Clettwr walk

Not a great deal along the Clettwr this afternoon, but 2 Hen Harriers heading down the estuary: the first a smart male just beyond the railway line, and later a ring-tail well out over the salt marsh. Just a handful of Lapwings and a solitary Golden Plover - wonder where the rest have gone?

ANOTHER BLACKCAP IN ABERYSTWYTH

 Arthur Chater, who lives nearby in Pen-yr-Angor, saw a male Blackcap in his garden on Friday.

Between mince pies

A pair of Marsh Tits were at Long Wood this morning, a little way up the lane from the main car park.

BLACKCAP

  While I was away, Len Kersley reported that a female Blackcap was in his garden in Aberystwyth on Thursday.

Pale Buzzard

Cwm Rheidol is known for its pale Buzzards and this flight shot was taken near Devil's Bridge yesterday by Alaw Price, age 10.  Very well done, Alaw.

Power lines

A dead Buzzard underneath power lines across my field in Aberaeron on Christmas morning was not a welcome present - it had taken up residence in late October and seemed to be doing well. Broken wing. That makes one Red Kite and a Magpie over the past few years.

I've written to Western Power to see if they would be willing to fit reflectors or whatever - not particularly sanguine about getting a positive response. 

I wonder how many bird kills under unwatched power lines are missed?!

Ian Harrison

They're back

Every winter sees large mixed  flocks of Golden Plover plus Lapwing feeding on open fields around and to NE of Post Bach (south of Synod Inn).  Hadn’t seen any this winter but on Tuesday (26/12/17) spotted  circa 1,000 nr Post Bach. Unusually, these were nearly all (? 95%) Lapwing with a few Golden Plover and BH Gulls. 

These flocks  always tend to stick to large open areas of short, semi-improved grassland above about 250m.  

Nice to see them back; now where are the Golden Plover which usually outnumber the Lapwing?

Richard Williams

Around Ynyslas

Good to see the King Eider still present: looking like a good bet for our 2018 lists. The closer wildfowl consisted of ca250 Wigeon and 140 Teal.
Still around 70 Redwings and 55 Fieldfares on Ynys Tachwedd fields, but no sign of the Cattle Egret.
I had started at Aberystwyth where two Great Crested Grebes were just off College Rocks and two Red-throated Divers passed by.

Re: colour-ringed Chough

·         Rt: Orange/Orange inscribed “8J” Lt: Yellow/BTO

This is the first record of this young male, one of this season’s youngsters, ringed by Tony Cross as one of a late brood of two, at a site about 7 km south of Llansantffraed.  Interestingly, he was raised by a 21 year old colour-ringed female - our oldest productive female to date.  His brood sibling sister was recorded up at the northern communal roost near Borth in August and October – great to know trhat both of this brood fledged successfully. 

The colour-ringing is all part of a long-running study of choughs in mid + North Wales by Tony Cross + myself, during which over 5,000 individuals have been marked over the past 26 years, with life histories recorded for many of these birds, shedding light on their movements, social + nesting behaviour, longevity etc.

Adrienne Stratford

The above is feedback from Adrienne regarding Shane Jones's report of a colour-ringed Chough from yesterday, posted on the blog this morning.

2018 field trips

Many thanks to Elaine for continuing to organise the monthly field trips.
Details of the January and February 2018 outings are posted on the Field Trips section of the blog.

Llansantffraed to Graig Ddu

Walked from Llansantfraed to Graig Ddu and back today along the coast. It started well with a blue sky but soon reverted to the grey weather we've become accustomed to recently. With a cold wind blowing there was not as much to see as I would have liked but I did get some excellent views (not close enough for good pics) of a female kestrel hunting in the small field in front of the church (right of the stream as you look to the sea). I also had some good views of two choughs on the edge of the beach as they picked through the loose soil from the bank collapses; they were so energetic and seeing what they were causing I would venture they may be influential in those collapses! Tony Cross, one was ringed clearly 8J (visible in other pics) on orange with a silver and yellow ring on the other leg. The second was not ringed. I did not see the peregrine at Graig Ddu but did get a distant view of a merlin buzzing some small birds over the stubble fields on my return. Others included GBB gull, herring gull, curlew, turnstone, crow, jackdaw, magpie, starling, wood pigeon, robin, blackbird, song thrush, house sparrow, buzzard, red kite and skylark.

Shane Jones

Dyfi

King Eider and Cattle Egret still present. Other highlights were 11 pale bellied Brents, a group of 150 (ish) snipe on the foreshore at Ynyslas and a male and female Hen Harrier over the Borth bog.

A female Scaup with Tufties on Pencarreg lake this evening (just over the border in Carms).

Through the window

I intended to go out birding this morning, but a hail shower put me off earlier and I still haven't got round to it.
This Buzzard was posing nicely on a nearby telegraph pole just a few minutes ago.

