Penrhiwllan

Another nice day in the garden, spotting 23 species of birds, including 4 Siskins (1 male and 3 female)feeding on peanuts and mixed seed, and a heron fly over, around and then back over, which sent a raven up to see it off.


Ian Burgess

Bittern on Cors Caron

Walking the dog on Cors Caron about 10.30 today on the footpath from the railway line out to Cricklas and Swyddffynnon just by the small wooden footbridge a Bittern flew up only about 10 yards from me and dropped down about 50 yards further away in the long reeds and grass.

David Campion

Gull roost

Quite a large gull roost in the bay between New Quay and Cei Bach this evening, which included (approx.) 1500 Black-headed Gulls, 500 Common Gulls, 50 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and 30 Meds.

Purple Sands

After year ticking Andy James at New Quay this morning I headed south to do one of the remaining NEWS stretches just north of Llangrannog. I wasn't really expecting to see much given that this bit of coast is largely inaccessible so I was a bit surprised to bump into these two little beauties on rocks below the Urdd camp.

Llanon grey wagtail

Well it was blowing a hoolie down on the coast south of Llanon this afternoon so very few birds but along at Morfa Mawr stream there was a 1st winter grey wagtail working the edge of a small puddle as the stream was in spate.
  Going into the wind was no problem but on turning round to go back the wind blew those long tail feathers up and over the bird's head so it was tumbled along.  It recovered enough to swing around and face the wind for another feeding run but same thing happened repeatedly!
I can only assume the bugs in the mud made it worth taking the risk.

Penrhiwllan Garden Birdwatch

Before the hail and showers I carried out my RSPB big garden birdwatch this morning listing the following bird, totals are the amount of birds seen together  at any one moment, not the total birds seen.
The weather was dry, with cloud and some sun, with a slight breeze.
Time slot 8.45 - 9.45

BIRDS SEEN
Mistle Thrush         2
Blackbird                4
Chaffinch              10
Coal Tit                   2
Blue Tit                   4
Great Tit                 3
Long Tailed Tit       4
Marsh Tit                2
Nuthatch                2
Wood Pigeon         3
Collared Dove        2
G. S. Woodpecker 1 (M)      "female turned up about a hour later"
Crow                      2
Jay                         5
Magpie                   1
Wren                      1
Buzzard                 1            " 1 seen but 2 heard"
Pheasant               1 (M)
Dunnock                2
Robin                     5
Raven                    1


Missed out on FieldFare, Redwing, Red Kite, and Herring Gull which have all seen since the hour slot.

Ian Burgess

An interesting example of the variety of birds which can be seen in a rural garden in our county.

LITTLE GULL

Late morning I watched a first winter Little Gull feeding with several Black-headed Gulls just off South Beach at Aberystwyth.

What a garden bird! Great Grey Shrike

Chris just phoned me in a state of great excitement to tell me about the latest addition to his garden list.
Stepping out of the door prior to driving to Aber he was amazed to see a Great Grey Shrike fly into the tree where his feeders are, just yards away and scattering the Blue Tits far and wide.
The bird then moved to the back of the tree. What an incredible sight from your own doorstep.
Mm.  Less than three miles from where I live. Must keep my eyes peeled.

Yesterday, Chris had a look at the Rheidol Valley gravel pits near Aberffrwd from the Devil's Bridge road and had  good counts of six Tufted Ducks, seven Goldeneye (5f 2m) and a Goosander.

Another New Quay seawatch

During an hour and a half seawatch from the fish factory this morning: 11 Red-throated Divers, 12 Kittiwakes, six Fulmars, four Guillemots, three Common Scoter, seven Cormorants and a Shag.

Andy James

Upcoming event

Wednesday 3rd February, 1.30 pm.

The Penparau Community Wildlife Group is holding a bird walk and survey of their local area, including gardens, parks, and along the Rheidol.
All welcome. Meet at the community forum office next to the chip shop in Penparcau.
Note that the walk may be cancelled if the weather is wet.
To check for updates and see what other activities the wildlife group is organising, follow them on Facebook ('Penparcau Community Forum Wildlife Group').

Aline

Close encounters of the bird kind

I was on the castle this morning, idly wondering what would be the next addition to my year list, when a 1st w Kittiwake came flying along the prom, passing by so close that I thought it was going to join me in the shelter.
Later, a movement on the ground brought my attention to a fem/imm Black Redstart, which shuffled past just a few feet away, completely ignoring me.
I started the day with a Kingfisher, posing nicely on a branch over Plas Crug ditch, before heading for the coast.
Not a lot offshore; just four Red-throated Divers, a Common Scoter, a Curlew and three more Kittiwakes among a light passage of Common Gulls.  A Peregrine was perched on Consti.
As I was about to leave, Simon came along and told me about a Redpoll in a garden near the gap.

