Ceredigion Bird Report 2017

Struggling to find that perfect Christmas gift then your worries are over. The Ceredigion Bird Report 2017 is now available at Ynys-hir RSPB, Naturequest in the Market Hall, Aberystwyth and Teifi Marshes Nature Reserve Centre. For the ridiculously low price of £5.00 you won’t believe what you get for your money!
You’ll find out which birds turned up where and when (aka the systematic list) and vicariously experience the thrill of finding county firsts by reading first-hand accounts of discovering Caspian Gull (a bit overdue) and King Eider (blimey!). You’ll catch up with all the great work the county’s ringers have been up to, including a fantastic insight into the wonderful world of colour ringing/marking, including what its teaching us about the Dyfi Greenland White-fronted Geese.
Fear not garden birdwatchers, the Report also includes the results of the 2017 Big Garden Birdwatch, including the top 20 species seen in the county’s gardens. Will they be the same as yours? Well why don’t you just get yourself a copy of the Bird Report and find out!
If that wasn’t enough 2017 was a year of records and you can read about the bird racing, bird chasing mad dash around Ceredigion that resulted in a stonking 124 species seen in a single day. Phew – breathless just thinking about it!
And just like the gift that keeps giving the Report is stuffed to the gunnels with fantastic photos and wonderful art from local wildlife artist Becky Thorley-Fox.
People who know say that this is easily the best Bird Report available in the county so get your now while stocks last!
PS – if you can’t get one yourself send me a cheque for £6.50 (payable to A Williams) to cover the cost of the report and p & p and I’ll stick one in the post. My address is Abernaint, Ffarmers, Llanwrda, Carmarthenshire, SA19 8JR.

Dyfi bend viewpoint

A short stop between the showers yesterday afternoon. Highlights a female merlin,  a ring-tailed hen harrier and 4 goosander.

Dick Squires

Cattle Egret - Teifi

A Cattle Egret was on the Ceredigion side of the Teifi opposite St Dogmael's slipway this afternoon.
It, or a different one has been seen intemittently since November 7th, often associating with cows in the fields behind the river.
Other birds on the same sandbank included 58 Redshank, 50 Lapwing and 42 Dunlin.

Bonxie off Ynyslas

A Bonxie flew south close in off the Ynyslas turn carpark this afternoon. At the tern posts there were 784 Golden Plover, 247 Dunlin, 15 Sanderling, and 2 Turnstones. The Queen Eider was still present in the estuary. At Ynys Tachwedd there were 42 Curlews, 34 Redshank, 200+ Lapwing, 70+ Teal and 7 Twite flew over.

Cattle Egret at Lampeter

Popped into Lampeter at lunchtime for some cat food and a pasty and found a Cattle Egret on the flooded field between Lampeter and Cwmann. The bird was on the Carmarthenshire side of the river. I've now seen all three species of egret here in the last couple of weeks!

New Quay

There was a pair of eider at Llanina point yesterday morning (26^th).

Behind my house on the Coybal road there is a field of turnips heavily ‘infested’ with sorrel that and it’s become a seedeater’s magnet with large numbers of linnet, goldfinch, house sparrows and chaffinch. Also seen were a small number of reed buntings and a single brambling. The field has also attracted raptors including the local sparrowhawk, a kestrel that was seen taking a bird and a pair of buzzards. I was surprised to see one of the buzzards having a go ( unsuccessfully).

Viv Evans

Ynys-hir and Ynyslas

To Ynys-hir for the high tide this morning.  A Pink-footed Goose was on the Marian Mawr pools.  Pick of the wildfowl on the Dyfi were three Goldeneye (one male) and a pair of Red-breasted Mergansers.  In addition to the usual waders were a Common Sandpiper and a Black-tailed Godwit.
At Ynyslas a few Dunlin and Ringed Plover were mixed in with at least 750 Golden Plovers.
The King Eider was showing well; at one point swimming among a group of Wigeon and a Great Crested Grebe.
I couldn't find anything among the Common Scoters at the turn car park except for eight Red-throated Divers and a couple of Great Crested Grebes.

