Ynyslas

The immature male Eider was in the estuary near Ynyslas Point again late this afternoon - a nice bird to end the year with.

Pont Einon

 Just an hour visit to the South end of Cors Caron at Pont Einon today produced 2 Ravens, 2 Woodcock, 1 Snipe, 3 Goosanders, 1 Little Egret and a Grey Wagtail.

Will Davies

Cors Caron

 Just a stroll midday yesterday along the railway at Cors Caron produced 5 Bullfinches, 4 Goldfinches, 2 Wilow Tits, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 2 Brambling, 5 Goosander, 30+ Wigeon, 8 Teal, 2 Coot, 5 Tufted Ducks, 2 Little Egrets, 3 Reed Buntings, 4 Meadow Pipits and 2 Stonechat.

And a sight to behold yesterday midday over the centre of Tregaron of over 70+ Red Kites flying over the town.

Will Davies

The Bean Geese

 

I'm happy to publish more photographs of these rare birds in Ceredigion.

Photos of the tundra Bean Geese taken yesterday by Arfon Williams

Clettwr

 A Green Sandpiper enlivened an otherwise rather quiet walk along the Clettwr bank this afternoon. Nice views of the Dipper near the footbridge at the top end. 15 Barnacle Geese on the saltmarsh downstream of the railway bridge, and a pair of Red-breasted Mergansers just offshore.  

Bean Geese still at Tanybwlch

When I arrived at Tanybwlch at first light this morning the weather was not good. An hour later the horizontal rain had stopped and after a long yomp I was very relieved to see the two Bean Geese reported yesterday by Jon at the far side of the flooded field.

Martin Creasser 

Tundra Bean Geese at Tan-y-bwlch

A visit to Tan-y-bwlch this afternoon failed to produce any Water Pipits, but I was surprised to see two quite distant grey geese grazing in the flooded fields alongside the Curlews. Thinking they looked more like Pinkfeet than Greylags, I got my scope onto them and realised they had obvious orange legs, orange-banded bills, and dark backs with the characteristic white fringes of Tundra Bean Geese. They were quite wary, keeping well back from the shingle ridge with its walkers and dogs, but seemed relatively settled. The light was too poor for decent photos (and I hadn't brought the scope attachment for my phone!), but here are a couple of record shots: 

Talybont

 Surprised to flush a woodcock from some scrub in a field behind Talybont school this morning. Also good to see a dipper feeding in the Afon Ceulan. Plenty of small passerines about and a pair of raven kronking away over Allt y Crib wood.

Dave Thomas 

Whoopers at Llanrhystud

 3 whoopers by the flooded field south of the beach car park at 9.50 this morning - just over the fence into the arable field south of the flooded area

John Woodruff

Aline.....

....there are 3 Whooper Swans in a field below your house (next to footpath). As I watched them a Little Egret dropped in and did a passable impression of grazing along with them. Also at Llanrhystud this morning; 550 BH Gulls, a few Common Gulls, 90 Curlews, 12 Redshanks, 9 Turnstones. Finally, a long time contributor to this blog (20 years?), the leucistic Oystercatcher.

Re: photo

 I think it's a Muttonbird, Ian.

Christmas Crossbill

 Single in Long Wood earlier. I like your photo Harry but don't recall the species of bird depicted.

Season's Greetings

 Seasons greetings to you and all the bird blog readers!

Sanderling at the submerged forest, Borth, recently.

Jerry Moore

Merry Christmas

 

Wishing a Happy Christmas and and all best wishes for the New Year to all our readers and contributors.

Good birding for 2022

Ynys-hir

 Morning trip to Ynys-hir had a few highlights including, Redpoll, Kestrel, Great White Egret and Marsh Harrier.

Marsh Harrier

Rhys Thatcher

Nanteos Lake

 Chris's  penchant for lakes took him to Nanteos this morning.  The highlight was three Shovelers, including a smart male.  Other wildfowl on the lake were 14 Teal, four Wigeon, 12 Moorhens, six Little Grebes and a pair of Mute Swans.

Pendam lakes

Chris had a run up to Pendam yesterday and found very little on the waters but a flock of at least 60 Redpolls was consolation.