Iceland Gull - Teifi

A very white immature Iceland Gull was bathing amongst other large gulls, in the middle of the estuary opposite the Gull View Point at 1630 this evening. Looking at photos of the previous Iceland Gull on the Teifi this January, this is a different individual, and a different bird from the one visiting Newquay ?
Lapwings are increasing, yesterday the count reached 700, and whilst in counting mode ....710 Jackdaws on the mud.

New Quay seawatch

Nice hour and a half by the fish factory this morning. Seven Red-throated and one Great Northern Diver, two Fulmars, one Kittiwake, one Guillemot and two Choughs.

Andy James

The Clettwr today

As Harry said earlier, he and I visited the Clettwr this morning.  The Dipper that we saw put on an extended performance of its singular talent - able to dip below the surface and walk underwater - he really was a little star.

I took about 20 photos through my scope, this is my only decent one

Bob Relph

Ynyslas and the Clettwr

After checking the Purple Sandpiper roost at Aberystwyth (still nine), I continued to Ynyslas for a outing with John and Bob.
After a couple of light showers on the way, it remained dry with hazy sun for most of the morning until the inevitable clouds rolled in, and quite mild when out of the fresh wind.
Bob had arrived first and found a Greenshank and four pale-bellied Brent Geese, which were soon flushed off by the rising tide.
A small selection of waders: four Dunlin, six Turnstones and seven Grey Plover.  On the river were three Great Crested Gebes.
Later, a Little Grebe and two Redshank near the boatyard.  The tide was fully in when we looked at Ynys Tachwedd fields, where the Grey Plover, now nine, had flown in.  Also about 80 Curlews.
The highlight came as we walked back; a stunning aerobatic display by a Merlin.

Bob and I continued to the Clettwr, where we were entertained by a Dipper feeding near the footbridge.
We didn't walk far along the river, but at the far end there were very large flocks of birds, including at least a thousand Golden Plover, several hundred Lapwings and big numbers of Starling and Black-headed Gull. Also, a minimum of 15 Redshank.

Cors Caron signage

In terms of the signs, what would be useful is a sign near the car park highlighting the presence of the north hide and how far along the path it is. It’s a long walk and there are no signs on that path at all highlighting the presence of the north hide until you reach the new sign which is about 25 yards from the hide itself - I would imaging anyone getting to that point would see the hide for sure. I for one though, on two occasions, went looking for the north hide and gave up on both occasions. On the third attempt I found it - I just hadn’t walked far enough but not having any indication as to where it was left me feeling a bit lost.

Shane Jones
Aberaeron

Barn Owl

This afternoon I watched a Barn Owl hunting over the marsh-land beside the Dyfi.  I also saw him/her in the same area last time I visited the Glandyfi lay-by.  I got really good views on both occasions. Although I was in Ceredigion, strictly speaking the owl wasn't, it was on the far side of the river in Montgomeryshire or Merioneth.  So should I be putting this on The Ceredigion Birds Blog...

Bob Relph

New Cors Caron signage

It's nice to see bloggers posting about our new signage at Cors Caron. But Iestyn & I would like to point out that we have put the new signage exactly where we need it to deal with people either getting lost or being unsure of where they are and what their choices are - people really do get lost on Cors Caron sometimes!.
We often speak to people in the car park, on the railway line or on the boardwalk about their experience and specifically about how easy it is to find there way around.
Please bear in mind that you lot, as mostly regular visitors to Cors Caron and the countryside in general, know where you are when you visit or are confident & skilled enough to find out where you are. We get quite a lot of visitors coming for the first time who don't have good navigation skills. We want to help them enjoy their visit and feel confident about exploring all of our access routes if they choose to. We have noticed the following confusions arising relatively often:


1.  Visitors not knowing whether to turn left or right to get to the main boardwalk when they leave the
     car park (a surprising number of people have no idea how to read a map).
2.  Visitors getting to the turn to the bog hide (the big one, renamed because, as you all know, not
     many birds are seen from it!) and not even realising that it is there, so they miss it.
3.  Visitors getting to the turn to the bog hide and not realising that they are on a circular route, so
     they bottle out and turn back, missing out on the rest of the loop.


Hence the new, additional signage. We know it ain't pretty, and in some cases we will modify it to reduce its visual impact, but it really will stop people getting lost and hopefully help them enjoy their visit.