King Eider

Llyn Eiddwen and Llyn Fanod

On his usual Sunday afternoon tour of the local lakes Chris Bird found 21 Goosanders (four males), a Goldeneye, three Tufted Ducks and 34 Mallard on Llyn Eiddwen.

On Llyn Fanod were another four Goldeneye.

Chris also remarked on the absence of winter thrushes in an area which usually hold good numbers at this time of the year.

This morning

The highlight of the 16 bird species recorded at Cross Inn Forest was flushing a Woodcock. 

Andy James

Sightings from Aberaeron

Tuesday 20th November

I have recently moved to Aberaeron and am a keen but casual birdwatcher. On our daily walks I note what I see. Obviously there are the usual suspects : Mallards, black headed, herring and the occasional lesser black backed gull, Robins wrens, starlings, Blackbirds, goldfinch, sparrows by the 100 (especially in our garden) rooks, jackdaws, cormarants,  rock pipits. 

Also at least two resident Dippers and a young heron on the River Aeron which we see every day. 

This morning we also saw : two Redshanks in the Harbour , three Curlews on the beach at low tide, Oystercatchers a plenty and 30+ Ringed Plovers. 

And from Friday 16th.

At 9.30 this morning New Quay Harbour - Four Gannets (along with about four Dolphins) seen from the Harbour wall. One Gillimot in the sea and a Turnstone on the Harbour wall. 

The above sightings are from Debbie Camp, who has recently moved to Aberaeron. 

 The reason I have not posted them sooner is because of the old problem that I have had with my address on the Sightings page.  As I have said before, when sending sightings to me, please do not use the link on the Sightings page of the blog,  

Although my e-mail address is correct on the page, by using the link it deletes the 947 so making it incorrect and the e-mail doesn't reach me.
Please sent e-mails to me in the usual manner.

That Long-tailed Duck

Edward saw the bird and called it fractionally before I did.  Reflexes obviously slowing down.  Probably the closest L-t Duck I've ever seen; lets hope it stays around.
After we split up I went to the estuary and on the ebb tide near the tern posts were 170 Dunlin, eight Golden and one Grey Plover and two Turnstones.  Three Pintail were close inshore.
A quick look at the sea from the toilet block revealed four more Red-throated Divers.

Long-tailed Duck off Ynyslas

Harry and I found a superb Long-tailed Duck feeding in the surf off the Ynyslas brickhouse this morning. Mid-morning the bird flew along the shore and into the estuary. The three Velvet Scoters were still offshore with Common Scoters and 8 Red-throated Divers flew past. 45 Stock Doves and 20 Skylarks were in the crop field at Ynys Tachwedd.

Velvets off the brickhouse

Chris Bird refound the 3 Velvet Scoters off the brickhouse at Ynyslas this afternoon. Luckily for me two of them were still there at dusk. Two Greenfinches flew over my garden in Borth this morning and a Jack Snipe was at Llyn Blaenmelindwr at the Pendam Lakes.

Ynyslas this morning

There were at least two Twite still in the saltmarsh near the Leri this morning. A ringtail Hen Harrier, a Whimbrel and a Merlin were present also.

Ynys-hir

Spent an hour today in Ynys Feurig hide at Ynys-hir

On the pool highlights were 42 lapwings, 1 dunlin, 4 shoveler, 260 teal, 2 little egrets, and a superb male merlin sitting on the railway fence. Distant views of a female hen harrier and 2 red kites over the grazing marsh.

11 reed buntings on the edge of the raised bog behind the hide.

Dick Squires

December field trip

The December field trip will be on Wednesday 12th. at R.S.P.B. Ynys-hir.  Meet at 10am. in the car park at Ynys-hir. The reserve is situated between Machynlleth and Aberystwyth. Turn off the A487 in the village of Eglwysfach and proceed one mile to the car park.

There is an admission charge of £6 per adult for non members so do not forget to bring your RSPB. card if you have one. The walk will be on good paths but there may be some mud.  The walk should last about two hours.

Elaine Izett

Velv....Gadwall off Borth

A quick search for Harrys Velvet Scoters at dusk was unfortunately unsuccessful. There was however, a pair of Gadwall just offshore, which is a new bird for the patch this year, didn't think I was going to get one!

