Pembrokeshire Peregrines

Managing a week's holiday at Whitsun myself and Teresa booked the caravan into a very nice site just outside Newport,Pembs.

The site was immaculately kept and was surrounded by mixed woodland and bounded by the River Nevern on one side no more than 20m from our caravan,this gave plenty of woodland birding opportunities and on my first venture out on Saturday morning a pair of Lesser 'peckers flew across the caravan park in front of me,my first sighting of the species for about 5 years.

This was followed a couple of days later by a pair of Pied Flys in the woods.

I birded the Nevern Estuary at Newport a couple of times from the bridge downstream and was somewhat disappointed at the lack of any really interesting birds the only species of note being a party of 4 Ringed Plover which offered a distant photo opportunity before being spooked by walkers (or should that be wankers !!)

We visited Fishguard on the Thursday (now there's a town you need to avoid-it's one saving grace being a good fish and chip "restaraunt") and from there moved on to Strumble Head for a couple of hours.

The showers had dispursed and the afternoon brightened up quite cheerfully,I didn't have my scope with me but managed a seawatch with my old Opticrons which I keep in the car.

Large gulls and Gannets were plentiful and small numbers of Kittiwake and Fulmar passed the headland,out at sea Manxies were probably in their 1000s feeding,Razorbill and Guillimot also passed.

I decided a westerly walk along the coastal path would be a good idea and after spotting a few seals and porpoises I heard the call of a Peregrine Falcon fairly close by on one of the cliffs.

I scanned and soon found a single bird perched on a ledge near to it's nest where young were also calling.

I moved around the coastal path to a better position and got excellent views of the nest site where 2 youngsters were competing for the parent bird's attention.

They looked to be 2 or so weeks old and I watched for about 30 mins as both parent birds came to the nest.

This was too good a photo opportunity to miss and so on the following Saturday I returned to get some pics,the weather was "too" good with the strong sunshine causing a fair amount of heat haze.

I studied and photographed the birds for an hour or more and just as I prepared to leave one of the Perries had a go at one of a pair of Choughs which avoided being the chicks' next meal by diving into the cliff face,a very lucky escape !!

A thoroughly relaxing week was enjoyed with a little birding thrown in -my first sighting in 5 years of that elusive little 'pecker and probably my longest and best ever views of Peregrine Falcon with young.

Nesting Nuthatches

On Sun 20th May I ventured across to Darren Woods in Llangynwyd,Maesteg which I can probably describe as my "local patch" in search of Wood Warbler and Pied Flycatcher.

Pied Flycatcher have been thin on the ground there during the last couple of years but Wood Warbler have always been reliable and in good numbers.

A good walk through the wood failed to turn up either species and I turned my attention to a nest hole I've known for a few years at the top of the wood which over the years has hosted Pied Fly,Redstart and in 2005 Nuthatch after some "glueing up" of the entrance hole.

Further disappointment followed as the hole was unoccupied.

Feeling a little despondent I made my way down through the wood and halfway down heard young calling from a nest hole in an oak alongside one of the narrow paths.

I stopped and waited for a parent bird to make a feeding visit and quite soon a Nuthatch made an appearance,as soon as the parent arrived one of the young showed a large open beak at the entrance hole to engulf a tasty meal,setting up the scope I managed a few half tidy photos.

I watched the comings and goings for about half an hour and made my way further down the wood toward the main track,about 30 m from the new fence alongside the track I spotted another Nuthatch dive into a nesthole in another oak whilst at the same time 3 Redstarts caught my eye with 2 males chasing a lone female,they were close to the fence and on one occasion a male perched on top of one of the fence posts giving me my best ever scope views of the species.

Unfortunately because of their excited state they were impossible to photograph and I turned my attention back to the pair of Nuthatches who were busy feeding their young and offered a better photo opportunity.

From my vantage point I picked out a pair of Grey Wagtails on the stream below me busily collecting food for their nearby young family and managed a couple of shots before they spotted me and flew around the bend in the stream to their nest.

Although missing out on two of our more colourful summer migrants I was quite happy with my morning's birding and have a couple more nest holes to keep an eye on next year.

Purring in Lydney

On 17th June, mother and I nipped to Lydney Harbour between hospital visits, acting on information on Gloster Birder. Sure enough, after a short wait, purring was heard, and the reported Turtle Dove soon showed on wires. However, it flew before I could photograph it, and hadn't reappeared 30 mins later, when we had to head home.

Warbling through June

With Gill and Rosie otherwise occupied, my mother and I successfully found a Dartford Warbler at a traditional site near the coast in the Vale of Glamorgan on 14th June. On 16th June, we fluked good views of both Wood and Garden Warblers from the Taff Trail near Blaen-y-glyn whilst we looked for Siskins (several present), Redpoll (a couple of flyovers), and Crossbill (heard). After a pleasant lunch in Crickhowell, we headed towards the Blorenge, and a female Redstart flew across the road in front of us. A walk from the Foxhunter car park produced a family of Wheatear, with both parents feeding young.

A future birder?

Rosie Hall, born Saturday 9th June at 0015, 6lb 6oz.