Cors Caron January WeBS count

I did the Cors Caron WeBS count for January on Tuesday last week, a very enjoyable walk along the river and down the railway line, especially as I had to skip the December count due to high water levels all month (only the 2nd time I've had to miss a count in my 18 winters of doing them).
Highlights were 7 goosander, a nice big flock of lapwing, hearing a water rail (I stop for lunch in the bird hide and often hear one there) and good numbers of wigeon on Maesllyn itself.
Although Cors Caron doesn't hold any nationally or internationally significant bird populations in winter in terms of numbers, it does hold one of the largest non estuarine concentrations of water birds in mid Wales. And we are now in the 53rd count year, which is a very long count series for such a rural and isolated area. Few WeBS count sites can boast such a long and near continuous (only one missed year in the 1960s and another in the 1990s) run of data; those that can are more often coastal and close to larger centres of population. The longevity of the data set has allowed it to track changes such as the disappearance of white fronted geese as an inland wintering species in the 1960s.

Turnstone rings

Silke, Tony Cross tells me that his group and others are now ringing above the inter-tarsal joint to reduce wear on the rings.   Makes them even harder to read in the field but probably better for the birds.

Pied Wagtail roost

The usual tree by the White Horse in Aberystwyth held at least 150 Pied Wagtails this evening.  Earlier, still five Brent Geese  up the Dyfi estuary towards the pillbox.

Chris Bird

Llanrhystud and Aberaeron

I went down to the coast yesterday to cover two sections for the Non-Estuarine Waterbird Survey (NEWS). Fairly quiet overall but it made me walk along a section of coast where I don't usually go. On the banks of the Afon Wyre in Llanrhystud two very photogenic Redshanks and a Dipper. It was also interesting to watch a Carrion Crow which, over the course of at least an hour, flew up in order to repeatedly drop and crack shells on the rocks below, while the Herring Gulls gave a Grey Heron a good chase. Turnstone camouflage is truly amazing, I virtually stepped on them before I saw them. One ringed bird with a metal ring (see picture) but not clear enough to read (I was surprised to see the ring so high up on the bird's leg). Aberaeron South Beach was firmly in the talons of a large group of Rooks but there were also nine Oystercatchers, also including a bird ringed with a metal ring but too far away to get a clear picture. On Saturday, a male unringed Black Redstart was showing well along the rood of the Old College. The Pied Wagtails gave it some trouble and repeatedly chased it away towards the Castle.

Silke Einschuetz

 

Smew on Llyn Eiddwen

The Smew was still on Llyn Eiddwen this morning. Thank you, Chris Bird, for this brilliant sighting! Also on the lake were a pair of Goosander and three female Goldeneye.

Cors Caron

Over 150 lapwing on the Se bog this morning with a flyover Little Egret.  Not seen the egret for some time and interesting that one has come as the herons gather at their nesting wood.

GG SHRIKE

Sorry Jon (see 20th) and anyone else, I have been away again, and I should have mentioned that the Shrike was at the usual spot; the clear-fell by the T-junction of the tracks in Cross Inn forest.

Smew on Llyn Eiddwen

Chris B has just rung me to say he has found a redhead Smew on Llyn Eiddwen.

An exceptional find, as Smew is not only a very scarce bird in the county, but almost all previous records have come from the Dyfi estuary.

Ynyslas

A walk from the beach car park, up to the boatyard and back, and hardly any rain.  Weird!

Anyway, we saw a Merlin which was initially perched on a post in the middle of the mud-flat, but took off at a rate of knots in pursuit of it's breakfast.  And close to the line of posts that jut out into the estuary I was delighted to see a Greenshank.  Perhaps the same one we saw on last week's birding group walk.

Bob Relph

Cross Inn forest and Cors Caron

Saturday 23rd 

No sign of the shrike at Cross Inn forest but did get a quick glimpse of what could only have been a goshawk. Moved to Cors Caron and not a great deal about today there either as the weather was pretty grey and it was windy. The usual suspects along the path but some nice views of a pair of hen harriers at the north hide late in the afternoon.

Shane Jones

Maes Llyn - Yesterday

A good number of Wigeon on the lake and grazing on the shore pasture  at Maes Llyn yesterday. From the second - enlarged section photo it can be seen that there is a very good equal ratio of ducks to drakes.
Nice to meet Silkie  who was also watching the Wigeon and other ducks as reported. It is good to now  be able to put a face to the name of a regular contributor to this blog.

Aberystwyth

Nine Purple Sandpipers roosting on the sea wall this morning; I think the highest count of the winter. On south beach were nine Ringed Plover and 17 Turnstones.

Yesterday I had a Siskin briefly near my feeders.  They don't usually turn up before the middle of February.  A Fieldfare and six Redwings were also my first of the year here.

Cors Caron

Cors Caron

Maes Llyn held around 140 wigeon and a single tufted duck. Also 2 canada geese and 2 cormorants. My regards to Mike Hayward - it was very nice to meet you! Large flock of fieldfares on fields close to the main car park. On the water in front of the waiting room 4 little grebes. The other attraction of course was the new signage - while I can fully see the point of it by the roadside and by the main car park, I'm not quite convinced about the necessity of big signs in the middle of the bog as you're not exactly likely to get lost on the boardwalk. Oh, and please note that the Waiting Room is now officially called the Bog Hide.