Velvet Scoters off Borth

Sea was calmer this morning so I had a look from Ynyslas turn car park.  Eight Wigeon joined the 340 or so Common Scoter, five Gannets were circling around and on the beach were six Ringed Plover, two Sanderling, a Curlew, a Redshank and a Dunlin.
Hoping to find divers (or anything) I stopped off near the golf clubhouse for another look at the sea and found three Velvet Scoters drifting north, two females and one I think was an immature.

Llansantffraed/Llanon

A lively morning. Had the impression that I was missing as much as I was seeing. Plenty of skylarks about but I couldn't locate anything scarcer among them. 7 sp of wader were scattered thinly along the entire shoreline. At sea; 3 Whooper Swans, RB Merganser, 14 Common Scoter and at least 3 RT Diver. Supporting cast inc; Kestrel, Dipper, Grey Wagtail and Stonechat.

Rheidol G P and Nanteos Pool

This afternoon, three Goldeneye and two Little Grebes on the Rheidol gravel pits and then on Nanteos pool a male Shoveler was the first for a long time.  Also 12 Teal and six Wigeon along with the usual Little Grebes and Moorhens.

Chris Bird

Glandyfi

Spent 30 minutes this afternoon at the viewpoint lay-bye;

Sightings included 2 goosander, 5 little grebe, 3 goldeneye, 180 wigeon, 2 mute swans, 2 little egret, and great views of a  female hen harrier heading north.

Dick Squires

Ynys-hir

Visit to Ynys-hir Sunday 18^th mid afternoon

From Ynys Feurig hide

16 mallard, 5 shoveler, 180 teal, 80 wigeon (most of these grazing just below the hide), and 36 lapwing.

On the surrounding grazing marsh birds included a female hen harrier, 30 golden plover, 220 curlew, and 2 little egrets.

8 meadow pipits and 2 snipe on the raised bog from the boardwalk.

Dick Squires

Tufted ducks

In response to John's post on Sunday as far as I can tell the record count of tufted ducks for the county is of 40 at Dyfi estuary on 25th October 1999. The 34 is definitely a record count for an inland location.

Gannets

Gannets used to be scarce in the county after October but have become much more regular, and in greater numbers, in the last few years.  This morning I had another nine off Aberystwyth during a 25 minute seawatch, as well as three Red-throated Divers and six Common Scoters.

LLYN RHOSRHYDD

  There were 34 Tufted Ducks and a lone Mute Swan on Rhosrhydd this morning. Looking through Ceredigion Bird Reports that number of Tufted looks like a county record.

   The only bird we noticed on all the other lakes at Trisant was just one Little Grebe.

LLANON KESTREL

If only the sun had been behind me:

Penrhiwllan

There was over 20000 starling in 3 flocks fly north over us between 4 and 4.30 today.  I would have thought they were heading for the roost in the Talgarreg area. Also a Red Admiral butterfly enjoying the afternoon sun in the garden.

Ian Burgess

Gulls

Most of the day till at least 1430  c1000 gulls on the banks of the Teifi above Pont Gogoyan, mainly black-headed with a few lesser and great black backs; very few immature birds, 

They were rather restless and when wheeling around at great height joined by kites, corvids, Buzzards, and pigeons suggesting that either the local Peregrine falcon female or the Goshawk female could be around. Also three female and one drake Goosander and a few wigeon.

David Price

Castle Point

A continuous light passage of mostly distant auks off Aberystwyth this morning; prob 200 plus and almost all going north, as were 16 Gannets, all adults, and 10 Common Scoter (plus 3 south).
Heading south were two Teal, a Great Northern Diver and three Red-throated Divers, with another two on the sea.
11 Ringed Plovers on the rocks at the point were joined for a short time by a Knot, with an even briefer visit from a Sanderling.

Stock Doves at Ynyslas

A nice flock of 38 Stock Doves was in the crop field at Ynys Tachwedd fields this morning. There were also around 100 Chaffinches, 20 Skylarks, 200 Lapwing and 300 Linnets there as well. A sea watch produced 5 Dark-bellied Brent Geese flying north.

Purp Sands etc.

