Tuesday, 15 April 2025

The brickhouse, Ynyslas

 At high  tide  I was very  pleasantly  surprised  to find good  numbers  of divers on the sea  including 73 Red-throated divers  (some in cracking  plumage)   and two black-throated  divers clise in, one  of which  was in almost complete  summer  plumage.  Sandwich  terns numbered nine and there  were lots  of gannets,  manxies, razorbill and guillemot so there  must  be fish  in the bay.

Later, bored of trying  to do more  of the 2024 Ceredigion  Bird  Report  (very  behind  this year), I escaped and in a break in the rain was at the brickhouse  once again. Scanning,  I could  only see about twenty  divers  but two  brown  birds on the sea with sticky-up tails and a definite  skua jazz had me closely  watching.   Suddenly both shot up from  the  water  and started  harassing some  Sandwich terns.  Marvellous  birds, just  love  skuas.

Having been  away, watching  Pittas and rare  Sri Lankan birds, I realise  that seabirds  are by far my favourites.

Russell  Jones