A dark-bellied Brent Goose was on the shoreline at Llanrhystud early
yesterday morning. Also, an unusual sight of a pair of Greylag Geese distantly
passing north, where on earth are they going?
A nice morning at Ynyslas this morning, the air was completely still and it made for some good seawatching conditions. 10+ Red Throated Divers, thousands of Manxies, Gannets, a Shag and a good number of Auks and Sandwich Terns were all feeding just offshore. The feeding was interrupted somewhat when a dark-phase adult Arctic Skua came bombing through and pursued a Sandwich Tern into the mouth of the estuary, before carrying on north.
Plenty of birds passing north overhead, good numbers of Meadow Pipits, Pied/White Wagtails, Swallows and Linnets were joined by at least 6 Redpoll and a Tree Pipit. Also a 2nd summer and adult Med Gull flew into the estuary and 17 Bar-tailed Godwits flew north with a few Whimbrel. The dunes were absolutely alive with birds, I had a good walk through different areas of the dunes and found at least 15 reeling Groppers, some of them showing stupidly well. Also Whitethroats, Willow Warblers, Sedge Warblers and Greenland Wheatears. Around the point there were decent numbers of waders, probably a hundred Dunlin/Ringed Plover were joined by 6 Sanderling and a Turnstone. 20+ Whimbrel were around the Leri area, as well as 3 more Barwits.
It's good to be back in Ceredigion, even if I did get three lifers in as many days back in the Midlands!
A nice morning at Ynyslas this morning, the air was completely still and it made for some good seawatching conditions. 10+ Red Throated Divers, thousands of Manxies, Gannets, a Shag and a good number of Auks and Sandwich Terns were all feeding just offshore. The feeding was interrupted somewhat when a dark-phase adult Arctic Skua came bombing through and pursued a Sandwich Tern into the mouth of the estuary, before carrying on north.
Plenty of birds passing north overhead, good numbers of Meadow Pipits, Pied/White Wagtails, Swallows and Linnets were joined by at least 6 Redpoll and a Tree Pipit. Also a 2nd summer and adult Med Gull flew into the estuary and 17 Bar-tailed Godwits flew north with a few Whimbrel. The dunes were absolutely alive with birds, I had a good walk through different areas of the dunes and found at least 15 reeling Groppers, some of them showing stupidly well. Also Whitethroats, Willow Warblers, Sedge Warblers and Greenland Wheatears. Around the point there were decent numbers of waders, probably a hundred Dunlin/Ringed Plover were joined by 6 Sanderling and a Turnstone. 20+ Whimbrel were around the Leri area, as well as 3 more Barwits.
It's good to be back in Ceredigion, even if I did get three lifers in as many days back in the Midlands!
Edward O'Connor
I also saw the two Greylags yesterday morning, during an otherwise uneventful seawatch at Aberystwyth.