SOME GOOD BIRD NEWS

  With the recent weather making birdwatching somewhat difficult it is nice to have some good Bird news.

   Chris Bird is now home after quite a long and sometimes traumatic stay in hospital.

   So, Happy Christmas  and good health in the New Year to Chris and to us all.

    John and Jill.

Singing Song Thrushes

 BWP Concise Edition states, and I quote: “Where some males resident (e.g. southern England) song begins when territories re-established in late autumn, usually late October or November; becomes intermittent in winter.”

 .

John Winterbottom

This correspondence is now closed.

Aberaeron Song Thrush

A Song Thrush was singing in a tree in Aberaeron yesterday afternoon between Hazeldean and the old Nat West bank.

Andy James

Cors Fochno

Ringtail hen harrier near Glandwr this morning but no sign of the Short-eared owl I saw on the 12th. Around 120 teal on the pool and 16 + snipe. Water rail and Cetti's heard from the reeds.

Mike Bailey

Denmark Farm

Struggling with Willow Tit? Cors Caron is obviously a well known site but can I also recommend DF near Betws Bledrws. I see them there very regularly. I was sorting firewood there this afternoon and one (or two?) were regularly calling around the car park. As guests will be staying in the eco lodges over Christmas they're even going to fill up the feeders, thus increasing your chances! A lovely spot for a festive stroll. Re. yesterday. The singing Song Thrush was at point blank range, in some dogwood right by the main doors. When I started to load some of the Amazonian deluge into my van a short while later it was silent. You have to be up early for these things, you know!

Lower Rheidol yesterday

No thrushes, but yesterday as I was walking along the river to Glanyrafon there was a briefly singing Dunnock at Coed Geufron (and another in Morrison's car park this morning).
Unusually, 28 Common Gulls on Blaendolau fields formed the majority of gulls there and on the river a group of three Goosanders included a fine male.

Singing thrushes

I read Ian Morris's post about singing Song Thrush with interest. No singing ST in Aberaeron but a singing Mistle Thrush on Wednesday afternoon at dusk - much more expected at this time of year. If ST's are imitating MTs in terms of earlier breeding then climate change is definitely happening!

Ian Harrison

flocks and songs

100 Lapwings at Capel Dewi, LLandysul today. On my way home from work just now I saw two flocks of Starlings several hundred strong heading in direction of the big roost near Talgarreg. These were near Lampeter, giving a sense of the wide radius that the roost draws birds in from (other sightings from Rhydlewis, Penrhiwllan, Horeb etc). A Song Thrush was in full song at 5am at the delivery office in Horeb.

Mostly Thrushes

A gloomy and misty morning, soon turning to drizzle. At Ynyslas was a close drake Pintail and around 60 Curlews.  A look across Ynys Tachwedd fields on the way produced 65 Redwings, 58 Fieldfares, three Mistle Thrushes and a Song Thrush (and some Blackbirds).

A Kestrel was in the recycling area at Borth.

A wild goose chase

On a walk along the Clettwr this morning I failed to find any Greenland white-fronted geese but instead had a slavonian grebe, five great crested grebes and nine red-breasted mergansers together at the mouth of the Clettwr. A ring-tailed hen harrier was over Lodge Farm, 1200 golden plovers and around 2000 lapwings were on fields west of the river and four water pipits were feeding along the edge.

Llangybi and Llanddewi

Been seeing Crossbills quite regularly over my garden these last few days. 7 this morning. Tend to assume they're all the same group hanging around locally but I guess they could as easily be completely different birds each time passing through as they are so nomadic. Popped over to Pont Gogoyan this morning. 90 Wigeon, 20 Teal, 2 Goosanders and a Dipper. If someone asked me; "what might I see at Pont Gogoyan on a typical December visit?", that would be exactly it.

Llanon - lime kilns

Today between Llanon and the lime kilns; 5 chough, ~40 curlew, skylark, buzzard, kites and a variety of thrushes on the fields. On the rocks a mix of gulls (HG, BHG, GBBG, CG), 2 heron, oystercatchers, and a raft of 100-or-so wigeon on the sea close to shore.

 

Naomi Davis

Xmas

For each and everyone on this blog and especially Chris.

Water Pipits - Teifi estuary

An early morning look at the Boat Builders on the falling tide produced an un-ringed Water Pipit feeding with the Rock Pipits. Clearly we have more than the one (ringed) bird.

2016 Ceredigion Bird Report

Congratulations to Russell and Arfon for an excellent production. 
An invaluable annual record of our county's birds and a worthy addition to a series going back to 1982-83.
Not only a guide to our regular breeding, wintering and passage birds and where and when they are best looked for, but a browse through shows what can be found if you are very lucky: (it helps if you are in the right place at the right time and put the effort in).
I urge all our readers to buy one.