Silke

Don't get me started on unneccesary signs.  How did we ever used to find our way around?

Great Grey Shrike

Great to hear it's still around. Was it in the same area as it's been previously?

GREAT GREY SHRIKE

I was in Cross Inn forest this morning and was just about to give up when I saw the shrike perched in the distance.

 

After a while it dropped down and a couple of times I glimpsed it as it searched for prey in the undergrowth.

 

Having just spent a week in Norfolk it was nice to see something so good in Ceredigion.



 



Tetrad J, near Stag's Head

Not easy to make a circuit in this tetrad as I discovered in November. This time better equipped with wellies, pruning secateurs and billhook I managed to slosh and slash my way round on public footpaths before eventually emerging back in to civilisation(the B4342). Marsh Tit, Willow Tit, Woodcock and Kestrel were among the birds seen. In fact, if it wasn't for a 10 minute delay cutting through a blackthorn thicket I'd never have seen the Marsh Tit at all possibly. Re. the carcass at Ynys Las. If I remember rightly, a body was discovered in the dunes in last weeks episode of Hinterland. It woz the bruva wot dun it.

Juv/1st winter? white winger at Newquay Fish Factory

My first impression was that its head looked like a common gull with a 'kind' face, round head and smaller than herring gull sharp beak.  Lovely stand out pale brown barring.  Size against Herring  difficult to tell as angle is everything and I only had my little lumix.  It was keeping company with a gang of 1st year and adult Herrings so might hang around for someone else to get some good pics.
In the top 2 pics its the bird on the left.  I think I'd put my money on Iceland as it wasn't discernibly larger than the Herring Gulls whereas the Glaucous we saw at Ynys Hir last Jan was obviously larger, like a lesser BB, and had a flat head with huge beak.
Of course it could be a hybrid!

Aberystwyth Prom

18 Ringed Plovers on South beach by Castle point at lunchtime today, and a combined count of c.30 Turnstone along both beaches. No sign of any Purps - they must have been down by the harbour.  2 male Goosanders were courting 3 brown-heads/females on the Rheidol behind the TA centre, looking very smart  at close range.

Sightings from Chris Bird

On Saturday, the usual tree near the White Horse in Aberystwyth held 105 roosting Pied Wagtails.
Today, a good count of eight Grey Plover at Ynyslas and the eight pale-bellied and six dark-bellied Brent Geese still present a little further up the estuary.

Ynyslas - afternoon high tide.

 On a very dull afternoon little to be seen along the tideline at Ynyslas. Fifty six Wigeon, 8 Dunlin, 6 Shelduck, 2 Curlew and a lone Oystercatcher!

TURTLE ALERT URGENT

Turtles are being washed up around the south and west coasts of the UK (one per day so far this year).
Its imperative to get post mortem samples from any dead ones and to get any live ones to a 

specialist sealife centre ASAP so if you find one dead or alive please contact this number
 immediately:

01239 683033

A live turtle has to kept at its existing temperature until specialists can raise their temp by 1degree per day.  They don't need to be kept in water or put by the fire!

Any other strandings please put this number in your notebook: 0800 652 0333 and contact as soon as possible.

Re Kev's carcass.

Was it a sheep flooded off it's fields. Could be land animal easily, otherwise baby porpoise or some such. I admit not seen it!

Med Gulls

3 x 2nd winters and an adult at Aberaeron today.

Ynyslas & Aber Sat.

Weatherman promised sun , so goodbye L'dod and  off to the sea! No such luck. Re 50+ Wigeon on the Leri oppo the beach car park and a Dabchick by the bridge over it. Odd I thought. Flock of re 150 Lapwings over . Strange carcase on beach to seaward of dunes: about 3 feet long with ribs and most of the meat pecked off. Couldn't work it out???
Back to Aber and 2 groups of Turnstones by pier dashing in and out as the ripples came in. Black Redstart a speck high  up on the Old College and finally 2 Purple Sands on the old stone pier, dodging the waves, as was I ! T

hey were a bit nimbler than me with a large lens!

Short-eared Owl near Mwnt

A Short-eared Owl sitting on a post then watched flying out over the sea was a nice surprise while doing a BTO survey for non-estuarine waterbirds (NEWS) this morning. It was along the coast path between Mwnt and Cardigan Island.

Other bird highlights were 4 young Chough together, all unringed and another 2 Chough further on. Starting from Mwnt, the coastal fields were all very quiet then after an hour of walking there were plenty of Skylarks, Meadow Pipits, Stonechats and Linnets near Cardigan Island Coastal farm Park.
At least 3 Red-throated Divers were out to sea and just one Porpoise.