Managed to spot a single Purp Sand on the wooden jetty today re 12:00 . Turnstones near the pier and finally ,  14:30 ,hundreds of Wigeon @ Ynyslas and 2 Little Egrets , plus 16 Curlews next the caravan park.

Twite at Ynyslas

A fantastic flock of at least 7 Twite (probably more) were at Ynyslas this morning, moving back and forth between the saltmarsh and bushes next to the track between the boatyard and the tern posts.

Vismig was very good with a nice movement of 1424 Fieldfares, 568 Redwings, 8161 Starlings, 105 Meadow Pipits, 341 Woodpigeons and small selection of finches. The Queen Eider was still in the mouth of the estuary. http://www.trektellen.org/count/view/2143/20181116

Fieldfares (and a few Starlings and Redwings)

Ynyslas this morning

The highlight of a vismig session near the point this morning was a cracking flock of five Lapland Buntings that flew south. 7777 Starlings, 11 Bramblings and 263 Woodpigeons flew south as well. Tomorrow is looking like a better day for it. The Queen Eider was sat on a sandbank in the mouth of the estuary. At Ynys Tachwedd fields there were 16 Stock Doves, 80+ Chaffinches, 300+ Linnets, 40 odd Skylarks and Reed Buntings and a similar numbers of waders that I saw there yesterday.

Ynys Feurig hide, Ynys-hir

Spent just over an hour at the hide this morning. On or over the pool were 120 teal, and 8 shoveler,  with a few wigeon, a red kite and a buzzard, 2 ravens,  3 skylarks, and  a single meadow pipit. 5 reed buntings on the edge of the raised bog, and 2 stonechats. Surrounding grazing marshes had a ring-tailed hen harrier, 2 red kites, and a single rook.

Dick Squires

Llyn Syfydrin

Nothing on the other Pendam lakes today but on Llyn Syfydrin were three Whooper Swans, three Goldeneye and a pair of Tufted Ducks.
A single Mediterranean Gull was on College Rocks this evening.

Chris Bird

Ynyslas

At the tern posts at Ynyslas this morning there were 5 Grey Plovers, 2 Turnstones, 40 Dunlin, c.300 Golden Plover and a few other things that I have now forgotten. Ynys Tachwedd fields had c.250 Lapwing, c.50 Curlews, 40 odd Redshank, 60 Skylarks, 300 Linnets and I'm sure there was other things in a flock of finches in flight over the crop field. There were two Black-tailed Godwits there the other day. Spent most of my free hour or so trying to read a ring off a Meadow Pipit near the brickhouse, got a couple of numbers mid sequence '14', bit of a shame really, as it was running around my feet at one point!

Ynyslas

The rising tide this morning brought 310 Golden Plover, 35 Dunlin, 12 Redshank and three Turnstones.  Just to the east of the Leri were two Greenshank which eventually flew off up the estuary.

Willow Tits

Two were calling together in a field adjacent to Long Wood that has for several years been left to revert to woodland. Later another was calling in similar habitat squeezed between the road and Teifi just a little downstream from the shop at Llanfair Clydogau.

Coming soon!

More from Chris B

Yesterday an adult male Hen Harrier hunted over the field near Llangwyryfon where all the waders have been seen recently.
The Portland St. Pied Wagtail roost held at least 130 birds this evening.

Chris Bird

Llanrhystud and Pendinas

Sunday, Llanrhystud shoreline: Lone purple sandpiper, turnstone, ripit, HG + BH gulls. On fields; linnet (too far to check for twite), mipits, starlings, and a merlin on the hunt (unsuccessful).

Monday, highlights from Pen Dinas: Pair of chough, single sparrowhawk, 3 bullfinch. On the wet fields: gulls (HG + BH), mipit, 13 oystercatcher, 7 curlew, 2 mallard and about 100 starlings.

Naomi Davis

Aberystwyth prom

There were two Kingfishers perched together on the rapidly disappearing College Rocks when I arrived this morning.
Four Purple Sandpipers in the roost (five on Saturday) and offshore were two Gannets and a southward bound Red-throated Diver.
Steve Wade came along and told me he had a fem/imm Black Redstart yesterday near the Penmorfa flats, North Road.  Nice to know there's at least one around: I had a good look on the castle and the Old College on Saturday and couldn't find a thing.