BRENT GOOSE in ABERYSTWYTH HAROUR

   Given the light conditions this morning it was a wonder I could take a photo at all. Anyway, it was a new balcony tick.
    Soon after it took off and headed south, in the direction of the meadows at Tanybwlch.

More Lapwings on the move

Another sign of the freezing conditions was a flock of Lapwings seen flying over Llwyndafydd by Helen Griffiths at around 10:00 this morning.
Helen tells me she has never seen them in the area before.

Llanon sightings, 11th December

Took a couple of American visitors to Llanon to see Redwing and Fieldfare (and indeed Blue Tit, Dunnock etc) yesterday morning, 11 December.

Great White Egret 1 - seen v briefly from car park flying south low over fields. Couldn't relocate so presumably flew on.

Fieldfare c60

Redwing c280

Song Thrush c120

Blackbird c70

Reed Bunting 2

Linnet, 1

Pied Wagtail 1

Lapwing 2

Golden Plover c350

Common Snipe 3 (flew in at16.00, landed and then off again south.

Meadow Pipit c60

Rock Pipit 1

Skylark 10

Red Kite 30

Common Buzzard 8

A dog-walking lady we met said two Hen Harriers had been seen in the football pitch area - no sign south of car park where we were and no sign later in the afternoon north of the chapel/football pitch. Not totally convinced - a number of Buzzards were flying low in a harrier-like manner! Suspect confusion but willing to be proved otherwise.

Ian Harrison

I hope Ian's American visitors enjoyed their experience of birding in Ceredigion and that the weather wasn't too unkind.

I have been snowed in all weekend but managed to get out this afternoon to visit Chris in hospital, He's improving all the time and is looking forward to going out birding again.

Llanrhystud

8 degrees warmer here than in Llangybi and ice free but far fewer birds than I was hoping for. Maybe we got there too late. A mixed flock near the car park, mostly Redwings and Golden Plovers but also Lapwings, Fieldfares, Starlings, Mistle Thrushes, Song Thrushes and a Reed Bunting. Not many waders of any note apart from 5 Snipe but 3 Little Egrets did fly past. Quite a few Kites and Buzzards about. Tomos and myself were rather pressed for time so probably overlooked stuff.

ABERYSTWYTH'S TURNSTONES

35 were gathered on College Rocks yesterday afternoon:

Late Little Stints

On Nov 29th we were watching a flock of Goldies in the fields beyond the caravan park and noticed 4 smaller waders clearly not Dunlin or Goldies. I have just remembered to check the hastily taken pics and realise they were 4 Little Stints. Rather a late date.

Here is one bird handily close to a starling for size comparison.

BLACK REDSTART at TANYBWLCH

  There were up to 8 Stonechats along the path behind the beach this morning. On the large, rather icy and snowy meadow were several Song Thrushes and Fieldfares 

   At the edge of the beach, near the large ditch, Jill and I noticed a female-type Black Redstart. It flew across the path and fed on the grassy slope before feeding by the ditch and then on the adjacent meadow.

 

        

 

Hard weather movement

A party of nine Lapwings just flew north over the village: the first I've ever seen here.

Looking for that perfect Christmas present? Well the 2016 Ceredigion Bird Report is now available (for £5.00) at Ynys-hir RSPB reserve, the Wildlife Trust reserve centre at Teifi Marshes (from mid next week) and NatureQuest in Aberystwyth's Market Hall. Alternatively you can send me a cheque (payable to A Williams) for £7.00 and I'll stick one in the post for you(remember to include your address). My address is 11 Cysgod Y Coed, Cwmann, Carmarthenshire, SA48 8DN.

Merlin - Penglais

When returning from Aber this afternoon, travelling north along the main road, over the top of Penglais Hill we were surprised to follow a Merlin for about 200m, flying in the characteristic low level darting manner of this our smallest raptor. The snow on the hills must have suggested it was time to depart for the snow free coastal lowland.

Cancellation of Field trip.

TOMORROW'S FIELD TRIP CANCELLED.

The predicted weather is really too poor and Elaine has a tricky enough time getting out of Ystumtuen in the snow and ice without worrying about getting back!

Normal service resumed in January.  Happy Xmas Birding  to all our walk participants.

Cors Caron November WeBS count

This was meant to be mid month but eventually got done right at the end of November due to the high water levels. A pair of Gadwall at the Pont Einon end were the most notable birds, otherwise quiet, as follows:
Little grebe 2, heron 8, little egret 1, mute swan 23, whooper swan 5, hybrid goose 3, greylag 72, canada goose 50, wigeon 26, teal 694, mallard 155, water rail 2, moorhen 7, jack snipe 1, snipe 47, green sandpiper 1, LBB gull 4, herring gull 1.
I'd be grateful for any other figures from other birders for the last week in November - the accuracy of the count was lowerr than normal due to very high water levels, I had to do it in waders! See the photo.
Andy Polkey

Water Pipit at Cardigan

The Water Pipit was again on the Teifi estuary this afternoon, near to where the railings begin on the road to Gwbert.