Today's field trip: Ynyslas to the pillbox (and back)

Fourteen of us set off from the beach car park at Ynyslas, led by Red, on what turned out to be an excellent morning's birding.
Two Grey Plover gave us a good start, followed by two Whooper Swans which appeared from the estuary and continued inland.  Lots of Curlews, prob 100 plus and more than usual Little Egrets around. Also a mobile flock of ca150 Golden Plover.
Past the boatyard and over the Leri and then we walked along the riverbank towards the pillbox.
From the masses of Wigeon and Oystercatchers we picked out a pair of Red-breasted Mergansers, the first of some 300 Pintail and then 14 Brent Geese, eight pale-bellied and six dark-bellied.
The walk back gave us an unexpected treat in the form of a Greenshank,
It was fairly cold, with a high thin cloud cover and just a breeze; ideal birding conditions, and just as we got back a light rain began to fall.

Bird list, in order of appearance.  Wigeon, Oystercatcher, Curlew, Shelduck, Black-headed Gull, Great Crested Grebe, Carrion Crow, Redshank, Cormorant, Great Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Grey Plover, Grey Heron, Little Egret, Whooper Swan, Canada Goose, Golden Plover, Lapwing, Snipe, Linnet, Teal, Robin, Dunnock, Red Kite, Meadow Pipit, Stonechat, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Magpie, House Sparrow, Little Grebe, Mallard, Pied Wagtail, Starling, Jackdaw, Pheasant, Reed Bunting, Red-breasted Merganser, Brent Goose, Pintail, Sparrowhawk, Skylark, Greenshank, Dunlin.

P.S.
After the walk Bob and I went along to Cors Dyfi, where we enjoyed great close-range flight views of the Bittern.
I know I'm a hypocrite after what I wrote on Thursday, but we didn't half enjoy that Bittern.

WAG Consultation on the protection of Greenland White Fronted Geese

The Welsh Ornithological Society have just published a notice concerning a 'consultation document ' issued by the Welsh Assembly on possible new conservation measures to protect the GWFG in Wales. As you are no doubt aware this is an iconic species for the Dyfi Estuary and the decline in numbers is of great concern. The following is the main notice issued by WOS:-

NEWS - ACT now! 
The Welsh Government is consulting on a number of proposals regarding the shooting of Greenland White-fronted Geese in Wales. We urge WOS supporters to respond to the consultation and make your voice heard, as this has been a campaign priority for us over the last two years. We applaud the Welsh Government's decision to revisit its policy, since as recently as October 2015, the Minister for Natural Resources told ushe was not prepared to consider such a move. 

We hope to produce a draft response and share it with members early in February, but if you are planning to respond in the meantime, please see our response to an earlierWelsh Government consultation on the shooting of Greenland White-fronted Geese.By way of background, you may also want to read our follow-up comments to the Senedd Petitions Committee consideration of a petition organised by Aaron Davies. 

The Government is consulting on five options. WOS will be supporting Option 1, a statutory ban on shooting of all European White-fronted Goose (EWfG) and Greenland White-fronted Goose (GWfG) throughout Wales throughout the year. 

The other options proposed provide less protection for GWfGs in Wales, either because they are restricted to only parts of Wales (geese can turn up anywhere, depending on the weather conditions) or because it doesn't include EWfGs, which are almost impossible to distinguish in flight (by good birders as well as experienced shooters). We believe that, since the UK is a signatory to the International Action Plan for Greenland White-fronted Geese, the Welsh Government must take every measure possible to contribute to the species' conservation on their wintering grounds and during migration. Wales is the only range-state for the species that allows the hunting of this rapidly declining species.

The deadline for the consultation is 7 March 2016. Visit the consultation

RSPB Ynys-hir

This morning there was a water pipit on fields near the Breakwater hide and a Slavonian grebe on the Dyfi seen from the Marian Mawr hide.

hen harrier petition

In between the snow/frozen rain flurries this morning I watched one of the male Hen Harriers quartering the bog and was reminded that this week is the last chance to sign the petition to ban DRIVEN grouse shooting (different to walked- up shooting) as the high intensity grouse moors of N.England and Scotland are where they are most persecuted.  The link to the petition is on Mark Avery's blog 'Standing up for Nature' with chapter and verse on the case for it.

Ceredigion has garnered 81 signatures so far which is the most in Wales and maybe because the campaign has had publicity on this blog; it won't succeed of course but it is a chance to show that the  birdwatching community cares about more than just twitching rarities.

Also on the flash in front of the waiting room 3 little grebes and a pair of mute swans.

