Island Paradise

North Haven, Skomer

Today I took my annual visit to Skomer and as usual was not disappointed.  This place is getting more popular especially after Iolo Williams live spots on Springwatch.  Good thing too and I was especially pleased to see school children from Oxford getting less bored the more they saw.

The Dale Princess

Starting on the Dale Princess  with the always cheerful greeting from boatmen Kenny and Carl the whole experience begins.  Arriving at the island and after the strenuous climb up the steps and the greeting from warden Chris you can get started.  Up to the middle of July the Puffins are the main attraction both at North Haven and later at the Wick.  They were in top form today posing for the many cameras especially when carrying sand eels.

Puffin with sand eels

There were still plenty of other seabirds about including hordes of Guillemots still on their ledges and Razorbills and Kittiwakes too.  The stiff breeze gave Fulmars the opportunity to demonstrate their amazing flight hanging on the wind.  The main disappointment was not catching a glimpse of the Short-eared Owls which are nesting on the island.

Fulmar hanging on the wind

A visit to this seabird city is generally very predictable but the experience is still stimulating.  To do the place credit you really need to take the trouble to stay overnight.  The experience of standing in the dark with thousands of Manx Shearwaters coming in to their burrows is hard to describe.  With luck you might come across Storm Petrels as well.




The Farm, Skomer


The island is a huge credit to the Wildlife Trust of South & West Wales whose staff and volunteers make the whole experience run like clockwork and the greeting is warm and friendly.  If you want to go for the day you need to get up early.  I arrived at 8.20am but the queue for tickets was already long and I did not get on a boat until 10.30am.

If you have not been yet then Go!

Summer arrived today

What a change from yesterday when it rained all day, temperatures hovered around 10 degrees and we lit the woodburner.  Today bright sunshine and a high of 24 degrees.




Tree Pipit singing


We took off to the hills starting around Llyne Brianne dam.  The open grassland produced lots of Meadow pipits feeding young and a few Wheatears too.  Passing through the thick coniferous forest a single Wood Warbler was singing and as we reached the bridge to cross towards Tregaron a Common Sandpiper with 2 fledged young was discovered.  Further on we stopped by some young forestry.  A Tree Pipit was in full song and a male Whinchat appeared with 2 fledged young.  This species is declining everywhere so seeing breeding success is very heartening.  A Grey Heron and a Red Kite flew over before we moved on.

Juvenile Whinchat

Further on we stopped again this time definitely in Ceredigion.  Hoardes of Meadow Pipits here with young and 2 Reed Buntings singing.  And again more Whinchats.  This time a pair with 3 fledged young and I was able to get some photographs.

Tregaron Bog

We eventually ended up at Tregaron Bog and took a walk around the boardwalk.  Plenty of Willow Warblers and Pied Flycatcher and Redstart also seen.  We visited the hide which was new to us.  It is a great disappointment finding out it is merely a large room with glass windows.  No opportunities for using a camera with a Sedge Warbler posing right outside.  Is it a hide or just a room for say school groups? You could tell this building had little input from a naturalist merely an architects whim I suppose.  Seems a lot of money has been spent without much thought as to use. Still I shall not waste energy walking to that again.  The rest of the reserve is superb and the visitor facilities excellent.

We headed home via Lampeter without much more to report.

Hunting for Fledglings

With the final phase of the BTO Atlas upon us there are scores of birders searching tetrads for proof of species breeding.  I have been doing some of this in the past day or so and it is very rewarding.  Everywhere you look for signs of nesting.  From singing birds in suitable territory to birds carrying food for their young.

Female Common Redstart with food

The ultimate of course is to find fledged young which prove beyond all doubt that nesting has taken place in your square.  Even with the current cool and damp weather here it is still possible to achieve the ultimate.  Today in one tetrad I found fledglings of 11 species.  Very gratifying.

Common Redstart fledgling

Now if the weather is OK tomorrow out to another area and more hunting for signs of nesting.

Mediterranean Gull time again

How different the status of Mediterranean Gull is nowadays in the UK compared with 50 years ago.  I can recall back then when a returning bird in winter at Covehithe, Suffolk drew birders from all over just to add it to their Year List.  How different things are today.

Mediterranean Gull - 2nd summer

Here in Wales birds start arriving from mid-June along the south and west coast through the summer sometimes flocking in numbers of over 50.  By August there could be a few hundred birds involved.




Mediterranean Gull - juvenile


I saw my first group of the summer today at the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust reserve at Llanelli.  Amongst the Black-headed Gull colony at least 15 were roosting and most seemd to be adults with two exceptions.  I guess the earliest arrivals if adults are probably birds which failed to breed this year.

Part of the group at Llanelli WWT today

Ringing recoveries suggest most these birds are from colonies in mainland Europe from places such as Belgium and the Netherlands.  Some may of course come from breeding colonies elsewhere including perhaps the south of England.




Mediterranean Gull - adult


My only other sightings of note today at WWT were a Peregrine and a singing Lesser Whitethroat scarce in Wales and my first for the year.

Reprieve for Welsh Badgers

An announcement by the Minster of the Environment in the Welsh Assembly states that the proposed cull issued by the previous administration is to be put on hold whilst there is a review of the science involved.

Well it is a start and at least challenges the nonsense of the previous position.

What does reviewing the science mean? 

We shall find out soon.  They are hoping for results in the autumn.

Woodland Walk

At last a day with almost no rain.  We took a walk in the RSPB Dinas reserve in North Carmarthenshire.  It is one of the finest examples of Welsh woodland which juxtaposes with other habitats such as grassland, open mountain and fast flowing river.

Common Sandpiper

We went there not just to get some fresh air but also to complete the BTO Atlas work on that square.  What was most obvious was the cold and damp within the woodland which made finding birds difficult at first.  In some of the brief sunny spells birds started to get active and it was gratifying to see so many young birds.  Juvenile Marsh and Blue Tits were obvious as were family parties of Nuthatches.  Scanning the river a female and 5 young Goosanders were easy to find as were Grey Wagtails.  A Common Sandpiper called anxiously suggesting young nearby.

Common Redstart

Searching more within the woodland we noted quite a few Redstarts and Pied Flycatchers all accompanied by fledgling young.  Tree Pipits were collecting food which I assume meant young were nearby.  I was glad to see a lot of young birds because the weather had been so poor of late.  Perhaps understandably only one Wood Warbler was heard.

Red Kite

Back at the car park it was raptor time.  A pair of Buzzards and a Red Kite were overhead and a little later a Peregrine.  All received the appropriate attention from a family group of Ravens.

Great Spotted Woodpecker in the garden

Back home the sunshine was more prolonged as well as welcome.  I spent time watching the young birds at the feeders and at last got a half decent shot of the male Great Spotted Woodpecker.

It was nice to be out.

Scarce breeder locally



Spotted Flycatcher

Dodging showers yesterday I was delighted to see a Spotted Flycatcher in the lane by my house.  It is the second year running that a pair seems to be nesting here.  This species is getting very scarce here nowadays and the bird by my house was the first I have seen in Carmarthenshire this year.




Young Buzzard


The weather here is absolutely diabolical for June.  It is wet almost every day and cold too.  We have resorted to lighting the wood burning stove quite a bit lately.  It is a wonder that there any young birds surviving and I have seen young Buzzards in the nest looking very bedraggled and miserable.

Where is summer?