On Sunday evening he had an unusual sighting of a Woodcock near his house.

Nice one, Kev

Congratulations to our contributor from over the hills, Kev Joynes, for his gorgeous photograph of a Water Rail in this week's BirdGuides Photo of the Week competition. 

Water Pipits

 One last walk to the flooded fields at Tan-y-bwlch before heading home for Christmas paid off today as there is now 2 water pipits on the fields. They are spending a lot of time travelling up and down the fence that runs through the middle of the two fields and gave great views.

Water Pipit

Ewan Turner

Red-breasted Mergansers

 A few Red-throated Diver, a Great Crested Grebe and numerous distant rafts of Common Scoter were all I saw from the Brick-house at Ynyslas this morning. Then went round to the Tern Posts mid morning where the best birds were a flock of circa 60 Pintails and a long way upriver another Great Crested Grebe and 2 pairs of Red-breasted Mergansers.

 Martin Creasser.

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Green Woodpecker in Lledrod

 I was filling my feeders earlier when the unmistakable call of a Green Woodpecker came ringing across the valley.  My first one here and my first in the county for a good few years.

Leaving Ceredigion

Sad to say, on Monday we will be migrating South for good.Just to say, it's been a great pleasure contributing to the blog and part of our hearts will remain here always.

Not much time for birding lately, but, last Sunday we managed a flock of 7 Chough high above the fish factory at NewQuay and a Barn Owl over the road at Ciliau Aeron a few days before. And a late afternoon feature of 10s of 1000s of Starlings, daily, streaming past from the NNE and then changing bearing SE, over Dihewyd, in direction of Lampeter. There's a huge roost somewhere near here. The passing flocks are breathtaking in their size.

We'll be living on the very southern edge of Pembroke, access to all southern and western points - so hope to contribute down there a bit! And if any Cere birders need any assistance down there with local knowledge of what's about, we may, in time, be able to help them out.

We hope to be back again. Only it's a bit farther now. But we have truly loved Wild Ceredigion.

Thanks for putting up with us!

See you on the Pembs Birds Blog!

Phil Baber and Pam Buckle

Aberystwyth and Tanybwlch

 49 Turnstones around the pier this morning.  Offshore, seven Wigeon, a Shag and a Red-throated Diver went north and two more R-t Divers south.

The recent storms have covered the track at Tanybwlch with rocks of various sizes, making walking difficult.  Not a  gull in sight on the floods, just 42 Teal.  Two pairs of Goosander and 16 Mallards on the river, a Grey Wagtail on the bank and a Little Egret flew upstream. 

Aberarth to Aberaeron

 On a pleasant walk yesterday, highlights were c150 Golden Plovers on North beach and a Red-throated Diver. Nice to see overwintering Skylarks as well.

Martin Perry

Pont Einon

 Just a short visit to Pont Einon at the Southend of the bog just before dark yesterday revealed 1 Ringtail Hen Harrier,  2 Little Egrets, 4 Goosander (1 male  3 female), 3 Little Grebes, 6 Teal, 2 Mute Swans, 2 Jay's, 3 Buzzards, 4 Red Kites and 4 Grey Herons.

Will Davies

Llangwyryfon, etc.

 A slurry-covered field near Chris's house has been attracting around 2000 gulls, among which he picked out five Med Gulls yesterday.

Chris then visited Ynyslas where the highlight was a Great White Egret.

The sea at Borth

 Ideal viewing conditions this morning, but I couldn;t find anything out of the ordinary, just two Great Crested Grebes, a Red-throated Diver and approximately 410 Common Scoters.  There was also a Skylark on the turn car park.

Llyn Eiddwen

On a flat calm Llyn Eiddwen this afternoon there were 12 Goosanders and two female Goldeneye.

Chris Bird

Roll on springtime

 A Song Thrush in full song in the dark this morning at a favoured location; the diesel tank in the corner of the yard. Later, delivering in Henllan, a GS Woodpecker drumming loudly and regularly. May I take this opportunity to thank everyone who puts photos on the blog-I always enjoy looking at them. Re. the tank at pant pool. It hadn't occurred to me that it could just be the bottom of a much taller structure.

