referring to the 42 Scottish 'scallop dredgers' which are operating in Cardigan Bay off the Ceredigion coast 24 hours a day. Why are they here? Well its because there are restrictions on dredging on their home grounds in Scottish waters and in addition the closure of the Lyme Bay operation these chaps have moved (or cruised) en-masse to 'piratise' our waters. To give you an idea of what their actions might do to the sea bed and consequently the entire marine eco-system someone described it to me admirably. In terrestrial terms its like ploughing up a vibrant wildflower meadow. It is immensely destructive. These operations are occurring 'legally' but personally I'm not sure if the word carries much clout in any situation in the present day. However as you all know the Bay is an environmentally sensitive area and is an S.A.C. (Special Area of Conservation) What! This is surely sacrilege. Well you all know about by-catch. Do you seriously think that the hideous methods employed by the dredgers can discriminate between scallops and other forms of marine life? We can only speculate as to what else 'perishes' in the wake of the dredger or trawl (think of that when you next buy your pack of frozen scallops!). It seems that the dredgers occasionally work close inshore and at night (now why doesn't that surprise me- you don't have to be Sherlock Holmes to figure than one out). Basically these boats are not being monitored and therein lies the crux of the matter. At present no scientific body is conducting any analysis on the possible effects of the dredging on the marine environment. i.e.- the seabeds and habitats, and the effect on the bottlenose dolphin population for which the Bay is justly famous (and the porpoise too I imagine). These cetaceans are sensitive to undersea noise and may be stressed and disturbed by these operations which may affect their feeding and reproductive behaviour. The Bay's bottlenose dolphins are a major tourist attraction. I have personally taken people out on Steve Hartley's boat and with other operators from New Quay to see the dolphins, so as a tour operator I have concerns about what effect the dredging has on the marine habitat and 'Tourism'.
So why should I bring this issue up on a birding blog? Well as you all know there is a major sea-bird colony on New Quay Head and smaller ones stretching down the coast. They feed on fish which feed on zoo-plankton. Higher up the food chain of course are the dolphins, porpoise and seals which feed generally on fish and then there is us 'Homo Sapiens'. These dredgers stir up the sediments on the seabed which may have lain undisturbed for decades accumulating over time the products of past industrial and more recent agricultural practices. These 'probably' contain traces of agro-chemicals and lead and other toxic metallic elements washed down from the land in rivers and streams. So it is likely that the whole food chain is affected by the dredging.
The W.A.G. (Welsh Assembly Government) could put a stop to these operations or at least impose limitations on the number of licences issued and restrictions placed on the areas open for scallop dredging. If enough (local) people objected and put pressure on them and the fishery regulatory bodies to act then they may indeed take the course of action necessary to impose some sort of control on these operations.
This is where you can help by writing a letter voicing your concerns to the respective W.A.G. ministers. They are :-

Jane Davidson (AM), Minister for Environment, Sustainability & Housing,
National Assembly for Wales, Cardiff Bay, Cardiff. CF99 1NA

Elin Jones (AM), Minister for Rural Affairs,
National Assembly for Wales, Cardiff Bay, Cardiff. CF99 1NA


I know that Jane Davidson is particularly sensitive to marine issues following the excellent work conducted by Cliff Benson of 'Sea-Trust', the marine section of the South & West Wales Wildlife Trust. Miss Davidson has been very much 'hands on' having been present on boat surveys conducted by 'Sea-Trust' in the waters off Pembrokeshire in 2008.

There are a number of local organisations which are conducting a campaign against the dredging operations. They are Steve Hartley of the 'Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre' in New Quay, The 'Save Our Seas' (S.O.S.) local group, and 'Friends Of Cardigan Bay'. Please contact these organisations if you wish to show your solidarity towards their cause or help in some way.

Aber Prom

Early afternoon, - just after high tide - 9 Purple Sandpipers sheltering from the snow under the pier. Two more on the rocks alongside the wooden jetty.

Ynys-hir

As the tide pushed the waders closer to Breakwater Hide at about noon today I got good views of three raptors obviously looking for lunch. A Peregrine, a female Merlin and male Hen Harrier all within the space of about ten minutes. Other birds seen include c100 Dunlin, c110 Shellduck, 25 Redshank, pair of Goosander, 2 Greylag Geese, 4 Pintail and 1 Goldeneye. As I trudged back to the visitor centre it began to snow. At the cross-roads I stoped to admire Siskins, Long-tailed Tits, a Nuthatch and Great-spotted Woodpecker in the leafless trees before heading for home and hot tea.

Bewick/Mute interaction

Look behind you!
The bewick returned to Cors Caron boardwalk pond but the Mutes are already staking claim. Look at the bow wave!
First pic would almost make a good mystery bird entry!

small swan

Bewick swan on boardwalk pond this afternoon; must be a Slimbridge one as it took no notice of dogs, bikes and people walking. Fortunately it was next to 2 Canadas which alerted me to study its bill: the yellow patch was small and rounded, head large and neck a bit stumpy. Flew off eventually to join a group of swans flying down valley, possibly the wintering group of Whoopers.

Ceredigion Birds Blog

The blog has now been up and running for one month. At the time of writing we have received 4037 hits, which far exceeds what I had expected. The quality of the material published, particularly some of the photographs has been superb. So, thank you everyone for your postings and messages of support, the Ceredigion Birds Blog seems to be firmly established.

LLANSANTFFRAED SIGHTINGS

Again yesterday, Harry Pepper had a good count of 13 Grey Plovers at Llansantfraed, plus 25 Turnstones, 157 Curlews and 5 Red throated Divers.

ABERYSTWYTH SIGHTINGS

Yesterday morning I noticed 10 Purple Sandpipers at the high tide roost on the prom wall.

Later, Chris Bird found a leucistic Common Gull amongst a flock of 1250 infront of The Old College. This unusual gull has been coming to Aberystwyth for the past 10 winters! An adult Med.Gull was also present.