Sightings from Chris Bird

Just two Goldeneye on Llyn Eiddwen this afternoon and 22 Lapwings in a field near Llyn Fanod.
Yesterday there was a dark-bellied Brent Goose on the Dyfi estuary and a ringtail Hen Harrier to the east of the Leri.
The field near Llangwyryfon which attracted over a hundred Lapwings last Monday, 5th, obviously has something special about it as last Thursday there were well over 100 Snipe on it.

Great White Egret

There's been a Great White Egret on the Teifi by Lampeter for the last two days. It's a two county bird having been seen on both sides of the river! It was still there at 4pm this afternoon.

Dyfi Geese

There was a Red-breasted Goose (presumably one of the feral ones) and a Pink-footed Goose on Ynys Tachwedd today with a flock of Canadas. More or less the same waders reported by Edward yesterday except that the Blackwit was replaced by a Snipe.
From the Clettwr, Marsh (male) and Hen (at least one male and one ringtail) Harrier, Water Rail, Green Sandpiper, Dipper and 50+ Barnacle Geese (and a Red Admiral).

November bird walk

A small group of us managed to stay reasonably dry yesterday on our
walk around the Strata Florida area. The list of birds seen and heard
was: raven, crow, magpie, jay, blackbird, redwing, song thrush, mistle
thrush, robin, wren, buzzard, kite, sparrowhawk, great tit, blue tit,
coal tit, marsh tit, nuthatch, treecreeperr, woodpigeon, pheasant,
woodcock, starling, siskin, chaffinch, goldcrest, and pied wagtail.

Our thanks to Red for leading a very interesting walk.

Elaine Izett

Ynys-hir yesterday

50 minutes at Ynys Feurig hide, Ynys-hir on Saturday afternoon.
On the pool, 230 Teal, 6 Pintail, 80 Wigeon, 2 Hen Harriers (a ring-tailed and an adult male), and a Peregrine hunting the area.  4 Greenland white fronts.

Dick Squires

Ynyslas

A quick walk round this morning produced a Lapland Bunting in the crop field at Ynys Tachwedd, a Hen Harrier and a Marsh Harrier. The crop field still holds good numbers of Linnets (c.250) and c.35 Skylarks. Waders at Ynys Tachwedd fields included 89 Lapwing, 33 Curlew, 34 Redshank and a Black-tailed Godwit. 4 Greenfinches flew south over the boatyard.

Frenchmen in Cwmystwyth etc.

Sorry folks,this is a bit ood! John (Davis) alerted me to 5 Red legged Partridges @ Pont ar Elan on his way to see our Ouzels yesterday.
I realised that I had not put them on...but we saw them in Cwmystwyth Ceredigion before Tyllwyd and just past the mines-cept there were 7- on Oct 29th.This really is an oddity! Not at all their terrain!
Finally another whopping thanks to Harry for his kind words.
See Radnor blog for Ouzels.

RSPB Ynys-hir

I popped into the Ynys Feurig hide this morning and met Dick Squires in the hide. Prior to my arrival he had seen a spotted redshank amongst the 190 redshank and 14 black-tailed godwits. Whilst we were there a distant ringtail hen harrier was hunting over the fields briefly, an immature male goshawk was chased off by two ravens and a slavonian grebe in winter plumage was out on the Dyfi.

Twite Update

I popped back to Llanrhystud to see if the Twite were still around. They'd moved slightly southwards and were feeding around the gate between the first field and the flooded field. This time the group totalled 9 Twite.

Twite at Llanrhystud

I've just been watching a group of 5 Twite feeding on and around the beach car park at Llanrhystud.

Purple Sandpipers

I was surprised to find five Purple Sandpipers in the Aberystwyth roost this morning, after yesterday's single bird.
Then a run up to Ynyslas, where nothing out of the ordinary.  Difficult to count the birds on Ynys Tachwedd fields, due to the rain in my face, but there were about 160 Lapwings, 15 Redshank, 15 Curlews and 70 Golden Plover.
At the turn car park the scoters were still close in and a Gannet went north.