Pont Gogoyan

 17 Grey herons on fields above Pont Gogoyan this afternoon was interesting. I assume they are about to return to the heronry at Cockshead wood, though this is about two weeks early. 60 Wigeon, 45 Teal and 1 male Goosander looking quite pleased with his 2 females were also enjoying the sunshine this afternoon.

 David Price.

More on Montgomery

Considering the post Harry and Keith have just put up I wondered if this talk by Brayton Holt would interest some birders in the north of Cere.

MWT Bird Group

Illustrated Talk titled COAST

by 

Brayton Holt

Happy New Year to Members and Non-Members – All Welcome

7.30pm, Wednesday, Jan 20, 2016

Methodist Church Hall, Broad Street, Welshpool

Entry £2.50

More details on the Mont bird blog.

Bittern at Cors Dyfi

Me and Duncan had a good view of a bittern down cors dyfi today.  It was about 20 yards from us and right next to the boardwalk.

Also me and Keith(grandfather) saw a Short-eared Qwl and Barn Owl hunting in front of Domen Las before Xmas.

Keith Lewis

By coincidence, Bob and I discussed sightings from Cors Dyfi on Tuesday, when we were on a jaunt to North Wales. 

We agreed that sightings from there would not be posted on the Ceredigion blog routinely, as the site is out of the county, but that it is a good idea to let Ceredigion birders know if there is a good bird like a Bittern around, and so close to our county.

Also, Keith sent the sightings of the Owls at the time to me but I didn't receive his email.  

Can I repeat what I said on the blog on 21st December.  If anyone sends me an email and I don't reply or put anything on the blog, then I haven't received it.

In that case, please send me a text with your email address and I will get back to you.  This has sorted out the problem in the past.

Thank you

Llyn Eiddwen yesterday

Chris had two pairs of Goosander on Llyn Eiddwen and a flock of 200 Fieldfares with a very few Redwings nearby, which were disturbed by a Sparrowhawk.

Today he had an unringed adult Mediterranean Gull at Clarach.

Hen Harriers on Cors Caron

On a walk from the most northerly car park down to the raised hide, and then a couple of hours in the hide, saw 2 male hen harriers (both in view through the binoculars at the same time which was a first for me) and 4 or 5 sightings of ring tails (not sure how many different birds though).

Sightings from yesterday (Sunday)

Nick Edge  

 

Bullfinch

Just taken through my front window: gorgeous.

Redwings at Denmark Farm

There were at least 40 Redwing in the woodland at Denmark Farm yesterday afternoon. (Friday)

Aline

More from Aberystwyth, Saturday

This morning there were 15 Turnstones by the pier, and four Purple Sandpipers. 

 

Later on, a Kingfisher posed beautifully for us for at least 5 minutes on the Rheidol by the football ground, unfortunately my camera was on the kitchen table!

The Black Redstart was on the Old College on Friday

Helen Herbert

 

Penrhiwllan

Here in the our Penrhwillan garden, we have had some extra colour today in the way of a smart male pheasant and 2 siskins. We also still have a pair of Marsh tits visiting our feeders regular along with Blue, Great, Long tailed and up to 8 Coal tits.

Ian Burgess

Borth Bog

Had great views of a ringtail Hen Harrier hunting over Borth Bog this morning.  Suddenly a female Kestrel started dive bombing it .  After ten minutes the Harrier had had enough and went.  Then a Lapwing started to do the same to the Kestrel.  The Kestrel lasted only about two minutes before disappearing.  What a sight.

Andy James

Plas Crug Avenue etc.

I've never seen as much surface water along Plas Crug Avenue, but even so I didn't expect to find 12 Mallards on one of the flooded areas. A Kingfisher in the ditch was my first of the year.
Then to the Old College, where the male Black Redstart showed briefly.  Finally,a short seawatch: just two Red-throated Divers and 14 Common Scoter, nine of which were much closer in than usual, and all drakes.

Aberystwyth Blackcap

Helen H had a Redshank in the Gap at the harbour today, and a female Blackcap in her garden nearby.

Barn Owl at Llyn Oerfa

Today when I returned home at 3pm. there was a barn owl flying around
Llyn Oerfa. Had beautiful views but did not see it catch anything!

Also a reminder that the January walk is now next Saturday (16th.) NOT
this Saturday (10th.).

Elaine Izett

Little Gull at Aberaeron

We had to kill some time in Aberaeron today and instead of being sensible and tucking ourselves into a warm caff we did a seawatch in extremely blustery conditions.  We were rewarded with some good views of a Little Gull (adult) searching the breaking surf before it flew off towards Aberystwyth. A brief period of sunshine coincided with its visit and highlighted the dark underwing even at distance.
There were also 2 Med Gulls (1x ad and 1x 2nd winter).
The rate the water was flowing out of the harbour at low tide I expect the Mandarins to be in Ireland!