A request for Barn Owl pellets

If anyone is clearing out barn owl boxes this winter, could I please have some pellets for an Owl Pellet Analysis workshop at Denmark Farm on January 13th?
Please contact me at aline@denmarkfarm.org.uk so I can arrange collection. Thank you! If anyone would like to join the workshop, details can be found here: https://www.denmarkfarm.org.uk/events/owl-pellet-analysis/

Aline Denton 

Field trip reminder

December field trip. Sunday 10th

Meet at 10am. in the car park in Llanilar village at map ref. SN

625753. This is down a dead end side road beside the village church.

We will be walking along the cycle path beside the river. The path is

flat and easy walking but it may be muddy in places so wear suitable

footwear. The walk should last for about two hours. Walks in this area

in winter can produce a variety of small birds including winter

thrushes, kingfisher and wagtails. Everyone is welcome.

Weather doesn't look too special but then fortune favours the brave!!

Aber seawatch and Chris Bird update

An hour's watch from the castle this morning produced 10 Kittiwakes, nine Red-throated Divers, six Common Scoter and a surprise in the form of a passing Harbour Porpoise.  Six Purple Sandpipers were roosting on the wall.

I could hardly believe the improvement in Chris's condition this afternoon.  Not only did he look so much better than I've seen him on previous visits, but he was feeling well enough to crack jokes in between feasting on various delicacies.

The Teifi estuary Water Pipit

The Water Pipit was showing well this afternoon - usual location feeding around the outfall stream by the Boat Builders on the road to Gwbert.

Thanks and Shrikeless

Thanks Harry and Liz for your help with that. I don't think anyone has found a Shrike yet this winter. I seem to recall that last October/November there was a prolonged run of easterlies but the opposite this year perhaps. I couldn't find one above Llanddewi Brefi this morning nor at Cross Inn Forest last week. There is some clearance work going on at Cross Inn not far from the main entrance. When I went they were stacking rather than felling and let me through but maybe they don't always. I've seen a Shrike before in the clearing immediately north of the T junction in the forest but viewing was getting difficult here as regrowth in the foreground was blocking the view. You could probably look back from the opposite side but that would entail an extra mile to hike there and back.

FAO Ian Morris

Ian,
Following your request for Adrienne Stratford's email address I emailed it to you the following day but have just found out that the message sending failed.  Don't know why, my email is normally working fine.
Anyway, it's adriennestratford@btinternet.com

Ynyslas

The high (5.3m) tide was beginning to ebb when I arrived this morning.  The King Eider was feeding over towards the point.
Not much else around so I went to check the Cattle Egret.  Still there along with a Little Egret and a Snipe.  On the nearby Ynys Tachwedd fields were around 50 Curlews, 45 Lapwings and an adult male Sparrowhawk.

Water Pipit and Whistling Ducks !

On the Teifi....
The brief glimpse of a Water Pipit yesterday evening was confirmed this morning. Watched at the outflow just past the Boat Builders at the start of the railings heading towards Gwbert. Present all day with Rock Pipits at this site favoured  by a Water Pipit last winter.
(sev obs)

A call from Tommy Evans with a sighting of unusual ducks on Mallard Pond.
(photos Tommy)

Fulvous Whistling-Ducks, an attractive exotic visitor !!
The pair of Mute Swans  which nest on Mallard Pond gave them grief, so much so that by this afternoon the Whistling-Ducks were seen flying around the reserve a couple of times having been driven off the pond.
200 Lapwing circling the Marshes appeared to be new arrivals too. The number of Dunlin has now reached 80, Redshank still c50, 1 Greenshank and both common species of Godwit are present in small numbers. 125 Curlew was a great count, not so the 1500 Canada Geese in the estuary at dawn.

YNYSLAS CATTLE EGRET

   This morning it was again standing in the sunshine on rocks beside the  barn in the field with a few cattle near the boatyard. Eventually it walked about picking up masses of food. A Little Egret joined it briefly.

      The nearby Golden Plovers were more difficult to count today but the size of flock was of a similar magnitude to Wednesday's count of 1250. Later from the Clettwr I watched a Hen Harrier quartering back and forth low over the adjacent grazing marsh.



Pont Einon

The three Whooper Swans (plus four Mutes) were still present at the south end of the bog this morning, as were the two at Ystrad Caron. 
Also three Little Grebes, two Snipe, a Little Egret, a scattering of Fieldfares and Redwings and a male Hen Harrier.  I can't think of many finer sights than a hunting male Hen Harrier on a sunny winter's day.

WHOOPER SWANS

Yesterday Jim Newman from Trisant reported two Whooper Swans on one of the local lakes, Llyn Frongoch.