CWM WYRE

Yesterday 15 Ravens over Cwm Wyre in the afternoon,  much
sociable wheeling and diving around. Seemed to be 2 groups of about 5 with
associated couples/individuals.
Keith Burdett

Kev does it again

Following on from his Fieldfare a couple of weeks ago, Kev Joynes has a fantastic photo of a Ring Ouzel in today's Birdguides Photo of the Week.  Obviously specialising in thrushes these days.

Llyn Eiddwen

Chris visited Llyn Eiddwen today and Goldeneye now up to four, all females.  No Goosanders though: perhaps they fly in to roost late in the afternoon.

Aberystwyth prom

Still just one Purple Sandpiper, though waves splashing up the seawall drove it off the roost.  Three Gannets and two Common Scoter well offshore, then the rain came and drove me away.
P.S. Jill (or Gill).  If you read this, keep an eye open for Black Redstart.  You're in the right place and it's that time of year.

Penrhiwllan

Yesterday morning at 11 o'clock we saw 2 mute swans fly over our place quite high, heading south west towards Newcastle Emlyn. We have been here for over 10 years and this is a first.  We are also seeing  a growing number of starling flying over southwardly in the morning and back in the late afternoon, totalling several thousand. We have not seen many winter thrushes. 

Ian Burgess

YNYSLAS

    3 of the 326 Common Scoters at Ynyslas this morning:

    and some of the 460 Golden Plovers, plus a lone Knot. A Greenshank was nearby.

KINGFISHER

A Kingfisher fishing from the bank just behind the Justice Centre at Aberystwyth Marina this lunchtime. Also half a dozen Common Gull near the harbour entrance.

John Woodruff

Llyn Eiddwen

A Sunday afternoon visit to Llyn Eiddwen revealed three female Goldeneye and eight redhead Goosanders.  41 Lesser Black-backed Gulls came in to roost.
On Saturday a field near Llangwyryfon held an unusual gathering of around 100 Lapwings.

Chris Bird

LLANON

   Not a single bird to be seen on the shingle just below the length of the cliff-top path except for 3 Turnstones and a Redshank. As for the stubble fields, one small bird showed itself for a fraction of a moment. No birds called at all.

   (See Arfon's post below. Perhaps I had better take up a new pastime)

   However, I did meet John and Rose Woodruff who mentioned that yesterday they had seen a pair of Gadwall from the Marion Mawr hide at Ynys-hir, surprisingly scarce in Ceredigion.

  Anyway, I did get reasonable views of a Merlin and a Kestrel, so I will not give up yet.



CWM WYRE, LLANRHYSTUD

Woodcock at western end of Coed Cwm Wyre on Sunday afternoon,
flushed and flew east.
29th Oct Goshawk flew low and slow across the Cwm, heading north mobbed by
5 Crows.
Roe Deer calling regularly.

Keith Burdett

Llanon

The stubble fields to the south of Llanon are worth a visit. Over the last couple of days there have been approx. 20 Water Pipits on the beach and in the stubbles/crops (Marc Hughes) and 4 Lapland Buntings. The buntings are usually present in the field next to the car park.

November field trip reminder

The November field trip will be this coming Saturday (10th) at Strata
Florida. See the field trip section full details. The weather forecast
looks OK. at the moment, but do note the comment about bad weather.

Elaine Izett.

Ynyslas yesterday

Pick of the birds at Ynyslas yesterday afternoon were a dark-bellied Brent Goose, two Turnstones and two Greenshank.

Chris Bird

Saturday afternoon at Marian Mawr

Had an amazing 30 minutes in the Marian mawr hide at Ynys-hir. 7 pintail, a little grebe, 2 black-tailed godwits, 2 little egrets, 40 teal on the pools. Then superb views of ring-tailed hen harrier being mobbed by a juv peregrine.

Dick Squires

New Quay Head

Sightings of note this morning. The Guillemots and Razorbills id'd reached over 200 with more futher out. 23 Gannets. 4 Kittiwake. 1 Fulmar. 2  R-t Diver.

Andy James

Goshawk

Chris Bird had a male Goshawk yesterday as he was driving between Llangwyryfon and Abermad.