On the way home there were 6 male Goosanders after 3 females on the Penuwch pond by the statues.  Seemed a lot for such a small pond.

Whooper Swans

6 whooper swans were on Bray's Pool (Llywernog) this afternoon along with a male goosander. On Bwlch Nant yr Arian lake were 7 more goosander (5f), 3 tufted (2f), juvenile cormorant and a pair of mallard.

GND at Aberporth

My NEWS sector at Aberporth today was quite interesting with a Great Northern Diver feeding and travelling fast towards the cliffs at the Tresaith end of the route, 5 scoter and 2 Chough…unringed!  27 Oystercatchers in a field and a large number of gulls.  Peregrine fly by, but not interested in the feral pigeons which would have made an easy snack.
Two Med Gulls(one adult the other a first year) at Llanina but only 4 Oystercatchers, not even one Turnstone!
I have to log humans and dogs for this survey but have to admit all the dogs were controlled and some folk were keen to tell us about the local birds and enquire after our sightings so positive start to the New Year on that front!

Greenland white-fronted geese

At first light this morning there were 15 Greenland white-fronted geese roosting on the Dyfi, visible from the Marian Mawr hide. Luckily, they waddled onto the Ceredigion salt marsh before flying off to feed in fields on the Merionethshire side of the river so another year tick for the county for me. This afternoon the whimbrel was on Lodge farm.

Black redstart breaks BTO's longevity record

Our male black redstart that winters on the old college building and St Michaels Church has recently been confirmed as the oldest. The previous record was from 1947 to 1952 and the bird was 4 years, 11 months and 18 days between ringing and re-trapping. Our male was ringed 5th December 2010. Photographs clearly showing numbers and letters on the ring were received recently by Tony Cross. But that's not where the story ends… the record can be extended - so if you're out and about with a decent camera lens, why not try and help lengthen the record?

Just a reminder that the 2014 reports are only £5 and are available at:  RSPB Ynys-hir, the Welsh Wildlife Centre near Cardigan, Naturequest - Market Hall, Aberystwyth, Clive's Menswear - Terrace Road, Aberystwyth and Bwlch Nant yr Arian visitor centre. You can also order by post with a cheque for £6.20 which includes P&P. Address: Derwen 3 Bridge St, Pontrhydfendigaid, Ystrad Meurig, Ceredigion, SY25 6EE. Please make the cheque payable to: The Wildlife Trust of South & West Wales. Thank you!

Clettwr

Yet another fruitless search for the Greenland white-fronted geese on the south side of the Dyfi. Plenty of other highlights though with 7 brent geese feeding with Canada geese east of the Leri, 278 pintail between the Leri and Clettwr with four knot, a grey plover, 820 oystercatchers and a bar-tailed godwit. A very unseasonal whimbrel flew in calling and fed with a couple of curlew just west of the Clettwr and a greenshank was flushed on the walk back. Two water pipits were near the end of the track and two dippers were by the ford, one singing so I closed my eyes for ten minutes and enjoyed the song and thoughts of Spring.

Back to Aberystwyth

My first local outing of 2016 after braving the floods of Lancashire over the new year proved quite enjoyable, despite the rain.
On a falling tide at Castle Point, 15 Ringed Plover, four Turnstones and two Purple Sandpipers.
A Peregrine was perched on the usual spot on Constitution Hill and a Raven flew low over the castle. Quiet offshore until a Red-throated Diver and a party of 24 Common Scoter flew south, followed by another scoter.
The local Mute Swan family of two adults, two young and a Canada Goose were on the sea off Castle Point.
I'm now building up my year list the easy way, having had a pair of Great Spotted Woodpeckers and a couple of Jays on the feeders as I write this.

Sightings from Chris Bird

On Saturday, Chris had the ringed male Black Redstart on the Old College, then two dark-bellied Brent Geese at Ynyslas, and finally, 82 Pied Wagtails in a tree next to the White Horse on Portland Street.
Yesterday, a dark-bellied Brent in a field by the road leading to the beach car park at Llanrhystud.
Today at Ynyslas the two Brents were still present and there were 62 Dunlin on Ynys Tachwedd fields.
Basil and Rhiannon had a female Black Redstart on the Court building in the marina.

Pier Starlings

A good number of Starlings put on an impressive display this evening as they came in to roost under the pier. (Pity the light was so poor!)

Aberystwyth today

There were eight Purps sheltering on the prom-wall when I visited Aberystwyth this afternoon, this is one of them.

There was one Turnstone nearby and the male Black Redstart was still flitting about on the old college building.

Bob Relph

Eiders at Llanon

A rather belated record of 5 Eiders (3 male, two fem) flying south off Llanon on 29 December. Apart from Skylarks and a few pipits, nothing else of note although the sun was a pleasant surprise. Surprised there were so few waders between Llanon and Aberaeron (apart from a few Oystercatchers and a lone Curlew) but the sun unfortunately had brought out the dogs, many of which were cavorting along the inter-tidal zone. Nothing in the fields.