Goldeneye on Pant Pool

 On Pant pool late this morning there was an immature Goldeneye, 5 Coots and 10 Little Grebes. Not sure if we're going to loose visibility of a fair bit of the pool due to the construction going up in front of it.

 Martin Creasser

Pipers on Stone Jetty.

Sadly the Phalarope couldn't wait for us , but good to see 2 Purple Sands on the stone jetty yesterday in a bit of dry weather.

 

Water Pipit

 I went down to Tan-y-bwlch this morning to have a look at the flooded fields. Plenty of gulls and some groups of teal and lapwing. But I was pleased to find a water pipit amongst the other pipits feeding in the field. It flew east at around 9.30am.

Water Pipit

Ewan Turner

Ynyslas

A short visit to a very murky Ynyslas yesterday afternoon produced 106 Golden and six Grey Plovers.

Chris Bird 

Basil Twigg

 Last night Chris Bird gave me the sad news that Basil Twigg died on Sunday morning in Bronglais Hospital after a short illness.

If my memory serves me right, Basil was the first birder I met after I arrived in Aberystwyth in 1989.  A chance meeting by the harbour, where Basil put me onto a Med Gull.  I didn't know Basil well, but it was always a pleasure to chat with him during our occasional meetings, where he was inevitably accompanied by his long-term partner, Rhiannon Thomas.

I'm sure our readers will join me in offering our condolences to Rhiannon.

Grey Phalarope on a grey day

 A Phalarope of any sort would be a first for us so, despite the drizzle, we rushed off to Tan-y-bwlch beach this morning. One false alarm and one red throated diver later we tracked it down. It was again riding the big waves just off the beach. We watched for over an hour and ot was still there when we left at 11.30.

Photo is a phone pic through the telescope so won't win any prizes but reflects the predominant colours of a wet monday.

Stephen Forster

Ynyslas

A short visit to Ynyslas this lunchtime produced very little unusual except a great northern diver and great crested grebe near the Leri mouth. There were a few curlew, dunlin and oystercatcher around as well as the usual gathering of whistling wigeon. 

 Dave Thomas

Grey Phalarope at Tanybwlch

 Down here with Ewan who has just refound the Grey Phalarope on the sea just near concrete jetty.(10:15)

Martin.Creasser

I headed down to south beach this morning to look for Simon’s grey phalarope. I met Martin down there and we searched the harbour and south beach but no luck. I then headed on to tan-y-bwlch and was very pleased to see the grey phalarope sat on the sea amongst some black headed gulls, just off the concrete jetty. We got good views of it in flight and on the sea, it was still there at 11.20am when we left.

Ewan Turner

Guess who went looking for the phalarope this morning, then gave up after finding nothing in South Bay or the harbour. Think I'll give up birding until the new year.

Incidentally, that's a very dark juvenile.  They usually have quite a lot of grey in the mantle at this time of the year..  

More Christmas best wishes

 On a gloomy day, at a gloomy time of the year and at a gloomy period of history, I should also like to wish readers/contributors to this blog a happy Christmas and a healthy New Year. Let us hope that things don't get too bad in the coming weeks and months. I popped out to visit a few damp spots this morning. There were just 50 Wigeon at Pont Gogoyan with a Little Grebe, Little Egret and a Goosander. Nine more grebes at Pant pool with 5 Coots, but almost nothing at Maes Llyn pool and Pont Einon apart from a single Coot. So, no fewer than a whopping 6 Coots in the upper Teifi valley!

Cors Caron

 Just a short visit to the bridge at Pont Einon yesterday morning between showers produced 250 Wigeon, 80 Teal, 4 Goosanders, 4 Ravens, 1 Snipe, 1 Nuthatch and 5 Golfinches.

Will Davies

It's Xmas

 Wishing all you guys out West the very best for Xmas & New Year.

Aberporth Scoter

 The Scoter flock started with 2 birds a few weeks ago and is now at 25 +/- off the low cliffs between Aberporth and Tresaith. They are remarkably faithful to this part of the Bay and form a discrete flock of several small groups.

Nearby was a Red Throated Diver.

On Tresaith beach was a Guillemot storm casualty.

The beach was strewn with large Otter shells  some of which had the large rubbery protuberance (siphon) by which they access their food.  They live down the shore in deep mud so these had been 'untimely ripped'  from their habitat by the ferocious storm waves.  Gulls and crows had an early Xmas dinner surprise.

Grey Phalarope, Aberystwyth

There's lots of water on the field at Tanybwlch at the moment, which held plenty of waders this morning (including a Dunlin, 4 Snipe, and 24 Curlew) and c30 Teal, harassed at first by a drone, later by a Sparrowhawk. Returning through Aberystwyth, a Grey Phalarope at South Beach, skipping over some impressive waves. Adequate consolation for not finding any purps.

One-upmanship

 I located six purple sandpipers below the Castle at Aberystwyth this morning!

On North Beach at high tide were about 48 turnstones. I wonder if  "Counting the turnstones" will ever become as much of a tradition as "Counting the purple sands....." 

Jerry Moore

Ynys-hir

 A stormy day with several flood banks over topped. However, between showers up to three great egrets were about along with green sandpiper, kingfisher and a goldeneye. The highlight must have been an adult glaucous gull flying out towards the estuary at lunchtime. In addition, an otter was out braving the Dyfi floodwater. 

Dave Anning

Lampeter

 Whilst I was fumbling around in the co-op car park earlier (8.30) a flock of about 30 Cormorants flew over heading south. I wonder if they had roosted inland because of the weather or maybe they often roost inland at this time of the year?

Peregrine

Had stunning close views of a peregrine just a mile up the road from Lledrod towards Ystrad Meurig - or, more accurately, close views of a stunning peregrine. It made the many redwings extremely nervous...

Jasmine Donahaye

New Quay

 Spent a few hours again this morning today (5th) at New Quay. The combination of wind and high tide made for a lot of spray which I had to shelter from. A couple of confiding Turnstones shared my shelter while I watched the sea. Pick of birds seen, 1 each of Brent Goose, Great Crested Grebe, Purple Sandpiper, 14 Red-throated Divers, 7 Common Scoters, 5 Gannets.

Martin Creasser.

Brain Freeze

 The cold wind at Llanrhystud this morning was making my skull ache. A single Ringed Plover looked out of place; everything else seemed to be in flocks. Golden Plover 750, BH Gull 400. Curlew 70, Oystercatcher 25, Common Gull 30, GBB Gull 10.

Aberystwyth etc.

 Still five Purple Sandpipers in the roost this morning.  A short seawatch produced a few Common Gulls and two Red-throated Divers south.

On a visit to Nant yr Arian on Thursday there were 10 Goosanders on the lake and I was pleased to see at least 12 Greenfinches around the feeder.

Glandyfi

 Hen harriers on a couple of days this week, including an immaculate male on 1st and  this morning. Also 3 black tailed godwits, and 25 lapwing today. 

Green sandpiper last night and a common on 1st. Max 18 cormorants in the roost. Low numbers of goosander, eg  2 last night, and so far this winter have only seen 1 goldeneye from Glandyfi.

Cross Inn Forest

 A grey, largely birdless afternoon walk was finally livened at dusk with a Woodcock twice seen chasing a Wren which were the only birds still about other than a calling Tawny Owl.

Martin Perry

Inland Lapwings

 300+  Lapwings in one of the fields off the Rhydlewis - Glynarthen road this morning, and still around (although flighty) this afternoon when I went back with my camera.

Paul Taylor

Red-throated Diver

 Aberystwyth harbour:

It was a lovely surprise to get such great views of this red-throated diver in the harbour this afternoon. It seemed quite content fishing amongst the boats and allowing very close views, but it seemed to have a slightly deformed bill. It was still in the harbour when I left at about 2.40pm.

Ewan Turner

Barn Owl near Cross Inn

Just after five o'clock this evening I followed a Barn Owl for about a mile in my car as it hunted along the roadside hedges and verges from just outside Cross Inn, past Ty Gwyn Garage and as far as the junction to Llanon. It didn't seem the least bit bothered by my headlights and the car engine. It hovered low over the ground a few times and stopped twice to perch. I was really close on a couple of occasions as I watched it hover and perch through an open driver-side window.