Ian Harrison

Field Trips. Your bird group needs you

I have volunteers for the April and May field trips but February and
March need to be organized NOW. If anyone out there feels that they can
help please contact me as soon as possible - it's not difficult, it's
enjoyable. These field trips are important to group members so please
get thinking and contact me with your ideas.

Elaine Izett

For Sale

I have a spare brand new and unread copy of Mark Cocker's Birds And People for sale. RRP is £40, Amazon sells it for £32. Happy to sell for £25. Also for sale the Lowepro Toploader Pro 75 AW II (see here www.jessops.com/online.store/categories/products/lowepro/toploader-pro-75-aw-ii-95164/show.html)  Suitable to carry a camera with long lens attached. Works well for Canon 100-400 with lens hood reversed and many other long lenses. Used only a couple of times and still under warranty from Jessops. In As New condition. It is a great bag, just not suitable for my requirements. Selling for £70.  And finally a Hama Star 63 tripod - this is a basic tripod suitable for compact and bridge cameras. In excellent condition with carrying bag. Available for £10. Please do give me a ring (01974 298993) if interested. 

Silke Einschuetz

 

New year

A stroll down the Clettwr yesterday looking for the White-fronted geese was un-productive, what with at least 7 shooters before me, a quad bike and three dog walkers. A birder already there risked a 10,000 fine having gone through the gate onto the railway (not recommended). A dipper and 25 field fare the only highlights. Today, checking the ponies at work at RSPB ynys-hir a singed staccato from the breakwater hide (Cetti's warbler) saved a trip to cors Caron or the teifi and at aber today 6 purple sands and the rather smart male black redstart.

Nest box cameras...

I'm thinking of treating myself to a camera/nest-box to install in my garden.  But I don't know anything about them.  Anybody out there know if it's possible to get one that will enable me to view clear images on my iPad and/or TV?

Bob Relph

Purps

Unlike the others, I didn't see the Black Redstart when I looked at about 10:30am but there were 4 Purple Sandpipers on the prom wall. It was only when I was explaining it to a non- birdwatching friend near the crazy golf that I realised what a colourful collection we all look for! I retired at the end of the year so perhaps I can now get out a bit more.

Black Redstart

I also saw the male Black Redstart that John had seen earlier on the old college building, I was there at about 12:30.  Just before that I had a look along he prom wall hoping to see some purps, but I was out of luck. However I did get 12 Turnstones.

Feather fans!

Feather Calendar 2016

Just seen this calendar for sale from NHBS for less than a fiver!  12 different birds.

www.nhbs.com

Cors Caron

Went up the railway trying to hear/see the Cetti's, heard several wrens and this fellow was in charge of the bramble bushes in front of the hide.  Its a grub for elevenses…sawfly larva?
55 lapwings and 5 Whoopers flying on the west side of the bog accompanied by an hour of clay pigeon gunshots enlivened the return walk.

The river walk on the bog is closed on Friday 8th Jan and as its usually a Sat for closure I suspect this will be used for the hunt or shooting..be warned!

BLACK REDSTART

For once, for me at least, a male Black Redstart showed really well this morning on the Old College at Aberystwyth, viewed from the side of St Michael's church.

Great Northern Diver - - Teifi

This Great Northern Diver was found off on the Pembs side of the estuary, by 3pm the bird was eating small crabs just offshore from the Boat Club at Patch.

 Unlike the mouth of the Dyfi / Ynyslas, the bay at the mouth of the Teifi only occasionally attracts Red-throated Divers. So a nice record today (photo Dyfed James)

YNYSLAS

Late morning I watched a Merlin hunting over the saltings from my viewpoint overlooking the Leri just downstream of the boatyard. A lone Brent Goose was towards the pill box.

Could not access the blog yesterday and was unable to report that I noticed 9 Purple Sandpipers at Aberystwyth.

Icelandic Turnstone at Ynys Las Ring number needed.

Tony Cross spotted this on the beach and has managed to get some of the numbers.  Anyone down there with a long lens could maybe help out…if the rain stops for long enough!

I also had a ringed turnstone at Llanon but it was above the 'knee' and very hard to see.

Its interesting to see where these birds are coming from so keep an eye out for rings!

Stag's Head

A walk before the next lot of rain was generally rather quiet. Some common birds, such as Chaffinches, were hard to find. However, I was lucky enough to see both Marsh and Willow Tits.

Cettis Warbler

Red Liford has just seen and heard a Cettis at the Fflur hide (where the old tower hide was) on the railway at Cors Caron.   I'll post the pic when and if he can find it on his camera!